BOSTON — On Sunday, less than two days after a disastrous 1-4 road trip, Ime Udoka rallied the Celtics in a dark room at Boston’s practice facility and put them through their lives all over again. All from that. Five games. Over 100 clips. Bad defense. worse offense. Donovan Mitchell rains threesomes. Russell Westbrook bows to the rim after unhindered rides. “It was an animated film session,” says Udoka. Jayson Tatum says, “This was exactly what we needed. It wasn’t time to sugarcoat anything.”
It was Boston 117, Milwaukee 103 on Monday, and whether it was the film session, the home court, or the return of All-Star Jaylen Brown, the Celtics showed up. Tatum scored 42 points in a recent scoring binge. Marcus Smart, singed for his poor shooting this season, dished out 11 assists. Brown, who missed two weeks with a hamstring injury, chipped 19.
The offense clicked.
The defense buzzed.
Milwaukee, winners of 12 of their last 14 starting Monday night, is doing well.
The Celtics were better.
Maybe this will be a springboard for Boston. A third into the season, the Celtics are something of a mystery. There were good moments. An early November swing through Florida overshadowed by a punch from Miami. A three-game winning streak highlighted by a blowout win over the Lakers. There were just as many bad ones. A disastrous fourth quarter against Chicago. Lackluster display against Toronto, San Antonio and Phoenix. They were as predictable as a New England winter.
but why? Statistically, the Celtics are a good defensive team. Smart is an elite perimeter defender. Robert Williams III is a great shot blocker. Brown, Al Horford and Jason Richardson get into you. Tatum is also significantly improved. But they get bitten. A a lot of. The Bulls gave Boston 39 points in the fourth quarter. The Jazz drilled the Celtics for 137. They gave up 114 points to a Clippers team that played without Paul George. They were bowled by a Suns team playing without Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton.
“Terrible” was how Udoka described the defense after a recent loss to the Lakers. And he was right. But why? Udoka’s plans are different from those of Brad Stevens, the ex-coach who moved to the front. Udoka incorporated a switch-heavy defense into a two-big lineup. All too often, however, effort and execution have plagued them.
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Then there are games like Milwaukee where it comes together. The Bucks drove into TD Garden on a top 10 offense. Against the Celtics, they shot 44.4% from the floor and 30.6% from three. Giannis Antetokounmpo was held at 20 points. Khris Middleton was limited to four. Pat Connaughton, a native of Boston, was the only player from Bucks bench to make a significant impact.
“Tonight we’re back where we were,” says Udoka.
Grant Williams says, “Tonight was about returning to our identity as the best defensive team in the league.”
The offensive battles were more predictable. Brown has missed half the season with a string of complaints. Smart is still finding its way as the primary playmaker. Boston’s recent first-round picks — Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard — were mostly benched. As a team, the Celtics rank in the bottom third of the league in offense, three-point shooting and assists.
Even Tatum’s efficiency has dropped. Udoka has been pushing Tatum to strengthen his competitive advantage. He warned Tatum that sometimes he treats opponents with too much respect. He has reminded Tatum of the things he said to Kawhi Leonard when Leonard was a young player at San Antonio. Tatum, Udoka says, has a habit of “overrespecting guys sometimes.” His message to Tatum: “These guys are not your older brother. Don’t treat her like that.”
On Monday, Tatum did not. He was 16-25 off the ground. He was 7-13 from beyond the three-point line. He had five rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Celtics dished out 31 assists — eight above their season average. Brown’s return seemed to open the floor for Tatum. “You can’t double us both,” Brown says. Udoka’s words of encouragement seemed to have stuck.
“You want to respect everyone in the game,” Tatum said, “but you know, go out there and shape it and be who you’re meant to be, and that’s basically what he advocated for me to do.”
So are these the real Celtics? Maybe. As quickly as Boston’s confidence was restored by a win over Giannis & Co., Stephen Curry and the Warriors were able to take it in town on Friday. As fluid as the ball moved against Milwaukee, the stagnant offense that has plagued the team this season could be making a return. The Celtics celebrated Brown’s return on Monday, but that may have only temporarily silenced the chorus of critics who say Brown and Tatum aren’t a long-term match.
When asked how the team could bottle Monday’s success, Brown said it needs to be forgotten.
“It’s short-term memory,” Brown. “It’s just a game. Obviously we are coming back from a difficult phase. We just have to take care of business and take it one game at a time and just get back to playing real basketball and moving in the right direction.
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