Celtics hire Ime Udoka as HC

[JakeRae]

My Personal Opinion....which means squat.....Ime handled Smart exactly right. Smart wanted to be a star and have a voice. IE "Be the Captain". Often without the production to be an "Alpha".
Smart had been trying to do that with Good D and ATTEMPTING to Score 20+ a game with threes.
Ime said "Hey Do it with Defense instead. Be a DEFENSIVE Alpha".
Smart bought in and has excelled now with Hellacious D and passing and letting the scoring come to him for 10-20 a night.
Seems easy but he also had to sell the rest of the team that"On the defensive end Smart is the leader/Alpha. Listen to him". That had the added benefit of also giving him some "cred" on the offensive end as the "PG". JT and JB to their credit bought in and all three have flourished and have had plenty of Ego stroke to keep everyone happy and committed.

The problem with this is that Smart has never tried to be a lead scorer except when on teams are where the actual lead scorers were injured and not playing. The premise that he was is a straw man. All evidence also indicates Smart always wanted to be a point guard but kept getting stuck on rosters where he was being asked to be a wing. The big thing that changed this year is that Stevens (either with input from Ime or based on his own experience trying to coach around undersized score-first point guards) rebuilt the roster to put Smart back in his natural position.

I don’t say any of this to take anything away from Ime. He’s been great and he successfully built an elite defense in part around emphasizing the unique strengths of Smart’s defense. I just don’t think there’s a good reason to rewrite Smart’s career to make him some sort of problem Ime solved instead of someone who’s always been a very good player and teammate but who was previously stuck playing his career out of position and never complained about it.

 

[PedroKsBambino]

No one called Smart a problem; suggesting so is the only straw man here.

I believe most of us who watch the team a lot would agree he looked for his own shot too often, or at least too frequently took ill-advised shots. And you can find lots of quotes from me from his entire career complimenting what he brings aside from that and acknowledging the role questions. I don't solely believe that is about people being out, what I saw was someone wrestling with whether he was a primary scorer or not. You posit it was all about role, and we'll never be able to prove it either way but that is not what I observed. Thus, to my eyes, he's playing differently this year, and while you seem to attribute that solely to role I choose to attribute it to role, coaching, and his own mindset all changing.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

I wont speak for the OP, but I think there's a general view that Smart's game and his approach to it had to be overhauled. I am likely in the minority on this, but I think Smart was mostly in the "right place" all along. It was JB and JT who needed to adjust their thinking and "catch up" to him.

I think that in terms of offense, Smart is somewhat miscast as a wing. Making him the PG changed his mindset. That aside, I agree that he was mostly in the right place. I think his problems were more about being a little out of phase with his teammates than anything else.

On a per 36 minutes basis, Smart took his fewest number of threes in 5 years and his highest number of twos in 4 years. And he shot better from 2 than he has in any year except the Kyrie year when he rarely shot from two. Also hit his career high in assists/36. And his points, assists, 2-point and 3-point percentages all higher after the all star break.

He could add some more offensive value simply by reining in the turnovers - hopefully that will be a point of emphasis for him next year.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

From Karalis' game 4 summary, relating to Tatum going after George Hill when he checked in in the 4th:

https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2022/05/10/bsj-game-4-report-celtics-116-bucks-108---horford-tatum-bury-bucks-down-the-stretch-to-reclaim-home-court

“I think Jay had it going different ways and we know the guys that switch with their team and the guys that hedge,” Udoka said. “I played with George as a rookie in San Antonio, so I know a bit about George and tried to take advantage of that.”

 

[chilidawg]

Ime's season long strategy of keeping a tight rotation, along with occasional days off especially at the end of the season, seems to be paying dividends in the 4th quarters now. Guys are used to big minutes, and it seems Milwaukee is not.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

I think he also got to Smart at exactly the right time. Smart has naturally matured in basketball and (probably) non-basketball ways, but he still has tread on the tires. Sports are full of players who finally "get it" when their bodies are on the verge of saying "too bad."

