Ime Udoka: Marcus Smart will be playing through pain
Source: Twitter @MarkG_Medina
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannixTwo days off should benefit Boston, which is still trying to get Marcus Smart and Robert Williams closer to full health. – 1:06 AM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAJaylen Brown on Ime Udoka: “Ime has put the ball in my hands more than any time in my career. He’s challenging me to make plays. Sometimes I make the wrong read, but it happens. I’m human. But when I have the ball, I’m going to make something happen.” – 12:43 AM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAJayson Tatum on Ime Udoka challenging him to be more than a scorer: “He wanted me to be the best player I can be. We watched a lot of film to see where I could be better when I draw attention. Ime’s been great about challenging me and the whole group.” – 12:32 AM
Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHMWarriors did hold Jayson Tatum to 12 points and 3-17 shooting. Tatum did have 13 assists. Tatum was 1-7 with Andrew Wiggins as primary defender. Was 0-5 off passes from Marcus Smart (In previous 3 rounds, Tatum shot 24-45 (53%) off Smart’s passes) per @ESPNStatsInfo – 12:28 AM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAMarcus Smart on Derrick White: “First thing he said was ‘My name is Derrick.’ That was it.” – 12:21 AM
Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBAMarcus Smart, sitting next to Derrick White: “First thing Derrick said is, ‘My name is Derrick,’ and that’s it.” – 12:21 AM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAMarcus Smart: “We fight. That’s who we are. That’s our identity.” – 12:19 AM
Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBAMarcus Smart on Jayson Tatum’s playmaking: “All year we’ve been grooming and preparing Jayson for these moments when teams are going to key in on you…He’s had a lot of practice at it and for us, it’s to just make sure he stays confident on it.” – 12:19 AM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAMarcus Smart on the Celtics bouncing back: “We know this is a game of runs. You don’t go in planning to play bad, but sometimes stuff happens. You just keep playing and do your best to bounce back.” – 12:17 AM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAMarcus Smart on Al Horford: “We were ecstatic for him. Al’s the OG. He puts in the work. We knew it was only a matter of time before he had a big game and kept having a big game.” – 12:16 AM
Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwillDraymond Green counted the 3’s made by Derrick White, Marcus Smart and Al Horford (15). Pretty clear what the strategy is. And it backfired – 12:06 AM
Duane Rankin @DuaneRankin#Celtics 21-of-41 from 3 in Game 1 win at #Warriors.
This is with Jayson Tatum 1-of-5 on 3s (3-of-17 FGs) and Jaylen Brown 2-of-8 on 3s (10-of-23 FGs)
Al Horford 6-of-8 on 3s.
Derrick White 5-of-8 on 3s.
Marcus Smart 4-of-7 on 3s.
Payton Pritchard 2-of-3 on 3s.
#NBAFinals2022 pic.twitter.com/fqg0atT763 – 11:51 PM
Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbachCeltics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck in the press conference room for Ime Udoka’s session, gave him a nod and a fist pound as he walked out. – 11:49 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAIme Udoka: “This is a confidence builder because we didn’t play our best at all.”
