The Boston Celtics lost 107-88 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, and Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was not pleased with how his team took care of the basketball.
After the game, Udoka was asked by reporters about the impact Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green had on Boston’s offense. Udoka cited turnovers as a main reason why the Warriors were able to even up the series, rather than anything Green was able to do specifically.
“That’s one player. He can only guard one person at a time,” Udoka said of Green. “It wasn’t just him.
“We had 11 turnovers for 18 points in the first half. They had nine steals. We weren’t strong with the ball overall. [We were] searching for fouls instead of going up and making plays, especially with their lack of rim protection. For us, that was a little disappointing to give up 33 points off of 19 turnovers. When that happens, we’re in trouble.”
"That's one player. He can only guard one person at a time… it wasn't just him"
Ime Udoka on Draymond Green's impact pic.twitter.com/grvUCBaTnx
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 6, 2022
Celtics star Jayson Tatum echoed similar sentiments.
"Obviously we know what Draymond brings to the game… but we have to take better care of the ball"
Jayson Tatum on Draymond Green & Celtics turnovers pic.twitter.com/9WQo8HqyX7
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 6, 2022
As Udoka said, the Warriors had the clear advantage in turnovers and steals. At the end of the night, Boston had 19 turnovers to Golden State’s 12, and had five steals to the Warriors’ 15. The Celtics only scored 15 points off of Golden State’s turnovers.
To add to Udoka’s frustration, the Celtics’ offense went cold after the first quarter.
Boston shot 37.5 percent from the field compared to 45.3 percent for the Warriors. After scoring 30 points in the first quarter, the Celtics scored a combined 34 points in the following two quarters, including 14 points in the third. Steph Curry led both teams with 29 points, including five 3-pointers.
It wasn’t all bad for the Celtics, however. Tatum rebounded nicely from a poor Game 1 performance, scoring 28 points (21 in the first half). He joined some elite Celtics company in the process.
The Celtics will need to take better care of the ball in order to protect home court advantage in Game 3 on Wednesday in Boston.