Agreed that Ime has exceeded everything I had hoped for and saw early on. He’s been nothing short of brilliant overall. You hit nail on head with Smart as he’s in that couple year sweet spot of having figured out the game, allowed it to slow down, while still having the physical skills to perform with his newfound IQ. The late 20’s is typically that window for guards.

 

[joe dokes]

Ime's season long strategy of keeping a tight rotation, along with occasional days off especially at the end of the season, seems to be paying dividends in the 4th quarters now. Guys are used to big minutes, and it seems Milwaukee is not.

I think it's also enabled Ime seemingly to know *exactly* what he can reasonably expect get from each combination he puts out there. Playing basically 8 guys for three months has alowed him to explore nearly every conceivable configuration of those 8 players. Probably harder to do with 10 and *then* "shorten the rotation for the playoffs," which almost by definition puts several players in roles they haven't played all season and leaves the coach adjusting more on the fly.

Maybe they'll end up gassed before its all over. Or maybe the top-8 have their roles in the various combinations so dialed in that efficiency will help stave off fatigue. Regardless, the 8-man machine is pretty well-oiled.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

This turned out to be a brilliant hire. Kudos to Brad and the team for targeting Udoka and getting him in the door (recall there were a number of decent openings last summer).

Udoka and staff took raw potential, realized it and didn't have to wait for their turn. What a fantastic job.

 

[Justthetippett]

He was out coached by Spo this series, and I think he’ll learn from it. Kerr is not nearly the coach Spo is. Ime should be able to hold his own and Stevens was always great at scheming the Warriors so maybe that’ll play out in the background somehow.

 

[Gash Prex]

I will absolutely go to bat for him as he was selected by Ainge/BS and is well respected around the league by everyone. I'm not remotely concerned about Ime after 5 games, let alone 20 and it would be totally unfair given the hot mess the team was at the end of the season last year and my absolute belief that BS is an excellent head coach. The rotations will figure themselves out as there is a lot of change around this team.

Ime is going to have hard conversations to get this back on the right path.

most posters in the thread were ready to give up on Ime after 5 games

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

He was out coached by Spo this series, and I think he’ll learn from it. Kerr is not nearly the coach Spo is. Ime should be able to hold his own and Stevens was always great at scheming the Warriors so maybe that’ll play out in the background somehow.

I completely disagree that he was outcoached in this series. Udoka and staff countered virtually every Heat adjustment, and often in real time.

Boston is advancing. Udoka wasn't perfect but that should at least earn him a draw.

In any event, we can agree to disagree. I mean, a rookie HC takes a team that was ~.500 for a season and a half to the NBA finals... that's pretty impressive to me, even if Heat won the coach Culture war.

 

[gattman]

Yup. The players clearly bought into what he was selling. Even when it looked bleak in the middle of the year. He stuck with his plan/program and did not waver.

And props to Stevens. Who knows what happened behind the scenes with Ainge’s departure and Brad’s ascension, but when things weren’t going well Stevens (at least publicly) put no pressure on Ime and fully backed him. And then made deadline moves to back that up. An underrated thing that helped put them over the top. Stevens subsumed his ego (not an easy thing for.a guy who’d been a step away fr the finals multiple times). Just reinforces the message fr the top.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

This turned out to be a brilliant hire. Kudos to Brad and the team for targeting Udoka and getting him in the door (recall there were a number of decent openings last summer).

Udoka and staff took raw potential, realized it and didn't have to wait for their turn. What a fantastic job.

Yup just like I always knew it would be!

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Yup just like I always knew it would be!

Speaking only for myself, I don't begrudge anyone questioning this team or Udoka early in the year. They were objectively mediocre and definitely difficult to watch.

 

[patinorange]

I thought he might have been fired mid-season. Things were not looking bright. I am very happy for him and glad many of us were wrong about him.
And I loved his post-game comments about Texas. A real Pops protege.

