Ime Udoka on Grant Williams: I told him to let it fly

Jay King: Ime Udoka said he told Grant Williams the Bucks were disrespecting him more than they did earlier in the series: “I told him to let it fly.”
Source: Twitter @ByJayKing

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Grant Williams, hot-shooting Celtics blow out Bucks to win Game 7 nba.nbcsports.com/2022/05/15/gra… – 7:09 PM Tom Westerholm @Tom_NBA
Ime Udoka: “This is what we played for, why we played the season out, to have home court advantage in a Game 7. If you believe in the basketball gods, those things matter.” – 7:08 PM Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Grant Williams on facing the Heat in the East finals for the second time in three seasons: “It’s just going to be exciting to be able to kind of run it back against them with fans in the arenas.” – 7:07 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Grant Williams: “We knew we were going to persevere. We’re a group that accepts adversity…We haven’t put a full game together this whole series, so we said why not now?” – 6:54 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Grant Williams: “We knew we were going to persevere.” – 6:53 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
New from @SouichiTerada and I: Ime Udoka had some key words for Grant Williams after the Bucks ‘disrespected’ him with their defensive coverage in Game 7 masslive.com/celtics/2022/0… – 6:53 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Grant Williams on keeping his confidence after a couple of early misses: “It’s tough to get in your head when your entire team keeps telling you to let it fly.” – 6:52 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Ime Udoka on the Celtics making good on their dominant second half of the season:
“We are not a fluke.” – 6:46 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka on the Celtics crowd: “I knew it was loud in here, but I’ve never heard it until tonight. I get locked in on the floor. But you look around and see everyone standing and cheering. That was the first time I really felt it in this series.” – 6:45 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka on his message to the team before Game 7: “Just have a full game. Not a half. Not three quarters. Just put a whole game together.” – 6:44 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Ime Udoka on Boston Game 7 crowd: “I knew it was loud in here, but I’ve never heard it til I was here tonight. You look around the crowd and see everybody standing and that was the first time I really felt it in this series.” – 6:44 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Ime Udoka says he’s so zoned into the game… “everybody talks about how loud it’s been in here and I never heard it until tonight.” – 6:43 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka on where the Celtics are: “Our proof is in our record in the second half of the season. We are not a fluke.” – 6:43 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Ime Udoka’s message to his team for Game 7: “Just have a full game. Not a half, not three quarters, just put a whole game together and we thought this could be a result.” – 6:42 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Ime Udoka: “This is why we played our season out, to have home-court advantage in a Game 7…If you believe in the basketball Gods, those things matter.” – 6:41 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka on having Game 7 at home: “This is why we played our season out, to have home-court advantage in Game 7. If you believe in the Basketball Gods, those things matter.” – 6:40 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Ime Udoka on beating Bucks in Game 7 with having the game at home: “If you believe in the basketball gods, those things matter.” – 6:39 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Grant Williams shot 41.1% on threes this season.
He shot 46.8% on corner threes this season.
The Bucks dared him to beat them, and he did. As he beat many others all season long. – 6:39 PM Ben Rohrbach @brohrbach
Ime Udoka notes that Grant Williams broke Stephen Curry’s record for 3-point attempts in a Game 7.
“Two Charlotte shooters,” he jokes. – 6:35 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka on what it’s like to go against Giannis: “Hard.” – 6:35 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
What did Ime Udoka tell Grant Williams when he started to doubt his shot?
“They’re disrespecting you more tonight than earlier in the series. I basically said shoot the ball and … what else CAN you do?”
Udoka proudly said Grant broke Curry’s record: “2 Charlotte shooters.” – 6:35 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka: We felt we were very close to having a good game offensively. It was nice to save the best for last.” – 6:35 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Ime Udoka: “We felt we were very close to having a good game offensively…it was nice to save the best for last.” – 6:34 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka: “Grant broke Steph Curry’s record for a Game 7. Two Charlotte shooters and Grant’s gonna make sure everyone knows it too.” – 6:34 PM Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
Ime Udoka on what he told Grant Williams:
“I told him let it fly. They’re disrespecting you tonight more than earlier in the series” – 6:33 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Ime Udoka said he told Grant Williams the Bucks were disrespecting him more than they did earlier in the series: “I told him to let it fly.” – 6:33 PM Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
Udoka on Grant Williams: “I told him ‘Let it fly. They’re disrespecting you more tonight than earlier in the series.'” – 6:33 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka on what he told Grant Williams: “Let it fly. I told him they were disrespecting him more than at any other point in the series.” – 6:33 PM Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
Grant Williams today:
27 PTS
6 REB
7-18 3P
Williams set or tied NBA Game 7 records for 3P made (tied) and attempted.
He also tied the @Boston Celtics postseason record for most 3P attempted in a game. pic.twitter.com/UcXxEVV7Kr – 6:31 PM

