Ime Udoka savvy lineup tweaks against Nets help Celtics pass key playoff test with flying colors in Game 2

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/04/ime-udoka-savvy-lineup-tweaks-against-nets-help-celtics-pass-key-playoff-test-with-flying-colors-in-game-2-brian-robb.html



Ime Udoka savvy lineup tweaks against Nets help Celtics pass key playoff test with flying colors in Game 2


Published: Apr. 21, 2022, 11:14 a.m.




Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, left, speaks with forward Jayson Tatum (0) in the first half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round Eastern Conference playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, Sunday, April 17, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)AP


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



BOSTON — The Boston Celtics trailed for the first 40 minutes of Game 2 on Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets in what was largely a sluggish offensive affair from Boston’s stars over the first three quarters.

The Nets had upped their intensity and physicality in the matchup and it was leading to tougher finishing opportunities for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Celtics had chipped away at a 17-point lead in the second half, getting it down into single digits but the Nets expanded it once again at the start of the fourth quarter to seven. With Boston staring heading back to Brooklyn in a 1-1 series with a potential boost looming for the Nets in Ben Simmons, the pressure was on for Udoka to push the right buttons and get the C’s comeback to the finish line.


At that point, Udoka went with a unique lineup choice in a spot Boston’s closing five were usually ready in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Grant Williams was an obvious choice to get a chance over Daniel Theis at power forward given how hot of a shooting night he was having. However, the fifth and final spot on the floor was a tougher call.


The obvious choices were Marcus Smart or Derrick White based on Udoka’s history. Those guys were veterans that Udoka has trusted all year long in big spots. However, their lack of reliable 3-point shooting makes them potential weak spots in Boston’s offense when it comes to maximize spacing.

Smart had struggled with his 3-point shot all night (1-of-6) while White had gone just 1-of-5 from deep in this series. Knowing that, Udoka went with a more spacing-minded approach. He turned to his top bench shooter Payton Pritchard at the start of the fourth quarter for his usual minutes but ended up sticking with him for far beyond that after he hit a clutch jumper early in the frame to pull Boston back within five points.


The Pritchard/Brown/Tatum/G. Williams/Horford lineup had played just six minutes together across three games all season long for Boston. Yet, in one of the biggest moments of Celtics’ season to date, Udoka turned to the unit to take down the NBA’s biggest stars.

The rookie coach’s instincts worked perfectly. In five minutes together, that five-man unit had.a +146 net rating, jumpstarting a 21-4 run to put the game away for Boston. Pritchard not only helped with his shot making inside the arc and timely rebounding but his presence on the floor as the perimeter threat helped to create easier opportunities for Brown and Tatum who combined for 17 fourth quarter points.


“The spacing was different,” Udoka said after the win. “We like, obviously, our big lineups and didn’t feel like we were hurting them on the offensive glass and had some struggles defensively with the bigs, especially on Dragic tonight, so decided to go small and we’re obviously confident in Derrick and Payton and those guys, and Payton had a hot hand, had it going, but they guard him differently. The spacing, him being able to handle and be a shot maker as well as setting screens, so that worked well for us, we went with it and then obviously brought him back in, kind of offense-defense subbing with him and Theis. And our versatility showed tonight and was welcome.”

By the time, Udoka brought back Marcus Smart into the game with four minutes remaining, the Celtics were comfortably ahead by five, allowing the team to rely on their defense to carry them to the finish line.


It takes a lot of guts for any head coach, especially a rookie one to make that kind of a chess move in the fourth quarter of a playoff game rather than stick with reliable veteran weapons. However, Udoka has earned the faith of this group and his feel for personnel has continued to improve amid the team’s second half turnaround. That has earned him a vote of confidence from his top players.

“We all trust each other,” Tatum said. “We trust the coaching staff, they trust us and you just understand it’s a long game.”

“Ime showed his poise,” Jaylen Brown added. “He didn’t panic. In past years, that might’ve been the situation, but Ime didn’t panic. He just stayed with our game plan and made some minor adjustments. We played aggressive and we settled in a little bit, and we made some big plays, our role players made some big plays. Payton came off, was great. Grant was great as well, D-White, Theis – chipped in as a team and we got the win.”


The former Nets assistant is earning plenty of praise from his ex-players as well as Boston’s defense on Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant limited the impact of the star duo throughout Boston’s Game 2 win.

“Ime knows us really well,” Irving said. “You know, he coached on our staff last year, so I think he has some keys in the treasure chest that he’s telling those guys.”

The end result is Boston being up 2-0 in a series they could have easily been facing a 0-2 deficit in based on the numbers. Between the lineup tweaks and the decision not to call timeout at the end of Game 1, Udoka’s feel for the game is standing out well under the postseason lights.

Brad Stevens made a habit of maximizing the most of his Celtics rosters in big moments and it appears his successor is on a similar track, something that bodes quite well for a team with championship potential.


Bob


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