 

[BigSoxFan]

He improved so much this year and won’t nearly get the credit he deserves. Time to finish the job, Ime.

 

[Gash Prex]

Speaking only for myself, I don't begrudge anyone questioning this team or Udoka early in the year. They were objectively mediocre and definitely difficult to watch.

or they had a new coach and new players - and needed time to figure it out. Like they did. Not sure why that wasn’t the first thought - instead of him being an idiot and calling his players out in the media.

A little more patience would be a good thing for people calling his firing after 5 games.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

He was out coached by Spo this series, and I think he’ll learn from it. Kerr is not nearly the coach Spo is. Ime should be able to hold his own and Stevens was always great at scheming the Warriors so maybe that’ll play out in the background somehow.

Where did you see this? Ime countered every move Spo made with one of his own. He matched up small when Spo went small. He recognized that Smart could not handle the defensive pressure in getting us into the offense so he adapted and put the ball in Tatum’s hands as the defacto point guard. The defense speaks for itself.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Yup. The players clearly bought into what he was selling. Even when it looked bleak in the middle of the year. He stuck with his plan/program and did not waver.

And props to Stevens. Who knows what happened behind the scenes with Ainge’s departure and Brad’s ascension, but when things weren’t going well Stevens (at least publicly) put no pressure on Ime and fully backed him. And then made deadline moves to back that up. An underrated thing that helped put them over the top. Stevens subsumed his ego (not an easy thing for.a guy who’d been a step away fr the finals multiple times). Just reinforces the message fr the top.

The points about Stevens are excellent. He not only publicly supported Udoka but endorsed their approach. The trades need to go in the Brad thread. Stevens brought that sideline craftiness up to the front office and deserves all the credit coming his way.

That said, Udoka displayed leadership all throughout. Again, he isn't perfect but this team doesn't make it here with just any coach. He is just a great fit for this team and time in their development cycle.

 

[RG33]

He was out coached by Spo this series, and I think he’ll learn from it.

Yeesh, this is a take, for sure. I don’t see it. Spo is great, but I don’t think Ime got “out-coached” in a way that he’ll “learn from it”. He responded, counteracted, and the Celts won in 7 — and arguably should have won in 5. The Heat played solid D, have a wily veteran team, and were tough. I don’t think that, in this series, translates to any sort of obvious, tangible illustration of Spo out-coaching Ime.

 

[lovegtm]

Yeesh, this is a take, for sure. I don’t see it. Spo is great, but I don’t think Ime got “out-coached” in a way that he’ll “learn from it”. He responded, counteracted, and the Celts won in 7 — and arguably should have won in 5. The Heat played solid D, have a wily veteran team, and were tough. I don’t think that, in this series, translates to any sort of obvious, tangible illustration of Spo out-coaching Ime.

If anything, Spo looked better because Jimmy elevated his game in a way that didn't seem possible after games 3-5. That was all Jimmy, no Spo (and I think Spo is a great coach).

 

[m0ckduck]

I completely disagree that he was outcoached in this series. Udoka and staff countered virtually every Heat adjustment, and often in real time.

Boston is advancing. Udoka wasn't perfect but that should at least earn him a draw.

In any event, we can agree to disagree. I mean, a rookie HC takes a team that was ~.500 for a season and a half to the NBA finals... that's pretty impressive to me, even if Heat won the coach Culture war.

I think the adjustments were great. I'd just like to see them start stronger against the Warriors. The C's have looked bad in the opener of each series, and at a certain point, the coach has to wear the blame for this. One can point to extenuating circumstances in G1 at Miami (short rest, no Smart, RG).... but I still see a rookie coach there who was unable to staunch the bleeding during two wipeout quarters (Q3 of G1, Q1 of G3) that allowed this to become a long and competitive series.

 

[Over Guapo Grande]

...
And I loved his post-game comments about Texas. A real Pops protege.

