Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals lived up to the hype. The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors put on an epic show, which featured an inspiring Celtics comeback spurred on by a fiery speech from their head coach, Ime Udoka.
The Warriors surged to an early lead on the back of Steph Curry, who connected on a record-breaking six three-pointers in the first quarter. By the end of the third quarter, the Celtics were down, 92-80, and it looked to be a runaway. That’s when Udoka stepped in.
“You’re getting punked out there,” Udoka told Yahoo! Sports of his pre-fourth quarter speech. “They’re punking us right now. Is this the way you want to go out? This is not us. Let’s at least give ourselves a chance.”
Udoka’s message was heard loud and clear.
The Celtics stiffened up on defense, limiting the high-powered Warriors to just 16 points in the fourth quarter. But that wasn’t the entire story — their offense also turned it on. Boston lit up the scoreboard, dropping a 40-spot before the final horn sounded.
When all was said an done, the Celtics had erased a 12-point deficit and walked away with a 120-108 victory.
“It’s something we needed to hear,” Derrick White also told Yahoo! Sports. “We were challenged to toughen up and we did.”
Udoka and the now-confident Celtics will look to buck the odds once again on Sunday in Game 2 against the Warriors.
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