Ime Udoka says Celtics lack mental toughness when under pressure after painful loss to Knicks

RJ Barrett’s three-pointer capped a 25-point comeback for the Knicks against the Celtics at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. This loss leaves the Celtics 18-21 for the season with the last time they went above the .500 in early December when they were in 13-12.

The loss made Boston only the second team this season to give up a 25-point lead, the other being their arch-rivals the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Celtics are in the habit of losing the last matches this season, have lost 16 of their 23 clutch competitions (score within 5 points in the last 5 minutes of the game). They are 11-5 otherwise.

“It’s the lack of mental toughness to fight through those adverse times,” Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said after the game. “But it was wide, a missed shot, a defensive mistake here.”

“People will be confused when it’s not the end of the world. You’re still 12 points ahead and you have to finish that race. You have to know the timing and score the points.”

These comments add to the team’s notable comments following a number of notable losses this season.

An important part of the Knicks’ return is thanks to the 21-3 runs for almost seven minutes to the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Celtics center Rob Williams, who finished with six points, nine rebounds and seven blocks, Totally agree with head coach.

“Honestly, I feel he is 100% right. We feel confused a lot, especially in the face of adversity. We have to find our own battles to get together. “

This game is the fourth time Boston has led by 19 points or more and lost this season, That’s the most of any team this season with the next best game two games.

“I think we had a moment of confusion when you could have stopped it at 6-0, but instead you let it roll,” added Udoka.

It is the offense that is troubling the team. Overall, their attack rating ranks them at 22nd in the tournament while their defense is seventh and in relation, offense ranked 23rd in the league.

Although Boston will have the opportunity to play the Knicks at home in the next few days, they face a tougher problem than their opponents – overcoming pressure.

This adversity will surely determine their season. Over the course of the season, they will either learn to fix these problems or continue to fall short when pumped and not reaching their true potential in their roster.