Celtics midseason turnaround began with Ime Udoka ripping his team after loss to Knicks: ‘I challenged their mental toughness’

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/03/celtics-midseason-turnaround-began-with-ime-udoka-ripping-his-team-after-loss-to-knicks-i-challenged-their-mental-toughness.html



Celtics midseason turnaround began with Ime Udoka ripping his team after loss to Knicks: ‘I challenged their mental toughness’



Updated: Mar. 09, 2022, 6:16 p.m. | Published: Mar. 09, 2022, 6:16 p.m.

Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka talks with guard Jaylen Brown during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)AP


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



CHARLOTTE — The Celtics have been the best team in the NBA since a 25-point collapse against the New York Knicks on January 6th, surging to a 21-6 record in their last 27 games.

While the loss was a low point of Boston’s season as the team fell to 11th overall in the East standings, Ime Udoka acknowledged a turning point for the team’s season may have been his tough talk to the team after the defeat.


“We just pointed that out to the team yesterday,” Ime Udoka said Wednesday night. “Going 21-6 in those 27 since that game, we had lost back-to-back on a missed layup against San Antonio and then obviously giving up the big lead to the Knicks and Barrett hitting the game-winner at the buzzer. And so I challenged their mental toughness.”


Udoka had come down hard on Celtics players all year long publicly since being hired as the team’s head coach last summer amid an uneven start to the year. The criticism was a drastic change of pace between Udoka’s style and Brad Stevens softer public dialogue. However, Udoka believes that tough talk has been needed to get the team to where they are now.

“Some people liked it, some people didn’t,” Udoka said of the criticism. “The team responded as they have all year, and we really said just stop messing around and giving up these leads. We had lost two or three 19-point leads, lost some games to Cleveland, Milwaukee on Christmas, Chicago early in there, and then the New York game. So turning point as far as us getting tired of losing the games that we had built up leads.

“I’ve mentioned quite a few times health, getting back healthy and having some consistency as far as lineups, but that was enough is enough as far as losing these leads and losing these types of games that we should win. So I got tired of it, the team got tired of it, we responded well.”


Boston has surged all the way to the fifth seed in the East amid the red-hot stretch and is within striking distance of the No. 2 spot in the East, sitting just two games behind the Bucks and 76ers for that spot.

“I just believe it goes into all the hard work that the group is putting in throughout the season and sticking with it,” Al Horford said of the turnaround. “Continuing to grind and continuing to try to find ways. Coach’s message has always been clear and the fact that we’re all buying into it and we’re doing those things, it’s turning to success.”

As for the public criticism of Udoka’s unfiltered talk about his players, the head coach pointed to the team’s success in the aftermath.

“It was pointed out to me that challenging the players publicly wasn’t welcomed by everyone. Like I care. The guys love it.”


Bob
MY NOTE:  This, for me, was the best line of the whole piece, “It was pointed out to me that challenging the players publicly wasn’t welcomed by everyone. Like I care. The guys love it.”  Perfect.


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