The last thing a team expects is to get booed in its home opener, but a 115 – 83 loss against a team that finished 12th in the Eastern Conference will bring on that type of reaction. The Boston Celtics did just that in a loss to the Toronto Raptors Friday night. Head coach Ime Udoka told reporters after the game that he hopes to use those boos as fuel.
“You don’t want to overreact and panic and we’re gonna stay together and keep our head up,” Udoka said. “But I said to use these boos as motivation. We deserved it the way we played and us coaches didn’t prepare them as well as we should have, understanding who Toronto is.”
Udoka focused on the Celtics’ excess of turnovers (25) and Toronto’s offensive rebounding (21 to the Celtics’ 10) as the main reasons for the loss.
This is every player on Boston’s roster to start the 2021-22 NBA season — and what they will earn in it. https://t.co/joZP9ndiqT
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 23, 2021