Celtics aspire to play Finals again despite scandal

The Celtics finished last season in the spotlight for all the right reasons.

A team mired in the mud for many years recovered from a slow start to make an unexpected run to the NBA Finals, led by homegrown talents like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Behind it was rookie coach Ime Udoka, who emerged as the leader of a new era for the franchise that came closer than ever to claiming its 18th league championship.

That was before Udoka was suspended for the upcoming season following a months-long investigation by a law firm that uncovered multiple violations of team policies. A person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press that the violations were related to an improper relationship with a woman within the organization.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details have not been made public.

In an instant, the Celtics’ full potential on the floor was overshadowed by the scandal.

That has left the team that fell two wins away from the NBA title with no choice but to process how things have changed in the last month. And somehow, he has now had to focus on capitalizing on a now-looking smaller chance at a championship.

“You come into this season and you feel a certain way. After what happened last year, you are excited and trying to do all the things. It’s a lot, to be honest,” Tatum said. “I think what I want most is to just play basketball.”

The man tasked with helping with that new approach is interim coach Joe Mazzulla, Udoka’s assistant. He is a leftover from former coach Brad Stevens’ staff before he moved into his new role as president of football operations.

Mazzulla is not only a familiar face, but someone players turned to to keep Udoka close.

He’s planning to build those relationships, while building a successful on-court culture, something already established by Udoka.

“I’m in a lucky situation, because I’ve been here three years and I’ve had the pre-season break to set up the direction we want to go into the season,” Mazzulla said. “There are not many changes in general. It’s just learning from last season and seeing how to improve… Just keep going, one day at a time.”

It will try to do it with a core that is almost intact. Robert Williams III will likely miss the first few months of the season as he recovers from surgery to repair cartilage in his troubled left knee.

Free-agent newcomer Danilo Gallinari would also be out for the season after sustaining an ACL injury in his left knee while participating with Italy’s FIBA ​​World Cup qualifiers in the summer.