NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 13, 2022

Ime Udoka

Boston Celtics

Game 5: Postgame

Warriors 104, Celtics 94

Q. In that fourth quarter it seemed like you guys really got caught up in the officiating there. That's when things started to unravel. What did you see there?

IME UDOKA: I think it was a little bit of that throughout the game. So not necessarily only in the fourth. Probably something we shouldn't do as much and we all did too much.

Q. Offensively you guys really struggled there for a big chunk of the fourth quarter. Jaylen and Jayson pretty much played the whole second half. Did you feel like fatigue-wise it was showing up there in terms of the offense you were creating or something else?

IME UDOKA: Could have been. We ran them obviously a longer stretch to get back in the game in the third. Looked like our decision making waned a little bit in the fourth. Could have been from that. Weren't getting a whole lot of production off the bench. Went with them a little bit longer, being they got us back in, and tried to use the timeouts for their rest.

Got away from a little bit what got us back in the game in the third. Decision making and fatigue could be a part of it, the reason why.

Q. You played back-to-back Game 7s. Now you're playing a demanding Finals series against the Warriors. Do you think this has started to take a toll on your players?

IME UDOKA: No, I don't think that's the reason at all.

Q. The missed free throws, seems like you guys are back to where you have no idea how this team is going to perform from night to night. The first quarter you looked like you were sleepwalking. Why not that intensity, why only the third quarter?

IME UDOKA: Yeah, hard to explain that start. I mean, we lacked the physicality early. They took the fight to us a little bit early. We were struggling to finish in the paint. So that was pretty evident early on.

I think the second, 24-23 in the second, we kind of got back into it to get it close enough at halftime. Obviously, we had the third quarter. Then the fatigue could have played a part in the fourth.

Poor start overall. That's hard to explain that, why that is. But we got back in. Turnovers, missed free throws, some of the things obviously, a little bit talking to the refs too much didn't help us in the fourth. But the start is hard to explain. We were guarding well enough. They had 27. For the most part they had 19, 17, with a few minutes left, but our offense was stagnant, unaggressive.

Q. Steph obviously has been in control of this series. What did you think about the job you did on him? Does it feel like a missed opportunity on a day you finally did slow him down?

IME UDOKA: Yeah, better job on him. A little more physical there. Switched up the coverage a little bit.

But we have to do it on the others. Anytime you got Wiggins with 26, Thompson with 21, Payton and Poole off the bench 15, 14, they're kind of making up for some of the things he was doing.

Overall, it's a solid job on him. But again, I don't know if it was our defense as much as offensive struggles that hurt us tonight.

Q. You mentioned the offensive struggles. When you guys are getting to the stretches where you couldn't get going, got stagnant, was that a result of their physicality or was it something else that you saw?

IME UDOKA: Early in the game they were the aggressor on defense, kind of blowing up some of our actions. Our spacing wasn't the best due to that. Went a little more off ball. Got some movement, got some things going. Once we started defending better and getting stops, we got out and ran.

A little bit of that early. But, like I said, it could be a little bit fatigue the fourth quarter, spending a lot to come back. A lot had to do with the poor start, for sure.

Q. Did you get called for being out of the box? Is that what they explained to you?

IME UDOKA: Part of it, yes.

Q. Did something happen there with Tony in the fourth quarter? Seemed like you two had a conversation.

IME UDOKA: He didn't like how I pointed at him.

Q. It felt like at one point you turned a corner with the ball control, the decision making. Now it just seems like it's popping up again and again. From your perspective, is it a matter of needing to call more plays? You can only say so much to limit what's going on out there. What do you think has gone wrong with the ball control for this group?

IME UDOKA: Playing in the crowd too much has caused a lot of these turnovers. Obviously, Jayson, Marcus having four, Jaylen having five, our primary ball handlers that get caught in some tough spots at times.

When we're at our best, it's simple ball movement. I think the third quarter showed that. The drive and kick was beautiful, was working, getting guys wide-open shots. Like I said, I don't know if it was fatigue affects the decision making a little bit there, or just physically don't have the burst to finish it off.

That has been a problem for us obviously at times in this series, quarters specifically where we've gotten a little stagnant. When we do it well it works, it looks good, we get shots we want. We slow it down, play in the crowd, those turnovers pop up in the bad offense.

Q. When you were down 3-2 to Milwaukee, you sat in front of us and exuded a lot of confidence. Tonight it seems like you're searching for answers. How are you feeling going into a Game 6 where now your backs are against the wall again?

IME UDOKA: The message to the guys is to be confident going home, get your rest, let's get ready to bring it back here.

For us, it's really about consistency. That's the thing we're not having throughout a full game, is consistent efforts, sustained effort, more so offensively than anything. That's the part where we got to have carryover not only game to game but quarter to quarter, where we saw it happened in the third but not the fourth.

Obviously, we are all frustrated with tonight a little bit, but even prior, quarters and games. Our message is to take it one at a time. We've been here before, did it against Milwaukee. Let's bring it back out to the Bay.

Q. What did you see from Jayson night? Some uncharacteristically bad misses at the free-throw line as well.

IME UDOKA: Yeah, like I said, part of that could be fatigue. Expended a lot. Obviously, him playing 44 minutes. He was one of our main guys rolling. When he got it going in the third, we rolled him a little bit longer there. The bench production wasn't as sharp as usual, so we ran Jayson longer. Some of that fatigue and decision making could play a part in the fourth quarter.

That probably has something to do with the misses. Not only free throws but some of his three-pointers being off a bit.

Q. Have they found something to get their defense against your offense? The last couple games looks like you guys have had a hard time scoring. It seems like there's nothing easy.

IME UDOKA: Yeah, they've ramped up the physicality. They're switching quite a bit more. As you saw in the third quarter, anytime we don't get stagnant, go one against the crowd, it can look pretty easy, get the shots we want.

Like I said, just have to have carryover from game to game. Not only that, but quarter to quarter. A 35-point third quarter when we're moving the ball, getting into the lane, penetrating, kick, getting the wide-open shots we want, we have to have that carry over into the fourth. To basically only have 14 or so until the young guys came in late obviously was a night and day quarter from the third and the fourth.

As I said, we rode them a little longer. Fatigue could've played a part in that, whether it's physical or some of the decision making, turnovers there. Kind of went with the hot hands that got us back in the game.

Q. We've been talking about offensive stagnation at crunch time pretty much throughout the year. You said the players spreading the floor need to have some movement or actions. Tonight, whenever somebody will get some way to try to kick out, the defense knows where to be because they're not moving. Why do you think this far into the year we're still having that stagnation issue?

IME UDOKA: Spacing was an issue with them being physical, especially in the first quarter. They kind of blew up some of our actions. We were playing basically on top of each other.

What worked well, especially in Game 3 at home, one of our best games, was getting spaced out quick to our actions, penetrate and kick. Like I said, you have to have carryover game to game, not only game to game, but what we did in the third quarter.

A little bit of credit to them as far as their physicality on defense. But at this point we know what works well for us and we have to have that consistency.