Udoka went on to talk about the poor rebounding early, the turnovers and added “I don’t Jayson Tatum is going to shoot that poorly again.” – 11:49 PM
Jay King @ByJayKingIme Udoka: “It’s a confidence builder because we didn’t play our best at all.” – 11:48 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAIme Udoka on Jaylen Brown’s success in isolation: “They do have some favorable matchups that we can attack. We got to those later. Jaylen started getting to his spots and got downhill against some guys.” – 11:47 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAIme Udoka on the fourth quarter defense: “We got up into guys much better. We stayed tight to them. Seemed like we kind of wore them down a little bit.” – 11:45 PM
Tim Bontemps @TimBontempsIme Udoka said he was excited about the fact Boston didn’t play anywhere near its best game and still came out on top in tonight’s game. Said it was rewarding to win and know another level was possible. – 11:44 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAIme Udoka on Derrick White: “He does everything. 5-of-8, three assists and some really good playmaking and defense. We have very little drop-off when Marcus goes out. To get 21 from him was huge. That unit kept up rolling in the fourth quarter.” – 11:44 PM
Mark Medina @MarkG_MedinaCeltics coach Ime Udoka on the team’s grind-it-out win pic.twitter.com/Ln8zufdKVt – 11:43 PM
Connor Letourneau @Con_ChronIme Udoka on the Celtics’ fourth-quarter comeback: “It is rewarding . … Knowing we can play so much better, that’s the main thing.” – 11:43 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAIme Udoka: “We look at ourselves as a unit. A complete team. We look at the other teams, Brooklyn with Durant, Bucks with Antetokounmpo, Miami with Butler. We pride ourselves on being a team that plays together.” – 11:43 PM
Tim Bontemps @TimBontempsIme Udoka singles out Marcus Smart for celebrating on the bench while Payton Pritchard and Derrick White were playing huge minutes in the fourth quarter to fuel Boston’s comeback. Said the Celtics are a team and always rely on the team to win. – 11:42 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAIme Udoka: “That’s who we are. We’re grinders. We’re a resilient group.” – 11:41 PM
Jay King @ByJayKingIme Udoka: “That’s kind of who we’ve been all year: Tough grinders. A resilient group.” – 11:41 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAIme Udoka: “Credit to Marcus. The Defensive Player of the Year on the bench because Payton was playing well and he was good with it.” – 11:41 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAIme Udoka on where things went messy in Q3: “Offensive rebounds and turnovers…The extra possessions for them were way too many.” – 11:40 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAIme Udoka on Jayson Tatum’s passing in Game 1: “I’ve talked to him all year about impacting the game when his shot’s not falling. That’s what it was all about. He’s still defending. Still impacting the game on that end too.” – 11:40 PM
Bill Herenda @billherendaAnother terrific night for Ime Udoka, staff & roster demonstrating more road poise & equanimity against a previously insuperable #Warriors squad at home – 11:33 PM
David Morrow @_DavidMorrowAl Horford, Derrick White and Marcus Smart combined to shoot 15-23 from 3. Wild. – 11:30 PM
Christos Tsaltas @Tsaltas46The Celtics OUTPLAYED the Warriors in 4th quarter. The 40-16 run was the story of the game. Amazing turnaround. Ime Udoka deserves tones of credits for that. #NBAFinals #AllAbout18 – 11:28 PM
Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwill120-108 Celtics strike first blood. Ime Udoka kept saying “it’s just basketball” in reference to them being inexperienced. They grew up fast. – 11:28 PM
Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpearsWelp, Ime Udoka was right. Lack of experience and time off didn’t matter for the Celtics. Huge, Huge win in San Francisco In Game 1 of the NBA Finals after Warriors had a long layoff and rest at home. pic.twitter.com/TekjABT2Aw – 11:27 PM
Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42Game ball for G1 goes to the Celtics front office:
1. Hired Ime Udoka
2. Al Horford for Kemba Walker
3. Derrick White
4. Traded Kanter and Schroder – 11:24 PM
Sean Cunningham @SeanCunninghamMarcus Smart with the 21st Celtics 3-pointer. One shy of matching their season high. – 11:22 PM
Tim Reynolds @ByTimReynoldsMarcus Smart with a possible dagger. – 11:20 PM
Brian Robb @BrianTRobbPretty big decisions coming up for Ime Udoka. Will he stay rollling with Pritchard? – 11:12 PM
Brian Mahoney @briancmahoneyGonna become tough to find minutes for Marcus Smart if White and Pritchard keep rolling like this. – 11:11 PM
Salman Ali @SalmanAliNBADerrick White turns into the shooter Marcus Smart thinks he is in the 4th quarter. – 11:09 PM
Mark Deeks @MarkDeeksNBASteph Curry going behind the back like a young Marcus Smart in his prime – 10:40 PM
Vivek Jacob @vivekmjacobI’m still recovering from that Marcus Smart around the world floater tbh – 10:34 PM
Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbachMarcus Smart’s been the most confident Celtic all night. – 10:33 PM
Dalton Johnson @DaltonJ_JohnsonIf they actually start calling those fouls on Marcus Smart … – 10:26 PM
Chris Fedor @ChrisFedorMarcus Smart looked a lot like the DPOY in that first half. – 10:22 PM
Tommy Beer @TommyBeerMarcus Smart is gonna be a really good coach – 10:21 PM
Jeff Zillgitt @JeffZillgittSteph Curry 21 points (all in the first quarter). Otto Porter Jr. has nine points.
