Ime is an outstanding coach. Know how I know?
Because the team plays defense (currently fourth in the league). A team that tunes out its coach dogs it on defense. Not your Boston Celtics 2022. People seem to have forgotten what so many were saying in November - that a switch-heavy scheme could not possibly work.
Boston currently leads the LEAGUE in ATO efficiency, at 1.01 points per possession, according to Synergy. That's probably the purest measure of effective playcalling.
The team is better than its record. Know how I know?
Because Boston's point differential is third in the East. That stat is a better predictor of playoff success than w/l record. A point differential like theirs would in a large sample size convert to a record of 32-20.
Neither measure is very good at evaluating a head coach - though, let's face it, it's the w/l record that really lies behind most of the naysayers' nays about Mr. Udoka.
I know better than to ask the Boston Sports Fan to have faith. It's been a strange season, with a lot of adversity. As Brad is fond of saying, "each season is its own entity"; and the many health issues don't fully explain the lackluster record, or Tatum's epic shooting slump, or the collapse of fourth-quarter execution. Nor do the recent blowout victories give much more than a hint of what might be the future of the team, since they've been against weak and weakened opponents.
The fundamentals are good. The chip is on the shoulder.
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