Ime Udoka believes Celtics have chance to create ‘better story’ after Game 6 bounceback win over Bucks

MILWAUKEE — After the Celtics blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 5, the team knew they would have a tall task on their hands to survive an elimination game against the Milwaukee Bucks on the road. However, Ime Udoka exuded confidence in the lead up to Game 6, believing the tough path for the team would make the victory even sweeter at the end, if they could pull off the dramatic win.

The Celtics carried that mentality in Game 6, holding off a furious Bucks rally behind 11 straight fourth quarter points from Jayson Tatum to help earn the 108-95 victory.

The Celtics led by as many as 18 points in the second half and 14 points in the fourth quarter before the potential for another collapse unfolded. The Bucks trimmed Boston’s lead down to four points with seven minutes remaining in the game but this time around, the visitors were ready with a counterpunch to slow the Bucks rally. Tatum erupted with his shotmaking before Jaylen Brown (22 points) and Marcus Smart (21 points) helped to get Boston to the finish line in the must-win.

“We had the right resolve,” Udoka said. “We talked about it after that game. Let an opportunity slip away but we still have a chance to make it a better story. We felt good going into it because we played so well for 3-and-a-half quarters. Everybody’s, like I said, pissed before the game. I said everybody was pissed about the outcome, but we knew how well we played throughout the series and let some things slip away. Never any doubt or hangover from that game. We put it to bed the next day and look forward to getting it back to the Garden.”

Boston had more than their fair share of tough collapses and blown leads in the first half of the year but those tough experiences paid off according to Udoka.

“I think it’s benefited us,” Udoka said. “We grew a tremendous amount early in the season due to our struggles. Went on a stretch of winning a bunch of games by 20-plus, but had some tests late in the year that were good for us. And understood that playoffs are coming and those were going to be important for us to go through some tight games that we won late in the year. We kind of run the gamut on every situation, winning and losing, and I think that’s benefited us as coaches to understand our team and what we want to look for. But also put our guys in a high-pressure situations.”

It was the first win in a road elimination game for the Celtics since the 2012-13 season when Boston beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in Game 5. They went on to lose that first round series in six games but the Celtics will have a chance to close out the Bucks on their home floor in Game 7.

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