Was it about the BBQ there?

 

[Justthetippett]

Yeesh, this is a take, for sure. I don’t see it. Spo is great, but I don’t think Ime got “out-coached” in a way that he’ll “learn from it”. He responded, counteracted, and the Celts won in 7 — and arguably should have won in 5. The Heat played solid D, have a wily veteran team, and were tough. I don’t think that, in this series, translates to any sort of obvious, tangible illustration of Spo out-coaching Ime.

I think he’ll learn from Spo’s game management in playoff settings, particularly TO usage. In the final 2 minutes last night as things started to slip we needed one bucket to essentially seal the game. We had two TOs and could have used one to set the offense and run a good action that didn’t leave Smart putting up a low percentage shot. I think Ime is a fantastic coach and what he’s done with this team is nothing short of amazing, but he also has room to improve on certain aspects to give the team an advantage.

 

[joe dokes]

I think the adjustments were great. I'd just like to see them start stronger against the Warriors. The C's have looked bad in the opener of each series, and at a certain point, the coach has to wear the blame for this. One can point to extenuating circumstances in G1 at Miami (short rest, no Smart, RG).... but I still see a rookie coach there who was unable to staunch the bleeding during two wipeout quarters (Q3 of G1, Q1 of G3) that allowed this to become a long and competitive series.

I just don't get the math here. Two of 28 quarters is the basis of "I see a rookie coach who can't....?"

 

[lexrageorge]

I think the adjustments were great. I'd just like to see them start stronger against the Warriors. The C's have looked bad in the opener of each series, and at a certain point, the coach has to wear the blame for this. One can point to extenuating circumstances in G1 at Miami (short rest, no Smart, RG).... but I still see a rookie coach there who was unable to staunch the bleeding during two wipeout quarters (Q3 of G1, Q1 of G3) that allowed this to become a long and competitive series.

The Celtics had a couple of wipeout quarters of their own: Q1/Q2 of G2, Q1 of G4, Q3 of G5. So why doesn't Spoelstra get dinged for those?

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

If anything, Spo looked better because Jimmy elevated his game in a way that didn't seem possible after games 3-5. That was all Jimmy, no Spo (and I think Spo is a great coach).

Yeah, if anything it seemed like the MIA medical staff performed better than the C's medical staff. What MIA did with Butler and Lowry from G5 to G6 was amazing.

It was certainly an interesting decision not to call TO down the stretch. I guess Ime's serious about empowering the team, although if BOS loses, that would have been a huge story.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

I think he’ll learn from Spo’s game management in playoff settings, particularly TO usage. In the final 2 minutes last night as things started to slip we needed one bucket to essentially seal the game. We had two TOs and could have used one to set the offense and run a good action that didn’t leave Smart putting up a low percentage shot. I think Ime is a fantastic coach and what he’s done with this team is nothing short of amazing, but he also has room to improve on certain aspects to give the team an advantage.

The example you are using to support your Spo outcoached Ime take is for his TO usage in a game when Miami only had one remaining for the final 9 minutes and none left to call a TO down the stretch?

 

[Justthetippett]

The example you are using to support your Spo outcoached Ime take is for his TO usage in a game when Miami only had one remaining for the final 9 minutes and none left to call a TO down the stretch?

That was on Lowry, in my opinion. And it really hurt them.

 

[m0ckduck]

The Celtics had a couple of wipeout quarters of their own: Q1/Q2 of G2, Q1 of G4, Q3 of G5. So why doesn't Spoelstra get dinged for those?

1. The Celtics never outscored the Heat by 20+. Their biggest differential was +16, whereas they lost quarters by -25 (!) and -21. Part of a coach's job is to prevent bad runs from snowballing into terrible runs, and I don't think Udoka succeeded here.
2. The Celtics had more talent than the Heat, so, yes, I'm lmore inclined to attribute their failures to coaching malpractice. I admit that this feels like begging the question, where I'm constructing my argument in a way where only Udoka can be accused of bad game management. But I do think it's valid analysis, when you look at how close the Heat came to stealing this series with what was clearly an inferior roster.
3. I'm also including G1 vs. Nets and G1 vs. Bucks in my case here against Udoka.

