What can Knicks learn from Celtics' run to NBA Finals?

Thanks to a remarkable fourth quarter on Thursday night, the Celtics enter the weekend with a 1-0 lead on Golden State in the NBA Finals.

Obviously, the series is far from over. Boston still needs to either win all three home games or take one more at the Chase Center to win the title.

But even if the Celtics fall short, they’ve still surpassed almost everyone’s expectations this season.

And some aspects of their season can instruct the Knicks – and most other NBA teams – moving forward.

One of them? The dynamic between Ime Udoka and his players. The Celtics were floundering early in the 2021-22 season. Throughout their struggles, Udoka didn’t hesitate to call out his players’ subpar performances.

His candor raised eyebrows among some opposing team personnel. They wondered how Celtics players would react to Udoka’s criticisms.

There’s a long list of NBA teams who have tuned out their head coach amid public and private criticism.

But the opposite appeared to happen in Boston.

The Celtics responded by defending at an elite level and winning 33 of their final 43 games.

Maybe the players bristled at Udoka’s criticisms. Maybe they were angry at their coach. Only the players and coaches know exactly how things played out over the course of the season.

But the bottom line is simple: Boston was one of the best teams in the NBA in the second half of the season and the club is now three wins away from the NBA title.

What does this have to do with the Knicks?

Just my opinion: I think the apparently healthy dynamic between the Celtics head coach and players around public/private criticism is instructive.

I don’t know how often Tom Thibodeau criticized the Knicks behind closed doors or how they responded to it.

But Thibodeau, to me at least, was careful in not criticizing his players publicly.

And there was a feeling among some players in December that Thibodeau’s decision to bench Kemba Walker showed an inconsistency in the coaching staff’s approach. They felt that not all players were being held to the same standard.

Was that accurate? Only the players and coaches know the answer to that.

But the way Udoka and his players seem to accept and respond to criticism is ideal. And it’s something the Knicks – and all teams – should strive for.

Another Celtics note: If the Knicks drafted Marcus Smart in 2014, would he still be with the club today?

There have been trade rumors surrounding Smart at various points in his career. But the Celtics never finalized a trade involving Smart. They stuck with him. And he’s developed into one of the NBA’s best defenders and a key player on an NBA finalist.

There’s obviously no way to predict Smart’s path if the Knicks had drafted him.

But he would have had to survive multiple regime and coaching changes to remain in New York at this point.

I think the takeaway here for the Knicks is that the Celtics benefited from relative continuity at the executive/coaching level and benefited from their commitment to Smart.

Again, just my opinion, but I think New York – and other franchises – can learn from Smart’s path with Boston.

Knicks rookie RJ Barrett has already played for three head coaches (including interim Mike Miller) and two team presidents. He’s shown steady development year over year. So maybe the best thing for the Knicks is to commit to Barrett and allow him to grow with the franchise.

It’s worked well for Boston and Smart.

One other note on Udoka: He didn’t hesitate to challenge the Nets’ top players when he was an assistant in Brooklyn, per people familiar with the matter. And he’s continued that approach in Boston. You have to wonder if Udoka’s time with the San Antonio Spurs – watching Gregg Popovich call Tim Duncan out without reservation – influenced him.

Udoka interviewed for the Knicks job and many others before getting the head coaching gig in Boston.

He recounted in a recent interview with Yahoo Sports that he was the No. 2 candidate for several jobs. In one instance, Udoka was traveling to interview with a team when he found out that the team had hired another head coach. Cold business. If Udoka is motivated by those slights, good luck to the teams that passed on him in favor of other head coaches.

TOURNAMENT HONORS LATE PLAYERS: 

Great job by Cardozo HS head coach Ron Naclerio and the group that put together the New York City High School Ballers Memorial game on Saturday. The event, at Rucker Park, honors high school players "who lost their life too early to gun violence."

A beautiful tribute to lives ended senselessly and an important topic to draw attention to.