Both teams shooting 3-ball at high clip: 45.8% for Ws, 42.9% for Cs.
Jayson Tatum struggling from field at 2-for-8 but has seven assists. Jaylen Brown (12 points), Marcus Smart (10 points) for Cs. – 10:10 PM
Abby Chin @tvabbyI asked Ime Udoka pre game if defense wins championships. Told me he believes it does. #Cetlics had some stellar defensive possessions in the first half. And, after some adjustment, held Steph Curry scoreless in the 2nd quarter. – 10:08 PM
Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBAMarcus Smart said this mic’d up, then the Celtics bigs started nailing the coverage on Curry: “This isn’t the Heat series. We can’t start back. We have to start up. Especially if they start so high, you start up then drop cause we’re chasing. Now he goes down into the paint.” – 10:04 PM
Haralabos Voulgaris @haralabobMarcus Smart has been a terror defensively so far this game. Super impressive.
Pretty good on O too. – 10:04 PM
Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwillMarcus Smart with a trust fall. Followed by a Horford three – 10:04 PM
Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribeMarcus Smart getting away with a lot of hands on Curry – 10:03 PM
Anthony Puccio @APOOCH“This isn’t the Heat series…”
Marcus Smart was great here. pic.twitter.com/t5Dq4oyoHo – 10:00 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_ChiangA mic’d up Marcus Smart telling his Celtics teammates “this isn’t the Heat series” when discussing pick-and-roll coverage. Smart telling his teammates they can’t drop back on screens like they did against the Heat.
And this is your Heat update from Game 1 of the NBA Finals. – 10:00 PM
Austin Krell @NBAKrellAm I losing my mind or did Marcus Smart just say, “This isn’t the Heat series” while mic’d up? Damn, dude. – 10:00 PM
Vivek Jacob @vivekmjacob“This isn’t the Heat series, we can’t start back. You have to start up, especially if they’re setting it so high.”
Marcus Smart pointing out a very clear difference in defending Heat vs Warriors screening action. – 9:59 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAThat was a VERY good mic’d up. Great stuff from Marcus Smart there. – 9:58 PM
Mike Prada @MikePradaNBANow that was a great mic’d up segment with Marcus Smart – 9:58 PM
Vivek Jacob @vivekmjacobmarcus smart with some heart and soul stuff rn – 9:55 PM
Nick Wright @getnickwrightApropos of nothing, @kevinwildes said Marcus Smart was the Steph Stopper and said Steph would score 23 points tonight. – 9:35 PM
Kurt Helin @basketballtalkIme Udoka should have put Stephen Curry in the scouting report. – 9:31 PM
Jeff Zillgitt @JeffZillgitt15 of first 25 shots in Game 1 Celtics-Warriors are 3-point attempts.
