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Ime Udoka on the Celtics’ starters: ‘I wouldn’t say it’s the most energetic group’
"How can we get them going as a unit and not everybody trying to get their own game going to start the game?"
Slow starts have plagued the Celtics for much of the year, and the problem has intensified over the past few weeks.
In a loss to the Brooklyn Nets in late November, Boston fell behind by nine in the first four minutes and never recovered. Against the Utah Jazz last Friday, the Celtics trailed by 13 through one, stormed back, and ended up losing by seven. On Wednesday, they found themselves in a 63-51 halftime deficit to the Los Angeles Clippers that they couldn’t quite overcome.
While the Nets and Jazz feature two of the most prolific offenses in basketball, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is still disappointed in his team’s execution.
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“When you look at our starting group, I wouldn’t say it’s the most energetic group, so how can we get them going as a unit and not everybody trying to get their own game going to start the game?” Udoka said to reporters.
Udoka said it’s clear the Celtics take pride in coming back once they get down, but he believes it shouldn’t get to that point as often as it has. He said he spoke to his players and encouraged them to get in the right headspace beforehand so the damage doesn’t escalate.
He’s previously called the team’s inconsistency and effort “frustrating at times.” They know the solution, and it’s simply about executing that plan.
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“We can keep ourselves out of a lot of those situations by coming out with the right mindset, with the right mind frame, from the start,” Udoka said.
Veteran Al Horford said he’s “not really sure” why the Celtics are starting so slowly, but he noted that Udoka has addressed it.
“Hopefully we’ll be better moving forward,” Horford said.
The Celtics, who have lost five of eight and are currently 13-13 overall, face the Phoenix Suns on Friday at 10 p.m.
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