Ime Udoka has had himself quite the first year as a Boston Celtics head coach.
After getting off to an extremely slow start to the season, one that had folks calling for the entire team to be broken up, he somehow circled the wagons and put together a historic second-half resurgence.
On Sunday, Udoka’s efforts culminated in his squad defeating the Miami Heat in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Finals match-up and earning a spot in the NBA Finals.
One person who was extremely thrilled about Udoka’s accomplishment? His wife, beloved actress Nia Long.
Long’s reaction to her husband’s big day speaks for itself:
Yes!!! pic.twitter.com/uW96N1EEqg
— Nia Long (@NiaLong) May 30, 2022
Responses poured in immediately:
She has such a pretty, happy smile, forever beautiful https://t.co/fa838vmFam
— Qᴜᴇᴇɴ ᴏғ Aᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀ (@galwithaboyname) May 30, 2022
Her skin is flawless. From head to toe. https://t.co/8aOO8nfobZ
— (@Coolness941) May 30, 2022
The fact that this man has added my childhood star crush to the fan base AND taken us to the finals in his first year https://t.co/w7QVLY0XfS
— Bleed Green (@jovan_twhitter) May 30, 2022
Going to home to Nia Long then boarding the flight to go coach the nba finals. I will never settle https://t.co/f75kS2n8lF
— Don Diddy (@EDiddy__) May 30, 2022
This probably the only reason I want the Celtics to win https://t.co/HQjXz74TMZ
— The Black Supreme Kai (@BlackSupremeKai) May 30, 2022
So beautiful and she has looked the exact same for 30+ years. Hubby is fine too Congrats to Boston. https://t.co/1PZDVV4cIE
— Shauna (@ssimmons1187) May 30, 2022
#Goals https://t.co/YDYxbMwrcH
— Thr33Turn (@Thr33Turn) May 30, 2022
Boston’s series with Miami was extremely tense. One female fan’s provocative gesture ticked off the entire opposing fan base, though it’s unclear what role it had in motivating the team itself.
Beyond that there were also notable dirty plays and family members getting involved, which also serve as a testament to how hotly-contested the Eastern Conference Finals were.
What a year for Dak Prescott. https://t.co/f5u15Nx7yj
— Game 7 (@game7__) May 30, 2022
In the end, however – the Celtics prevailed.
Will the same hold true in the NBA Finals? Will Long be able to do her little dance when her husband brings home a championship? An answer should emerge soon enough.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.