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Head Coach Ime Udoka Gets Real About The Boston Celtics: “We Need Some Leadership”

The Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks squared off on Thursday night, with the Celtics being unable to hold on to their 25-point lead, losing to the Knicks by a score of 105-108 over a buzzer beater from RJ Barrett.

The embarrassing collapse was such a familiar trend for the Boston squad, as it was the fourth time they have blown a 19+point lead this season – the most by any team within this criteria. The Celtics are now the 11^th seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 18 wins and 21 losses.

The Celtics have been a big disappointment, and their recent collapse was just another testament to their dreadful performance throughout this season. Following the loss to the Knicks, head coach Ime Udoka got brutally honest on their struggles and concerns this season.

“It’s a lack of mental toughness to fight through those adverse times,” he told reporters. “But it’s across the board, a missed shot, a defensive mistake here.”

He was also asked how to fix the mental-toughness concerns and said: “It’s guys getting rattled when it’s not the end of the world. You still got a 12-point lead and you gotta end that run. You got to know time and score.”

Ime Udoka: “Repetitive result… we need some leadership. Somebody that can calm us down and not get rattled when everything starts to go a little south” pic.twitter.com/NL8b2t8j7S

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 7, 2022