In the final game, which begins the night before Friday Swedish time, Golden State takes on Boston.

It took Udoka nine years to move from assistant coach to head coach when he took over Boston last year.

And then for several years he had been seen as a given candidate to become head coach of the NBA without success.

- I honestly do not know why it took so long, says Boston guard Jaylen Brown.

"It means a lot"

The NBA started a diversity initiative regarding coaches in 2019. It has now yielded results.

In the past year, eight black basketball coaches have been given the main responsibility for NBA teams, which means that half, 15, of the NBA's head coaches are now black.

- It means a lot.

When my younger son and my older son's kids turn on the TV and see people who look like them lead an NBA team, it can inspire, says Golden States assistant coach Mike Brown, who has just finished a head coaching job in Sacramento .

- To be able to pass on the torch to the next generation is something I often think about, not only for what it means for my family, but for others.

Bill Russell was the first African-American head coach in the NBA when he took over Boston as a playing coach in 1966. During his second year at the helm, he led the team to the championship title.