BROOKLYN — Ime Udoka isn’t satisfied. After the Boston Celtics “suffocated” — a popular word around their defense lately — the Brooklyn Nets during an unprecedented 28-2 run to open their sixth straight victory earlier this month, he continued to stress the other side of the ball.
Udoka, process-oriented, wouldn’t identify a single turning point for the team on its way to 16 wins over its last 21 games before the break. The meltdown in New York last month, where he challenged the Celtics’ mental toughness, marked rock bottom, before a steady rise culminated in a wire-to-wire win across the Brooklyn Bridge, before more convincing wins over the Nuggets, Hawks and a near-50 piece of the 76ers.