The Boston Celtics didn't surprise Ime Udoka by winning 50 games in 2021-22, but he never foresaw how they went about doing it.
After the Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday to improve their record to 50-30, the C's head coach told reporters he's unsurprised Boston reached the 50-win mark. After all, the Celtics' roster contained enough talent to field a winning team coming into the season.
However, the initial pieces didn't fit, and the Celtics struggled to develop consistency over the first three-plus months of Udoka's tenure in Boston. They were 18-21 on Jan. 6 and were languishing in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings. However, they since have gone 32-9 and climbed to second place in the East. That dramatic reversal of fortunes caught Udoka off guard.
"When you take it in that context of how poorly we started or the games we gave away early, it means something," Udoka said Wednesday at a postgame press conference, per the Celtics' website. "When I signed on here, it was pretty much a given we were going to win 50 games. That was the expectation. As far as that, not surprised but because of the way we started going on the run we had in the second half or so, it's a good thing to get back to where we expected to be."
Udoka then revealed the secrets to the Celtics' turnaround.
"I think it's a pretty simple formula we talk about," Udoka said. "Play defense at an elite level, share the ball, be unselfish on offense and the results are kind of there. We've seen the formula that's produced winning, whereas early in the season we would do something well and then take a step back the next game. It's been consistent as far as that. Try to keep it simple as far as the message and repeat that every night."
The Celtics will vie for win No. 51 on Thursday night in Milwaukee, Wis., when they visit the Bucks.