I do think Udoka has generally been very good in these playoffs, as his success with adjustments have far outweighed the weak areas as each series has progressed. But I do think he's been skating by without being held accountable for some of the team's flat moments and poor starts.

 

[lexrageorge]

Yeah, if anything it seemed like the MIA medical staff performed better than the C's medical staff. What MIA did with Butler and Lowry from G5 to G6 was amazing.

It was certainly an interesting decision not to call TO down the stretch. I guess Ime's serious about empowering the team, although if BOS loses, that would have been a huge story.

Or Butler's injury was very different from R Williams' injury. And the Celtics medical staff has had to work with a hobbled Smart as well. Nobody likes to admit the randomness of injuries in professional sports, but randomness is indeed a thing.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

He was out coached by Spo this series, and I think he’ll learn from it. Kerr is not nearly the coach Spo is. Ime should be able to hold his own and Stevens was always great at scheming the Warriors so maybe that’ll play out in the background somehow.

There's a lot that goes into coaching and Ime gets high marks on most of it. He has a vision for the team's style (Pop's Spurs with an edge) and he has come a long way in a relatively short time towards making that happen. Part of it is that he had the right players for that and was hired by a GM with a similar vision who would make some deals with that in mind.

If there's a dimension where Ime is getting outreached, it is on tactical in game decisions. A couple of times last night Spo didn't just end a Celtics run but started a Miami run coming out of a time out or other stoppage. This isn't about "Spo called agreta ATO play", it was more like "Down by 14, Spo calls time, and Miami comes out of that scoring 7 straight in 1:30 to cut the lead in half)."

Some posters here credit Spo's adjustments (along with Butler's excellence) for the game 6 win - if that is so, that has to be point Spo.

But the NBA season is also a grind - and never moreso than the Celtics past 2 series - and I think partial credit goes to Ime for having his team ready to grind through, even despite some key injuries. Obviously, the injuries have been on both sides, and have not clearly favored one team or the other. But to win in that situation you need to play through them to the end, which the Celtics did. That's the players but also reflects coaching, IMO.

 

[PedroKsBambino]

Speaking only for myself, I don't begrudge anyone questioning this team or Udoka early in the year. They were objectively mediocre and definitely difficult to watch.

I was one of those and I’m happy to say—I was very wrong. Tremendous job by Ime, and expect them to continue to get better because he has got them to buy in….the single most important thing for a coach to achieve.

 

[chilidawg]

Some posters here credit Spo's adjustments (along with Butler's excellence) for the game 6 win - if that is so, that has to be point Spo.

So does Ime get points for adjustments leading to a wire to (razor thin) wire Game 7 win? Does Spo get dinged for Butler running out of gas after 48 minutes? I just don't get how Ime gets no credit for what the C's accomplished, but the Heat were all about Spolestra.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

So does Ime get points for adjustments leading to a wire to (razor thin) wire Game 7 win? Does Spo get dinged for Butler running out of gas after 48 minutes? I just don't get how Ime gets no credit for what the C's accomplished, but the Heat were all about Spolestra.

Thank you for grabbing one line in a post out of context to misrepresent me. (I guess that is all the rage arond here these days.) What credit should Ime get? IMO:

There's a lot that goes into coaching and Ime gets high marks on most of it. He has a vision for the team's style (Pop's Spurs with an edge) and he has come a long way in a relatively short time towards making that happen. Part of it is that he had the right players for that and was hired by a GM with a similar vision who would make some deals with that in mind.

