USATSI_18469447 — Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Ime Udoka on Third-Quarter Technical in Game 2 of NBA Finals: 'I just let them know how I felt throughout the game'

Feeling like the officiating favored the Warriors, Celtics' head coach Ime Udoka intentionally picked up a technical in the third quarter.

Author:
Bobby Krivitsky
Jun 5, 2022 11:56 PM EDT

While there wasn't much of a free-throw discrepancy between the Celtics and Warriors in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, with the former taking 17 compared to 20 by the latter, the way the officials adjudicated the matchup frustrated Boston throughout Sunday's loss.

USATSI_18468925 — Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

It bothered the Celtics to the point that in the third quarter, Ime Udoka intentionally picked up a technical while expressing he felt the game wasn't getting called the same way for both teams.

"I just let them know how I felt throughout the game in a demonstrative way, on purpose, to get a technical," Udoka said after Boston's 107-88 loss.

When asked for his reaction to his head coach stating his technical was intentional, Al Horford responded: "I can imagine. I can imagine. I could see that coming a mile away. That whole first half, it was definitely, it was definitely, um, different."

Horford, who finished with two points, eight rebounds, and one assist, not attempting a single three after scoring a game-high 26 points and shooting 6/8 from beyond the arc in the series opener, added: "It is what it is. On to Game 3, and I can't wait to get to the Garden. I know it's going to be rocking on Wednesday."

USATSI_18467636 — Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Jaylen Brown, who registered 17 points and six rebounds but only scored four points after producing 13 in the first frame before getting into foul trouble, conveyed: "We try not to get too involved with the officiating. We just want to come out and play basketball and let that decide where it goes.

But obviously, on their home floor, it's some home cooking. So, we've just got to come out and raise our level of intensity. They raised there's, and we kind of were looking around, expecting for somebody to bail us out, and on their home floor, that's not going to happen. So, we've got to raise ours, ain't really no excuses about it, we've just got to be better."