Ime Udoka Shares His Message to the Celtics After Finals Run Ends in Defeat

The Celtics know a return trip to the NBA Finals, let alone a championship, is earned, not promised.

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

It's not hyperbolic to say the 2021-22 Celtics engineered one of the most impressive in-season turnarounds in the NBA's history. They went from below .500 and 11th in the East, meaning they wouldn't have made the conference's play-in tournament, to two wins shy of banner 18.

That's something Boston can build off, as is the stinging nature of coming so close but not being the last team left standing.

After the Warriors clinched their fourth championship in eight years with a 103-90 win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Udoka shared his message to the Celtics.

"It's going to hurt, and it will hurt for a while, and probably, that stuff never goes away. I've lost one before, and so that was part of the message, (to) let it propel us forward. The experience and growth, and progress that we made this season. Obviously, getting to your ultimate goal and falling a few games short, it's going to hurt, and there are a lot of guys in there that are very emotional right now.

"So, the message was (that) we thanked them for the effort, and the growth and everything they allowed us to do coaching-wise this year. And the biggest message was learn from this, grow from it, take this experience and see there is another level to get to, with a team like Golden State, who has been there, done that, and it was evident in a lot of ways. And don't come back the same; as players, a coaching staff, and let this fuel you throughout the offseason into next year."

Udoka also told the Celtics, a team led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, a wing tandem 24 and 25-years-old, respectively, and a core four who's oldest member is 28-year-old Marcus Smart, "this is just the start; The foundation's been set. We can hit the ground running next year. Let's get healthy and (let's) all be on the same page."

He also conveyed, "we've seen what we can achieve. It hurts that we fell short of that. But what I did say was the future is bright, and we're just getting started, so let's all come back better from this experience."

Further Reading

What Stood Out in NBA Finals Game 6: Warriors Outplay Celtics on Both Ends in Championship-Clinching Performance

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown Reflect on Personal and Team Growth Through Celtics' Playoff Run

[Film Room] Keys to Celtics Getting Jayson Tatum Going in Game 5 of NBA Finals

[Film Room] In NBA Finals Game 3, Jaylen Brown Balanced Scoring and Facilitating, Showing How He Can Raise Celtics' Ceiling

Tony Parker Sizes Up the NBA Finals, Talks Ime Udoka and His Collaboration with MTN Dew LEGEND

The Anatomy of the Celtics' Fourth-Quarter Comeback in Game 1 of NBA Finals