Rockets coach Ime Udoka reflects on his controversial departure from Boston: ‘Job not finished’

Since Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire 2022/23 NBA season for multiple violation of Celtics rules and ultimately being fired as the team’s head coach, he hadn’t played his former team in Boston until this past Saturday. The press were all over him during the pregame interviews, as the trainer admitted that he feels he never finished the job he was hired to do in Massachusetts. 

Mixed feelings. That’s the atmosphere that was felt after the current Rockets coach finished his interview, as he also revealed his biggest regret had been to “let people down.” Prior to the Celtics beating his team 145-113, he confessed he stills ponders about “the relationships you build, and the people you impact. So that’d be the biggest thing.

“I formed a lot of relationships within a year, and obviously want to get a chance to run it back with a group you feel you can build and grow with. So, letting the people down. I talked about the players, the relationships I built with them, the coaches that came with me, and then everybody else that was impacted by it,” he shared pregame.

“So for me that’s the biggest thing I would say overall is letting some people down, for sure. But we’ve talked it out and I’ve seen a lot of these people throughout the summer and talk regularly and so we move past it,” Ime added.

Once the game was done, Udoka didn’t want to talk too much about it by saying “it kind of didn’t matter to me at all.”  The truth is he led an outstanding turnaround during his lone campaign in Boston, as the team started that 2021/22 season with a 23-24 record, and then improved to a 28-7 down the stretch all the way to the NBA Finals.

The last game he ever coached was that infamous Game 6 against the Golden State Warriors, which saw his opponents celebrate their fourth championship in the TD Garden arena.

“I spent a good year and had some success,” Udoka said when asked if his return felt special. “But I just saw a few people that you’re reminded of, everyone on the ramp when you walk in. So, it was a little bit different, as far as that.

“We had a good year [here], not great year, [because we] didn’t get it done. But yeah, I would say just seeing some people I haven’t seen in a while … then, once it’s done, it’s done. A first time for everything. We’ve been through it and are ready to move on.”

Coach Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics roster also reflected on the controversy and Udoka’s legacy

After his polemic departure, Ime was officially replaced by Joe Mazzulla, who had been promoted from his interim coach job in Udoka’s staff. Before the match, both trainers seemed to be in tune about downplaying the significance of Saturday’s clash.

“Obviously the fact that Ime is back, that’s great,” Mazzulla said. “We worked together, and guys on the staff, but I don’t think that really has anything to do with winning or losing.”

Jaylen Brown spoke on the contrasting coaching styles of Brad Stevens, Ime Udoka and Joe Mazzulla.

He framed Joe as a balance of the two former coaches approaches.

“He empowers us, but we also got to be the smarter, more prepared team.”

(via @CelticsCLNS) pic.twitter.com/1ZQI2pStMe

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) January 14, 2024

Jaylen Brown confessed postgame that the all the drama that ensued after firing Udoka was “kind of a weird process,” but he’s just glad in the end it all went well for both parties.

After leading Boston with 32 points this weekend, he shared his views on the reunion. “We kind of knew what was going on, but then there was a time when we were hearing speculation that there was like, more to it or something else was like — and it turned to be that there wasn’t anything that we already knew. But definitely a peculiar situation or whatever,” he said.