But the NBA season is also a grind - and never moreso than the Celtics past 2 series - and I think partial credit goes to Ime for having his team ready to grind through, even despite some key injuries. Obviously, the injuries have been on both sides, and have not clearly favored one team or the other. But to win in that situation you need to play through them to the end, which the Celtics did. That's the players but also reflects coaching, IMO.

You want to call me an Ime basher, fine, but it is bullshit.

 

[the moops]

In the final 2 minutes last night as things started to slip we needed one bucket to essentially seal the game. We had two TOs and could have used one to set the offense and run a good action that didn’t leave Smart putting up a low percentage shot.

Marcus Smart had 3 wide open 3 point looks. You would assume he would make 1, if no 2 of those with how good of a look he had. They ran actions that resulted in those clean looks. You take your chances with Smart having to hit 1/3 open threes

 

[the moops]

He was out coached by Spo this series, and I think he’ll learn from it. Kerr is not nearly the coach Spo is. Ime should be able to hold his own and Stevens was always great at scheming the Warriors so maybe that’ll play out in the background somehow.

Disagree with this. Steve Kerr is right up there with Spo

 

[Phil Plantier]

Maybe I focus too much on the off-court stuff, but I thought Ime's decision to cancel the morning shootaround and press availability was a big deal and gutsy decision. If the Celtics had lost* he would've gotten a fair amount of criticism for that.

*I still can't believe they won. I dreamt that the after the trophy celebration the referees put 3 seconds on the clock and the Heat won

 

[TripleOT]

The one big criticism I’ve had for Udoka these playoffs is he refuses to use as many times out as needed early in games to stop big runs. You’re not going to need them late if you’re down double digits. Udoka seems to think that his team will figure it out, or his defense will kick in and his team will cut the lead and get back into the game.

Regarding the Game 7 in Miami, the last thing he wanted was to give Heat players any rest. Boston mostly was getting good shots with their prevent offense, and the math was with them.

Udoka coaches to the numbers, and we see evidence of it when he’s interviewed in game. He has implemented a good system. He trusts his players, and they generally trust the system and each other. They continue to learn as they progress through the playoffs.

Did anyone else find it strange that Udoka was nowhere near the microphone during the on court celebration after winning the ECF? It looks like he wanted no part of it, which I like. He gets it. We don’t hang banners unless it’s a championship banner.

 

[Mystic Merlin]

The one big criticism I’ve had for Udoka these playoffs is he refuses to use as many times out as needed early in games to stop big runs. You’re not going to need them late if you’re down double digits. Udoka seems to think that his team will figure it out, or his defense will kick in and his team will cut the lead and get back into the game.

Regarding the Game 7 in Miami, the last thing he wanted was to give Heat players any rest. Boston mostly was getting good shots with their prevent offense, and the math was with them.

Udoka coaches to the numbers, and we see evidence of it when he’s interviewed in game. He has implemented a good system. He trusts his players, and they generally trust the system and each other. They continue to learn as they progress through the playoffs.

Did anyone else find it strange that Udoka was nowhere near the microphone during the on court celebration after winning the ECF? It looks like he wanted no part of it, which I like. He gets it. We don’t hang banners unless it’s a championship banner.

He understands the Celtics standard, he lived and breathed a similar ethic under Pop in San Antonio.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

The one big criticism I’ve had for Udoka these playoffs is he refuses to use as many times out as needed early in games to stop big runs. You’re not going to need them late if you’re down double digits. Udoka seems to think that his team will figure it out, or his defense will kick in and his team will cut the lead and get back into the game.

There’s a balance to it too. Miami did use theirs but then had none left down the stretch or to advance the ball if they needed to at the end. Tomato Tomatoe

 

[chilidawg]

Thank you for grabbing one line in a post out of context to misrepresent me. (I guess that is all the rage arond here these days.) What credit should Ime get? IMO:

There's a lot that goes into coaching and Ime gets high marks on most of it. He has a vision for the team's style (Pop's Spurs with an edge) and he has come a long way in a relatively short time towards making that happen. Part of it is that he had the right players for that and was hired by a GM with a similar vision who would make some deals with that in mind.

