The Celtics made it to the finals for the first time in 12 years. They last played in the NBA finals in 2010, which they lost in 7 games against Kobe Bryant?s Lakers. 12 years later they find themselves battling out with the Warriors in the 22nd final of their history. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart have turned out to be protagonists for their success this season.

The Celtics have struggled in recent years to find their correct lineup and manage the roster. However, things changed when the new head coach, Ime Udoka, joined the team in 2021. In his first season in charge, he has changed the tide.

They ended the regular season as 2nd seed and fought their way through a difficult road to win the Eastern Conference title and feature in the NBA finals. Although now the decision of Ime Udoka to take charge turned out to be one of the best decisions for all parties involved, Tatum had his doubts when he first came along.

?Ime told me that Jayson Tatum came to him in the first week of training camp. And saying you know, maybe this isn’t going to work. Maybe we should go back to some of the principles that we used in previous seasons. Ime’s message, just stick with it, stick with it and force them to stick with it.? Chris Mannix revealed the first feelings of the Celtics camp when Ime came along.

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Settling in wasn?t particularly easy for Ime Udoka. Moreover, getting the roster?s trust in him was more difficult.

How Ime Udoka transformed Jayson Tatum and the rest of the Celtics into a title contending side

When Udoka came along, the talent was already in the ranks for the Celtics. Tatum, Brown, and Smart were clearly the three players who in the right system could fire beyond doubt. But that system had not been found yet. Ime had his eyes set on the Celtics for a couple of years and knew what they needed. When he joined, his biggest responsibility was to make the three players gel together and complement each other.

Ime realized that what this team needed was for Tatum and Brown to stop being so focused on being one-on-one players. But rather become playmakers and embrace that part of their offensive game.

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This game style also helped Marcus Smart find his feet effectively in the team and shine. Ime gave a different look out to the team with his freshness of ideas and that has worked rather tremendously for them. They battle it out against a strong Warriors side as the NBA finals are all tied up at 2-2.?