Steph Curry has three 3s, and Marcus Smart has 2. – 9:19 PM
Brian Geltzeiler @BGeltzNBAMarcus Smart is clearly expecting the screeners man to step out and help on ball screens for Curry and it’s clearly not happening – 9:19 PM
Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribeThink Curry might’ve seen all the talk about Marcus Smart’s defense? – 9:18 PM
Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbachMarcus Smart on pace to take 48 3-pointers. – 9:14 PM
Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin2 triples for Marcus Smart early. That’s a big sign for the Celtics. – 9:14 PM
Jason Dumas @JDumasReportsLet Marcus Smart fall in love with the three ball early. It will hurt Boston later. – 9:13 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBACeltics starters for NBA Finals Game 1:
Robert Williams
Al Horford
Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Marcus Smart
Warriors starters:
Kevon Looney
Draymond Green
Andrew Wiggins
Klay Thompson
Stephen Curry – 8:34 PM
Mark Medina @MarkG_MedinaCeltics coach Ime Udoka says that Marcus Smart will be “playing through pain,” but that’s he’s “good to go.” – 7:38 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBAIme Udoka said Robert Williams will start tonight. He can play however minutes are necessary, but that the Celtics will try to keep his minutes down to keep him around 20 minutes for his best impact. – 7:34 PM
A. Sherrod Blakely @ASherrodblakelyRobert Williams will start, said Ime Udoka. But as far as his usual minutes played, that’ll depend on the flow of the game. – 7:34 PM
Tim Bontemps @TimBontempsIme Udoka says Robert Williams will start and can play his normal allotment of minutes. – 7:33 PM
Jay King @ByJayKingIme Udoka said Robert Williams will start tonight, as he usually does. They will continue to be conscious of his minutes. – 7:32 PM
Mark Medina @MarkG_MedinaCeltics coach Ime Udoka said that Robert Williams III will start tonight in Game 1. Not clear how many minutes. – 7:32 PM
Mark Medina @MarkG_MedinaCeltics coach Ime Udoka on Jayson Tatum: “I never met a young at his age that takes care of his body the way he does.” – 7:31 PM
Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBAThe Celtics were 3 games under .500 on December 29th. Tonight, they play in the NBA Finals
Celtics HC Ime Udoka tells @TermineRadio & @Eddie Johnson how they turned it around
@Boston Celtics | #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/BUpHlTcMtm – 6:18 PM
Michael C. Wright @mikecwright“He’s great at holding guys accountable w/out belittling them, which is huge. That old-school stuff is kind of dead now. He is the new generation of coach. He’s got all the DNA to succeed.” – A current NBA assistant that worked with Ime Udoka in San Antonio & Philly. – 2:45 PM
StatMuse @statmuse11 of the 14 top scorers this Finals were drafted by their team.
Jayson Tatum
Steph Curry
Jaylen Brown
Klay Thompson
Jordan Poole
Andrew Wiggins*
Marcus Smart
Al Horford*
Grant Williams
Draymond Green
Derrick White*
Robert Williams
Jonathan Kuminga
Kevon Looney
Homegrown Bowl. pic.twitter.com/4jkTznGgSc – 9:30 AM
Matt Steinmetz @SteinmetzNBAIs Marcus Smart a better on-ball defender or off-ball defender? – 11:49 PM
Sam Amick @sam_amickNotes from Finals media day, w/ @Joe Vardon, at @TheAthletic
* The polar opposite paths the Celtics and Warriors took to get here
* The Ime Udoka effect
* The Gary Payton II experience
* Guillermo from the @JimmyKimmelLive show has an accomplice
theathletic.com/3345228/2022/0… – 10:52 PM
Connor Letourneau @Con_ChronI wrote on the Draymond Green-Marcus Smart dynamic, and why these Finals could help determine who’s the NBA’s best defender: sfchronicle.com/sports/warrior… – 9:32 PM
More on this storyline
Jared Weiss: Marcus Smart: “The ankle is a pretty serious injury. I’m thankful to let alone play and still be walking. It hurt, but my mama always told me if you’re gonna play, you can’t make no excuses.” -via Twitter @JaredWeissNBA / June 1, 2022 Marc J. Spears: “If I’m going to go out there, no matter how much pain I’m in, I can’t let it affect me,” Celtics guard Marcus Smart said about his ankle injury. -via Twitter @MarcJSpears / June 1, 2022 Jared Weiss: Ime Udoka says that Marcus Smart’s rolled ankle will improve over time, but Rob Williams knee will continue to make him day to day throughout the Finals due to the surgery recovery & the bone bruise form colliding with Giannis. Both will be questionable for Game 1 of the Finals. -via Twitter @JaredWeissNBA / June 1, 2022