Celtics keep reaping benefits of decision that could have derailed franchise

When the season started, many believed that in March the Boston Celtics would be finishing up a gap year, but their resilience, along with Jayson Tatum's return, has taken the opposite direction. Not only are the Celtics as good as ever, but this has been one of the most enjoyable seasons in an era when there have been plenty of them.

At the forefront of their success has been Joe Mazzulla. The secret to the Celtics' success has been that pretty much the entire team stepped up to fill the void left by Tatum's absence. When it's a few guys, that's one thing, but when it's pretty much everyone, from Jaylen Brown to Neemias Queta to Luka Garza to Ron Harper Jr., that's a clear case of elite coaching from Mazzulla.

Even after winning a title, this season has been Mazzulla making it known that he is one of the NBA's elite coaches. He didn't just make lemonade with the lemons at his disposal. He made the neighborhod''s most thriving lemonade stand while having to start from scratch.

It's what makes the decision to make Mazzulla the Celtics' head coach look even more brilliant than it did when it first happened in 2022, and, by extension, it also makes the firing of Ime Udoka look even more brilliant. Not just because of how good Mazzulla has been, but how badly things have gotten for Udoka in Houston.

Mazzulla has thrived in adversity where Udoka has struggled

It has not been looking great for Udoka with the Rockets lately despite the addition of Kevin Durant. Even with one of the best offensive engines NBA fans have ever seen grace the earth, the Rockets' offense has sputtered enough times that many believe they're not going anywhere this postseason.

Is it Udoka's fault this has happened to them? No, or at least, not entirely. Houston is missing two important glue guys: Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams. Both played pivotal roles in their success last year, and it's become pretty obvious from the moment both went down how badly they miss them.

FVV is a proven playmaker who helped Houston's offense hummed while Adams is always a threat to gobble up boards. Why Houston did not address either of these issues at the trade deadline is anyone's guess.

So yeah, their absences are hard to cover, but compare what the Rockets lost to what the Celtics lost. No VanVleet and no Adams hurt, but the Celtics played most of this season without their quintessential superstar. It's clear who was missing more this season.

It should make fans wonder what would have happened if Udoka was still on the team. Boston getting legitimate contributions from the least likely players across the board shows why Mazzulla has always been the right guy for the job, while Udoka failing to pick up the slack because of the absence of two glue guys demonstrate how fortunate the Celtics were to have the former be calling the shots.