Jayson Tatum gives hilarious answer when asked about Ime Udoka's tough love
BOSTON -- There is an endless stream of positivity surrounding Ime Udoka and the job that he's done in his first year as head coach of the Celtics. He has Boston just two wins away from an NBA Championship, which is incredible considering the Celtics were under .500 in early January.
There were growing pains along the way, but Udoka has been praised for keeping things on an even keel throughout the season. Through the ups and downs, he never gets too high or too low. And he always has his players motivated and hungry to get better.
Some of that has to do with their fear of catching Udoka's ire. Because when he gets miffed at his guys, he lets them hear it.
Just ask Jayson Tatum. Not even Boston's superstar player can escape his head coach's potty mouth, which Tatum is OK with.
"Never gets too high? I don't know if y'all see, but he cusses us out a lot," Tatum said Thursday. "But I guess it's warranted."
Heck, it happened during Game 3 on Wednesday night as the Celtics let their 12-point lead over the Warriors slip away in the third quarter. Udoka had a simple question for his players -- one we cannot print and one that Golden State certainly wouldn't want to hear because of the awful curse word involved.
But it worked, because the Celtics snapped out of it and dominated in the fourth quarter, winning Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead over the Warriors.
When the Celtics moved Brad Stevens from the bench to the front office after last season, it was clear that the team needed a stronger voice to get them over the hump. Stevens wasn't afraid to criticize his team, but if you've ever heard him, you know that he doesn't have the same fire and gravitas as Udoka.
Celtics players wanted a tough leader to mold them, and Udoka has been perfect at doing just that. When tough love needs to be doled out, he's there to deliver it in a blunt manner.
But that is just part of Udoka's coaching style. While he may ream his players out when they stray away from the game plan, he is always confident in the group.
That belief has everyone on the roster willing to run through a wall for their head coach.
"He always has -- from when we were winning and when we were the 11 seed -- he still had the same belief in us that we could get it done," said Tatum. "That's something I admired and appreciated about him."
The Celtics will look to inch closer to a title when they host Game 4 at TD Garden on Friday night.
