The Boston Celtics have been the NBA's best team as the season approaches the halfway point. They have been undefeated through their first 18 home games, and they appear to be at the top of their game despite getting blown out by the Milwaukee Bucks January 11. Former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has a chance to see how well his former team is playing against his Houston Rockets Saturday night.

Udoka was fired from the Celtics prior to the 2022-23 season after information about a personal relationship he had was revealed and team rules were broken. Udoka was unable to escape the tentacles of the scandal, and the Celtics named Joe Mazzulla to take over the head coaching slot.

While he did not have an opportunity to coach any team last year, the Rockets named Udoka as their head coach in the offseason. This is his first trip back to Boston with his new team.

While meeting with the media before the game, Udoka said his biggest regret about the incident was the fact that he let people down, per ESPN.

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ā€œI formed a lot of relationships within a year, and obviously want to get a chance to run it back with a group you feel you can build and grow with,ā€ Ime Udoka shared. ā€œSo, letting the people down. I talked about the players, the relationships I built with them, the coaches that came with me, and then everybody else that was impacted by it.ā€

The former Boston coach is having success with the Rockets. His team brought a 19-18 record into TD Garden, far exceeding preseason expectations.