The Untold Truth Behind Ime Udoka's Rookie Season as the Celtics' Head Coach

Ime Udoka has done more than just get the C's moving in the right direction. He has put himself in rare coaching company by guiding the Celtics to the 50-win mark in his first season.

There was no confetti falling from the rafters as the final horn sounded, or champagne bottles being popped inside the Boston Celtics locker room after Wednesday's blowout win against Chicago.

For this Celtics team, it was in many ways just another day at the job, a win that they made look easy.

Of course, much of the talk after wins these days for Boston centers around its playoff implications; whether playing Brooklyn in the first round is a good idea; and of course, Marcus Smart's pursuit of the league's Defensive Player of the Year award which is getting a last-second push because of his play at that end of the floor and its impact on the overall team.

But the true significance of Wednesday's blowout win, was that it was No. 50 for the season.

Yes, this Celtics team is a 50-game winner, a surreal reality when you consider how far this team has come in a relatively short period of time.

As much as it's a testament to the players and their ability to evolve into a defensive juggernaut that plays with a “show no mercy” mindset, a big slice of the claim pie for this team's improved play has to go to head coach Ime Udoka.

He hasn't just had a really good season for the Celtics.

Udoka has been among the best first-year coaches in franchise history.

Only four other coaches in the franchise's lengthy coaching tree were able to win at least 50 games in their first season.

K.C. Jones, who inherited a team ready-built to compete (and win) an NBA title which they did in 1984, cruised through the regular season with 62 wins.

Bill Russell set the first-year coaching bar high, with a 60-win season as a rookie head coach in 1967.

Bill Fitch and Chris Ford enjoyed early success in their first year coaching in Boston with 61 and 56 wins, respectively.

All but Ford are in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as coaches.

Is Udoka there yet?

Of course not.

But what he has done thus far, is show his own personal growth as a leader of men whose collective talents have catapulted this franchise from middle-of-the-road status at the start of the season, to a legit power in the Eastern Conference with a good shot at getting to the Finals.

The coaching tree from which Udoka arrived in Boston, is one that includes having played for and worked as an assistant under the winningest coach ever, San Antonio legend Gregg Popovich.

Udoka’s demeanor isn’t quite as icy as Popovich’s, but there’s an undeniable toughness he brings to the job that you see manifest itself in the way his team competes.

There’s no question there are aspects of Udoka’s coaching game that can be improved upon, like his ATOs (After Time-outs) plays.

But more than anything else, you can see the growth in his coaching acumen as the season progresses.

Little things like having a better pulse for when to call a time-out if they are on the short end of a run, or when to let the players play their way out of it.

Shortening the rotation to eight players, something most coaches won’t do until the playoffs, was another key adjustment made by Udoka this season.

But no adjustment on his part paid off more than the decision to make center Robert Williams a defensive rover akin to a safety in football. This move unlocked the potential of the Celtics defense which has been the best in the league for months.

The players will tell you that there’s still plenty of work to be done, and areas that can be improved upon, keeping the focus on the kind of internal growth and maturity that should be celebrated.