Exclusive: "We've been counted out all year; Rightfully so" - Boston Celtics' coach Ime Udoka on continuing to be resilient, stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown also open up on coach's methods to excel

Ime Udoka could have very easily lost his team and maybe even his job.

The Boston Celtics head coach got off to an awful start, and there were rumblings about the rookie head coach as the Celtics appeared to be headed nowhere.

Ime Udoka uses one specific word A LOT to motivate his Boston Celtics

Among the countless speeches and pep talks throughout the course of an NBA season, one key word was being said over and over again.

Resilient. Resilient. Resilient.

Celtics players heard it at practice, before games, during games, and after games.

Resilient. Resilient. Resilient.

In early January, the Celtics were three games under .500 and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. It was ugly.

Instead of tuning Ime Udoka out, they listened. The Celtics listened and they responded. The team finished February with a 9-2 record and stayed hot in March and April, finishing 15-4 during the final two months.

Ime Udoka became the first rookie head coach to win multiple Game 7s and clinched a spot in the NBA Finals.

He had their attention and they were listening. And well, that resilient mindset paid off yet again in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

“It just says what we've been doing all year. We've been counted out all year. Rightfully so. We've had moments. But we continue to fight. That's who we are,” Marcus Smart said. “I think over the last couple months, that's our identity. I think it stuck with us for a reason.”

Ime Udoka on the incredible 4th quarter takeover against Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of Finals

It was a microcosm of their entire season, as they came back to win in San Francisco with a brilliant 4th quarter in Game 1 of the Finals.

And take a wild guess at what Ime Udoka mentioned during his halftime speech?

Resilient.

“Yeah, we talked about it at halftime. We knew they were going to come out in the 3rd quarter, and they did. They came out great," Jaylen Brown said. “In those moments, once you realize that you allowed somebody to do something that you didn't want them to, once you realize that, you either can go two ways: you can let it snowball or you can play to the next play, figure things out. We just kept playing, kept figuring it out. We kept playing basketball and we found a way to win.”

No points for guessing what Ime Udoka told them before the start of the 4th quarter takeover. Yep - resilient.

“Yeah, that's kind of who we've been all year. Tough grinders, resilient group that we can always know we can rely on our defense to kind of buckle down when needed,” Udoka said about his message to the team and comeback. “Then we locked down again and played great in the fourth.”

How Ime Udoka challenged his star player Jayson Tatum

Udoka challenged his players, including Tatum. They would sit and watch countless hours of film as they looked to improve his game and become better as a team.

He challenged Jayson Tatum time and time again this season to raise his game, and among the talking points Udoka routinely made to Tatum was stressing to the young star to make quick decisions as he drew the majority of the focus from opposing teams.

“Yeah, I think that was kind of his message from day one, just to challenge me to be the best player that I can be and improve other areas of my game,” Tatum said of the impact the Celtics head coach has had on him this year. “So he's done a great job with challenging myself, just the group, in that aspect.”

Jaylen Brown on coach Udoka's help and how it improved his ball handling

Udoka also worked with Jaylen Brown, particularly with improving his ball handling ability. Udoka has talked to Brown from day one about becoming an elite ball handler.

“He's wanted to put the ball in my hands more so than at any other point in my career”, Brown said. “I've made leaps by getting that experience and things like that. Sometimes I make the wrong read. I'm human; I make mistakes. I feel like if you put the ball in my hands, more often than not I'm going to put ourselves in a good position to win.”

The ball-handling improvements paid dividends in the 4th quarter. Brown sparked their 17-0 run that helped Boston blow by Golden State on their own floor.

Passing and defense have been areas stressed all season. Udoka is all about the basics and fundamentals.

Direct ball, direct style of coaching to drive results

Udoka is very direct with his players and not worried about hurting their feelings.

“I've mentioned we don't really have a lot of sensitive guys. They get on each other. I've encouraged that, to not only come from the coaching staff but to come from amongst themselves. You can see that in every timeout and on the court and in the locker room, every time we come to a huddle or halftime, they are already talking things out before we get there. So that growth has been good for our group,” Udoka said.

The Celtics playing resilient basketball has allowed them to play confidently, which has been another key word thrown around all season.

Smart has been among the players stressing to teammates to stay confident.

If Boston is going to upset Golden State and win their first championship in more than a decade, they will need to be both resilient and confident.