Ime Udoka still has to pinch himself. Taking his first NBA coaching job with the Boston Celtics wasn’t an easy situation by any means. Udoka had pressure to win as the Celtics had been knocking on the door of a championship for the past 10 years.
With Boston advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years, Udoka has a chance to earn a place in the franchise’s lure. Much like with NASCAR betting, the lure of having to carry the Boston Celtics brand name is a difficult burden. Red Auerbach set the standard for the franchise by winning nine championships during a career that spanned from 1950 to 1966.
Here’s a look at a few other Celtics coaches who were able to win championships since then.
Bill Russell
Following Auerbach’s retirement, Celtics forward Bill Russell was tapped to be the first black coach in NBA history. However, unlike the coaches who would follow him, Russell still had to suit up and try to grab rebounds. In his first season as player-coach, Boston went 60-21 and lost in the division finals, snapping a streak of eight-straight NBA titles.
Russell, however, would quickly get Boston back on top. The Celtics would end up winning the NBA championships during his second and third seasons as coach. Russell would end up stunning Boston fans and Auerbach when he suddenly retired after guiding Boston to the championship in 1969.
He resigned to work in television and movies. Russell would cut all ties to the franchise and later return to coach the Seattle SuperSonics and Sacramento Kings.
Tom Heinsohn
Former Celtics great Tom Heinsohn stepped in after the mess with Russell and would take five seasons to lead Boston back to the promised land. The Celtics would win two championships under his leadership, winning in 1974 and 1976. Heinsohn had a career record of 427-263 as a coach.
However, Heinsohn’s time as coach ended unceremoniously. Heinsohn would be fired during the 1977-78 season after starting the season 11-23.
Bill Fitch
Following the unsuccessful tenures of Tom Sanders and Dave Cowens, Fitch would get Boston back on top during his tenure from 1979 to 1983. Fitch went 242-86 and had a .738 winning percentage in an era that featured Boston drafting Larry Bird.
During his first two seasons, Fitch and the Celtics won more than 60 games. In the 1981 finals, Fitch would lead Boston past Houston 4-2 to win the crown. Fitch would resign unexpectedly in 1983 after owner Harry Mangurian announced he was selling the team due to issues with the owners of Boston Garden.
In a cruel twist for Fitch, he would coach the Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals, where they would lose to Boston in six games.
K.C. Jones
Auerbach would tab another former Celtic, K.C. Jones, to replace Fitch. Jones had the most pedigree of any coach who had come in before him. Jones had previously coached with the San Diego Clippers and Washington Bullets. In 1975, Jones took the Bullets to the NBA finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in a surprising sweep.
In Jones’ first four seasons with the Celtics, Boston went to the NBA finals. Jones would hold off the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984, while they would beat Houston in 1986. Jones missed a chance to have another long streak on his hands as Boston would lose to Los Angeles in 1985 and 1987.
Doc Rivers
Once the teams of the 1980s saw their top players retire, Boston fell into a deep funk. The Celtics wouldn’t return to the NBA Finals for 20 years. Led by Doc Rivers and a Big Three — composed of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen — the Celtics were able to return for a matchup with the Lakers in 2008.
Boston surged out to a 3-1 series lead and finished off its old rivals in six games. The Celtics would return to the finals two years later but would be undone by Los Angeles and Kobe Bryant in seven games. Rivers would coach in Boston for three more seasons but never got past the conference finals again.