The Boston Celtics have been having a tumultuous season thus far, and falling well below expectations. They entered Thursday night's game against the New York Knicks 18-20, with losses in four of their last six games. They lost a heartbreaker at home on Wednesday, as Jaylen Brown missed a game-tying layup with seconds remaining. It got worse on Thursday.
With just under four minutes remaining in the first half at New York, the Celtics led 57-32. They had the game in full control. The Knicks cut the deficit to only 16 at halftime. The 2nd half saw New York storm back and R.J. Barrett sink an off-balance three pointers with 0.5 seconds left to beat Boston, 108-105.
[Highlight] RJ Barrett banks in the three at the buzzer to beat the Celtics from nba
The Celtics players walked off the court, their heads hanging after another blown lead. After the game, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka called out his players. He pointed to the team's lack of mental toughness and inability to fight through adverse situations.
Ime Udoka: “I think it’s a lack of mental toughness to fight through those adverse times.”
Said they need “a calming presence to slow us down and get us what we want” down the stretch.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) January 7, 2022
The Celtics have seemingly blown a ton of leads, and Udoka seems at rope's end. He then went on to say that this result keeps happening and until they get leadership, nothing is going to change.
Ime Udoka: “Repetitive result is happening.”
Said it will keep happening if the Celtics don’t make changes. Said they need leadership to stop them from getting rattled.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) January 7, 2022
What is strange about his comments are that the things it sounds he is complaining about, also sound like job duties of a head coach. It's normally the head coach's job to provide a calming presence and leadership.
Udoka is in his first season as the Boston Celtics head coach. Expectations were very high, as Boston has two of the best wing players in the entire NBA in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. As the season continues to be flushed down the toilet, one has to wonder how long Udoka will hold this job.
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