"He holds everyone accountable from the top the bottom; He has an open-door policy" - 3x All-Star lauds Ime Udoka for his coaching approach, mentions Boston Celtics "try to pay that back to him"

Ime Udoka’s Boston Celtics obliterated the Miami Heat in Game 4 to tie the Eastern Conference finals. After a hugely disappointing loss in the previous game where they trailed the Heat early, Boston ran Miami off the court as early as the first half.

All-Star Jayson Tatum was the biggest thorn yet again on the Miami Heat’s side. He led the Celtics’ sizzling first 24 minutes that all but settled the outcome of the game early on.

Boston’s sizzling display in Game 4 was partly due to how the entire roster responded to Ime Udoka and the coaching staff, per Tatum (via Keith Smith):

“He holds everyone accountable from the top the bottom. He has an open-door policy. So, we try to pay that back to him and the coaches.”

Ime Udoka’s biggest difference compared to former head coach and now president of basketball operations Brad Stevens is the former’s style of calling out players. Udoka has preached accountability since he was introduced by Stevens to the media before the season started.

The long-time former Stan Antonio Spurs assistant coach has never shied away from naming players who he thought needed to respond. He has done it all season and has often done it in the postseason where the young Boston Celtics have alternated great games with head-shaking displays.

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart signed off on Ime Udoka’s hiring because they wanted to be coached hard. Not only have they been coached hard but they’ve also been held accountable as the Boston Celtics leaders.

When the Green Machine looked like a play-in team, Ime Udoka never wavered from his style. When the fan base and several basketball analysts were questioning his method, he just kept on. Once he earned the trust of the team, the Celtics surged to the top of the standings and are now two wins away from the NBA Finals.

---

Jayson Tatum is turning out to be what Ime Udoka envisioned him to be for the Boston Celtics

Boston's first-time head coach and best player laid the foundation of their relationship while working together for USA Men's Basketball. [Photo: Boston.com]

One of the biggest reasons for Ime Udoka’s interest in the Boston Celtics head coaching job was the chance to work with Jayson Tatum. JT and Udoka have connected before as part of the US Basketball Men’s team over the last few years.

Udoka consistently harped on Tatum’s need to become a better playmaker and a better leader of the team. Boston’s new head coach is starting to reap the fruits of his constant reminders to the ultra-talented forward.

Following every loss this postseason, Jayson Tatum has shown his leadership by always coming up big to carry the Boston Celtics to victory. He is doing it not just with this scoring, but also with his playmaking and now elite defense.

JT is averaging 32.6 points after a Boston Celtics loss and are 5-0 in those situations. In the first half against the Miami Heat in Game 4, Tatum torched his defenders for 24 points on 6-10 shooting. He added 8 rebounds and 3 assists and had zero turnovers.