“If we were playing the right offensive…it would’ve been 3-1 by now” Ime Udoka throws major shade at Celtics offensive loopholes


“If we were playing the right offensive…it would’ve been 3-1 by now” Ime Udoka throws major shade at Celtics offensive loopholes

Ime Udoka

Boston Celtics Head Coach Ime Udoka was not happy with the offensive performance of his marquee offensive stars and believes that “right” plays would have won them the crucial game 4 at TD Garden against resilient Golden State Warriors side.

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Stephen Curry put up a scintillating performance to level the series for the Golden State Warriors. Boston Celtics were playing at home, with pressure to win on their opponents. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart “scored” well in the game; but Coach Ime Udoka was not impressed with the offense. While Scoring and offensive play is two different things on the court, former NBA player-coach Udoka wants improvement in the offense. He went on to add that if the team had the “right” offense the outcome of the game would have been different.

Ime Udoka upgraded the young Celtics team to championship level in his very 1st season with the franchise. His tactics and plays proved effective in overpowering Eastern superpowers. But he seemed more frustrated over the sort of offense Celts played in the game and considers it as the root cause of the loss.

Ime Udoka suggests proper offensive play from Boston Celtics could win games

Jayson Tatum, Ime Udoka and Jaylen Brown
Jayson Tatum, Ime Udoka and Jaylen Brown

Boston Celtics have been majorly praised for their defensive abilities and statistics also suggest the same. But Coach Ime Udoka sees things differently and considers that it’s their offense that cost them the important game 4 in the series. Winning the game and taking a 3-1 lead in the series could have put them in driving seat in the Finals.    

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In a deep basketball sense, he is correct. The Warriors have struggled to score when they have had to go against a set Celtics defense, which is possible when the Celtics finish off their offensive play perfectly and all players are back to defend their positions. However, bad offensive possession would lead to transition play at the opposite end and the Warriors have a 114.8 offensive rating while playing on transition.

For the “right” offensive play team have to take care of the ball well and don’t turn the ball over, finish at the rim or finish it with a possible open player. In-game 4, the Warriors were allowed more free-flowing offensive play and Stephen Curry took full advantage of the plays. Offensively strong Warriors players managed to score 100 odd points in every game against the Celtics defense, whereas Boston failed to do so in 2 games, losing both of them with an average of 4.5 points.

Stephen Curry vs The Celtics in Game 4
Stephen Curry vs The Celtics in Game 4

Ime Udoka said, “If we are playing offense the right way, we’d be 3-1,” pointing at the poor 4th quarter display in game 4. Celtics were banking on the concluding quarter of the game in their previous wins and the same wasn’t followed in game 4. Warriors outscore them with 29-18 scoring stats in the last 12 minutes of the game, despite both teams having similar possessions and turnovers.

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Grant Williams supporting his Coach’s views explained the theory, “Offense is going to determine, I feel like, the rest of the series for us in a sense. If we control and do what we’re supposed to do, we have success… But when you have so many turnovers, when you don’t necessarily execute and get fewer shots and allow offensive rebounds, extra possessions for them, it’s hard to win games that way.”

Boston Celtics have been a top defensive team in the league and the Warriors followed them at the second position. Both teams rely heavily on their defenses and a strong offense just heaps pressure on their opponents. As far as the 2022 playoffs are concerned, the Celtics did allow some teams to make comebacks in the game with poor shooting. Milwaukee Bucks had some good runs in many games, and in the conference Finals too, Miami benefitted in Game 6 and then the final four minutes of Game 7 against Miami. There were stretches against the Bucks.

Grant Williams pointed out offensive importance for the team. He said, “Last game a lot of time we had six-point leads and then we took a bad shot on offense or had a turnover or we had a lapse of judgment on the defensive end and gave up open threes. Things like that, just like the mental blips. I feel like we haven’t been the most disciplined team this series between the two teams.”

Al Horford and Marcus smart of Boston Celtics
Al Horford and Marcus smart of Boston Celtics

Celtics were 34-of-85 off the field and had 15 turnovers in the game, while they could grab only 11 offensive rebounds off missed shots. Warriors took advantage of these shortfalls and had a total of 91 scoring opportunities in the game. Playing against dispersed defense helped the Warriors to close out the game strongly.

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Former NBA Champion with San Antonio Ime Udoka knows the importance of the small details, and was annoyed with the “missed chance”. Golden State Warriors were trailing in the series and playing at TD Garden. But the home team could not take advantage of the pressure or form to put the series beyond reach. Rather now the momentum is with the Golden State Warriors, who will be playing at home in game 5.

Also Read: “Warriors have no chance if he keeps on performing” Anthony Edwards picks Celtics as 2022 Champs because of Veteran X-Factor⁩

Also Read: Marcus Smart reveals the secret ingredient of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s successful duo-ship, ahead of Game 5