Ime Udoka probably didn’t anticipate his first time coaching at TD Garden would lead to the Boston Celtics being booed off the court.
But that was the scene at TD Garden as they dropped a 115-83 result to the Toronto Raptors to fall to 0-2 on the season.
Certainly, Celtics fans in attendance could no longer stand watching the team stumble into the same issues that plagued them all season last year. But after 25 turnovers, enough was enough.
“I said, ‘That’s as ugly as it could get,’ ” Udoka shared, relaying what he told Boston in the locker room after the game Friday.
“You take that, embrace it and use it as fuel. We deserved it, by the way we played, and I think our guys all know that and that’s what we appreciate about the fan base as well. They’re gonna be honest out there with your effort.”
Lack of effort seemed to be Udoka’s main takeaway from his team’s performance, but he doesn’t think it will be a chronic issue they face, as it’s not something he noticed in the preseason.
The second game of the season does afford some leeway, but if last year’s problems can’t be shaken, there won’t be as much patience this year. From the fan base, or perhaps the front office.
“You don’t want to overreact and panic, and we’re gonna stay together and keep our head up,” Udoka said. “But I said, ‘Use these boos as motivation. You deserved it,’ The way we played, and us coaches didn’t prepare them as well as we should have — understanding who Toronto is. It doesn’t matter who they have on their team or the roster, they’re going to play with that same intensity and we didn’t match it. So take it in, use it for fuel, use it for motivation and come back ready for Houston.”
Hopefully Udoka’s next run at the TD Garden goes differently, but it will have to wait.
Boston on Sunday will be in to Houston to take on the Rockets at 7 p.m. ET.
