Ime Udoka Wants Celtics To Be ‘Greedy’ In Game 2 Of NBA Finals

The Boston Celtics made history with a win in Game 1 of their NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors, but head coach Ime Udoka still wants to see a change in his team ahead of Game 2.

“At times this postseason we’ve played desperate after losses, and we want to have the same mentality after a win, keep the same edge,” Udoka said in his pregame media conference. “We look at things we could have done a lot better in that game. We played solid overall, they went on a run, we went on a run, but there are things we could have done to be in a better position, especially in that third quarter. So, for us, it’s game by game. We got the first game, now it’s time to be greedy and go for two.”

A second straight win on the road isn’t impossible for the Celtics, but it certainly is unlikely. Only two teams have won two straight road games in the NBA Finals since 1984, the 1993 Chicago Bulls and the 1995 Houston Rockets. Both of those teams went on to win the finals.

One source of hope on the Celtics’ side is the play of Jayson Tatum. Boston was victorious in Game 1 without much of a scoring output from Jayson Tatum, who historically doesn’t have consecutive poor shooting nights.

Though the addition of a more consistent Tatum gives credence to the idea of Boston stealing two in a row, their 2022 playoff history says just the opposite. Boston has won 13 games this postseason, but followed up six of those victories with a loss, allowing each of their last two series to go to seven games. Golden State on the other hand, has lost a total of six games this postseason and has yet to lose back-to-back contests.

The Celtics will have an opportunity to buck those trends in Game 2 Sunday night from Chase Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.