'That's who we've been all year': Celtics coach says 4th quarter run vs Warriors isn't one time thing
MANILA, Philippines — Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka wasn't surprised at his team's efforts in fighting back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to steal NBA Finals Game One on the road against the Golden State Warriors in Chase Center on Thursday (Friday, Manila time).
The tactician, who hopes to deliver a record 18th NBA championship banner for the Celtics, says that runs like the 17-0 scoring burst they did to ice the victory in Game One are not a one off thing for his team.
"That's kind of who we've been all year," Udoka said after the game.
"Tough grinders, resilient group that we can always know we can rely on our defense to kind of buckle down when needed," he added.
Going into the NBA Finals opener, the Celtics were battle tested with back-to-back series that lasted until Game Seven against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat.
Having gone through up and downs to get to where they are now, Udoka is upbeat that they can bounce back from whatever is thrown at them.
"We weren't playing our best in the first quarter. Curry got loose, didn't score in the second quarter, and we held them to 22, got ourselves back in the game. They had another big third quarter due to some of our mistakes, lack of physicality on our part. Then we locked down again and played great in the fourth," said Udoka.
"We always rely on that. Impressive against a really elite scoring team," he continued.
Udoka's Celtics hope to shut out the Warriors at home and take a commanding 2-0 lead as the series shifts to Boston when Game Two tips off on Sunday (Monday, Manila time).
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