“The biggest thing I would say in general is to disappoint some people, for sure,” Udoka says upon his return.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and power forward Jayson Tatum added 27 as the team remained undefeated at home, defeating Houston 145-113 on Saturday after Ime Udoka's return to Boston as coach.
The Celtics improved to the National Basketball Association's (NBA) best record at 30-9 overall and 19-0 at home, the league's only undefeated club at home extending their record home winning streak to begin a season.
Brown, who scored 21 points in the third quarter as the Celtics pulled away to stay, was 11 of 15 from the field, 4 of 6 from 3-point range and added six rebounds, two assists and two steals. and two blocked shots, AFP reported.
“Be aggressive. A lot of times the defense gets you going,” Brown said of his third-quarter success. “I get it in the race and when we play like that in transition we are difficult to beat.”
Udoka led the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals, but was suspended due to an inappropriate relationship with a team staff member. He was replaced by former assistant Joe Mazzulla in February, ending his tenure.
“I'm glad to see Ime back training on the sidelines,” Brown said. “I'm glad to see a lot of the staff we spent time with there in Houston. I wish those guys the best of luck.”
When asked how he reflected on his departure, Udoka said, “The work is not done. The relationships you build and the people you impact, that would be the most important thing.”
“The biggest thing I would say overall is disappointing some people, for sure. But we've talked about it and I've seen a lot of these people all summer and I talk regularly, so we got through it.”
Mazzulla downplayed the impact of Udoka's return with the Rockets, who hired him as head coach last April.
“The fact that Ime is back is fantastic,” he said. “But I don't think that has anything to do with winning or losing.”