But the NBA season is also a grind - and never moreso than the Celtics past 2 series - and I think partial credit goes to Ime for having his team ready to grind through, even despite some key injuries. Obviously, the injuries have been on both sides, and have not clearly favored one team or the other. But to win in that situation you need to play through them to the end, which the Celtics did. That's the players but also reflects coaching, IMO.

You want to call me an Ime basher, fine, but it is bullshit.

Apologies, you're right, that was over the top.

 

[Doug Beerabelli]

Don't know if this was posted elsewhere, but Jackie Mac wrote a great article about Udoka for The Ringer:

https://www.theringer.com/2022/6/1/23149486/ime-udoka-boston-celtics-nba-finals

 

[Mooch]

Don't know if this was posted elsewhere, but Jackie Mac wrote a great article about Udoka for The Ringer:

https://www.theringer.com/2022/6/1/23149486/ime-udoka-boston-celtics-nba-finals

Terrific piece by Jackie as always. How can you not root for a guy like Ime after reading about his upbringing and how he has persevered through some really challenging times. Inspirational stuff.

 

[Justthetippett]

That was really well done. I didn’t realize the extent of the Stoudamire connection. I love the accountability with Marcus: you broke it, you figure out how to fix it. Terribly sad his Dad passed without seeing him play for the Blazers.

 

[DGreenwood]

That was really well done. I didn’t realize the extent of the Stoudamire connection. I love the accountability with Marcus: you broke it, you figure out how to fix it. Terribly sad his Dad passed without seeing him play for the Blazers.

Assistant coach Aaron Miles was also part of that midnight basketball scene in Portland along with Ime and Stoudamire. If you have an Athletic subscription, there was a good article that focuses on Ime's background in the Portland basketball scene and his history with Miles and Stoudamire.

 

[benhogan]

Assistant coach Aaron Miles was also part of that midnight basketball scene in Portland along with Ime and Stoudamire. If you have an Athletic subscription, there was a good article that focuses on Ime's background in the Portland basketball scene and his history with Miles and Stoudamire.

That was a good article.

I also recall a reporter asking IME if he was getting familiar with Pritchard's game? a stoic IME's answer: I've been watching Payton since his Freshman year in HS and all four years at Oregon. I know his game

 

[Cellar-Door]

I think you can make the case that Spo outcoached him given he took the less talented team and made it a tossup, but even in that case, it's not like it was a major factor at all.

On the other hand, Spo is the best coach in the league in my mind.

Also, both coaches were really good. It's not like either side did something the other had no response for, or anything like that, it's really tough to parse especially given the constant shift of who was available to play, who couldn't play at 100%, etc.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

I think you can make the case that Spo outcoached him given he took the less talented team and made it a tossup, but even in that case, it's not like it was a major factor at all.

On the other hand, Spo is the best coach in the league in my mind.

Also, both coaches were really good. It's not like either side did something the other had no response for, or anything like that, it's really tough to parse especially given the constant shift of who was available to play, who couldn't play at 100%, etc.

Spo is awesome there is no denying this. Having said that, I’m not sure how much influence Spo had in Jimmy’s nuclear performances that made this a 7-game series. Coaches have a greater influence in the playoffs but it is still the players execution that decides the majority of these games despite the optics of it.

 

[tims4wins]

Spo is awesome there is no denying this. Having said that, I’m not sure how much influence Spo had in Jimmy’s nuclear performances that made this a 7-game series. Coaches have a greater influence in the playoffs but it is still the players execution that decides the majority of these games despite the optics of it.

How much did Spo have to do with Butler getting pretty good looks in both games 6 and 7? One thing that struck me was that, while he was making some difficult shots, he was getting the ball in decent position in a 1:1 situation; whereas, it felt like the Celts struggled to get the ball to the Jays in similar positions.