Ime Udoka recently shared some advice with Jayson Tatum that could save the Celtics' season.
On the heels of Boston's gritty 117-103 win over the Bucks Monday at the TD Garden, Udoka told reporters he relayed the same message to the Celtics' rising star that he delivered to Kawhi Leonard years ago with the Spurs: don't treat your opponents with reverence.
"I told him, 'These guys aren't your older brother, don't treat them like that,' and he took it to heart,'" Udoka said, via the Globe. "It's across the board. Our group, we know what we have to do to be effective, and if my guys know me I'm the most competitive guy and I want to see that reflect on you guys. They took the tape to heart and bounced back."
That advice appeared to resonate with Leonard, who went toe-to-toe with LeBron James during the 2014 and 2015 NBA Finals. On Monday, Tatum responded with a season-high 42 points against the Bucks. After falling behind by 12 points, the Celtics dominated the Bucks for the final three quarters, and displayed some physicality as well. Forward Grant Williams clashed with Bobby Portis in the third quarter, earning a technical foul.
Under those circumstances, it was OK. The scrap showed the Celtics have some fight.
That's what the Celtics lacked on the West Coast, where they lost three of four games, including embarrassing contests to the undermanned Clippers and Suns. They battled Monday. Tatum put the Bucks away with consecutive 3s late in the fourth quarter.
While there have been warranted concerns about Tatum's seeing laissez-faire attitude, he was fully engaged for Monday's big matchup. Late in the fourth, he was spotted engaging in a heated debate with Dennis Schroder after Tatum had lost the ball during a fast break. It's the kind of verbal tussle that occasionally happens between teammates when tensions are running high.
Speaking of teammates, Jaylen Brown returned to the lineup after missing five games with a tight hamstring and added 19 points. With Brown and more tenacity, maybe this won't be a lost season after all.