David MacKay @DavidMacKayNBA
Huge congratulations to Boston Celtics Head Coach Ime Udoka for taking his team to the ECF. He continues to do a phenomenal job this year, is an exemplary human being, and any team would be lucky to have his leadership.. – 6:27 PM Kevin O’Connor @KevinOConnorNBA
Grant Williams is officially one of the greatest steals of the 2019 draft. He fell to 22nd. Finished Game 7 with 27 points with amazing defense all series on Giannis, the best player in the world. Where do you think he goes in a re-draft? pic.twitter.com/xWpkxqfgy1 – 6:18 PM

Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
Radio Roulette special daytime Game 7 edition is LIVE @UnderdogFantasy
– Best Team vs. Best Player
– Grant Williams historic performance
– Giannis goes down swinging
– Middleton
– Depth
– Looking ahead to ECF
Talking about it all right now, join us!
youtube.com/watch?v=NVWMEM… – 6:14 PM Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
There will be a new NBA champion. The Boston Celtics will play the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Celtics forward Grant Williams has career-highs 27 points and seven 3-pointers. bit.ly/3dWC2jN @andscape – 6:12 PM Ben Golliver @BenGolliver
Game 7
– Bucks: 4-33 three-point shooting
– Celtics’ Grant Williams: 7-18 three point shooting – 6:12 PM Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops
Ime Udoka deserves a TON of credit. Has done one hell of a coaching job with this group. – 6:12 PM Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_
A wild series ends with Grant Williams outscoring Giannis in a Game 7.
Eastern Conference finals start Tuesday night in Miami. – 6:11 PM Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
Grant Williams had a career day to help the Celtics beat the Bucks in Game 7:
27 points
8 rebounds
7 threes
2 blocks
+25
@Grant Williams tied the NBA record for most made threes in a Game 7. pic.twitter.com/hcMgyEa8I0 – 6:11 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
109-81 Celtics win and they’re off to Miami for the Eastern Conference Finals. Grant Williams with a game-high 27 points as he ties the record for 3s in a Game 7, while the Celtics broke the record for 3s as a team. Dominant performance to end an electric series. – 6:10 PM Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Ime Udoka was on the Nets bench last year when the Nets came within an inch of sending the Bucks home in Game 7 of the conference semis. Today he made sure it never came that close. Congrats to him. – 6:10 PM Paul Garcia @PaulGarciaNBA
Former Spurs assistant coach Ime Udoka is headed to the Eastern Conference Finals in his first season as Head Coach of the Celtics.
Derrick White began this season in San Antonio and was traded to Boston in February. He’s headed to the ECF too – 6:07 PM Michael Lee @MrMichaelLee
Ime Udoka solved Kevin Durant & Giannis Antetokounmpo in his first postseason as a NBA head coach. I don’t care what happens in the conference finals, give that man his props – & a raise – off that…Just have to figure out why he wears a mask on his chin all game – 6:06 PM StatMuse @statmuse
Grant Williams career-high day:
27 PTS
7 3PM
18 3PA
That’s the most three-point makes and attempts ever in a Game 7. pic.twitter.com/6qvbxmT4CT – 6:05 PM

StatMuse @statmuse
Points in Game 7:
27 — Grant Williams
25 — Giannis Antetokounmpo pic.twitter.com/STya75h7rm – 6:05 PM

Cayleigh Griffin @cayleighgriffin
A hat tip to the Celtics, and especially to Ime Udoka. There were doubters early on but he’s got his group hooping, – and more importantly – connected, on both ends of the floor. The East Finals are going to be 🔥 – 6:04 PM Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
Grant Williams has taken 18 3-pointers in a Game 7 this is a true tweet – 6:01 PM Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
somebody should take a dosimeter reading of Grant Williams before this game ends. – 6:00 PM Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
Wow, Grant Williams’ 7 threes are tied for the most in a Game 7 in NBA history?! That’s what the broadcast just said. – 5:56 PM Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Milwaukee fans thinking about Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard 3-pointers all summer pic.twitter.com/mLNmMQybWz – 5:56 PM

The Ringer @ringernba
*sees Grant Williams has 25 points with 7 3s in a Game 7 against the defending champs*
Is Grant Williams one of the greatest Celtic ever? pic.twitter.com/uvCqMxmxxc – 5:54 PM Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Payton Pritchard and Grant Williams have hit 11 3s combined; the Bucks have 4 3s as a whole damn team. – 5:54 PM Tony Jones @Tjonesonthenba
You simply can’t account for role player variance that sees Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard making 11 threes between them – 5:53 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Grant Williams has passed Steph Curry for the NBA record for 3-point attempts in a Game 7 with 16 shots, per @Stathead. He’s 7/16 tonight with a game-high 25 points. – 5:50 PM Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
Ime Udoka will be the third guy since 2016 to leave an assistant gig on the Sixers’ bench and make a conference finals in the first two years of their head coaching gig – 5:48 PM Eric Koreen @ekoreen
Props to Ime Udoka: His role players coming through, pushing the lead while Tatum was out, constricting the defence as the shots continued to miss. Well-coached team. – 5:48 PM Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
Grant Williams was 2 for 14 from 3 over the last four games of this series and had begun to turn down open looks. What a bounce-back. – 5:48 PM Ryan Blackburn @NBABlackburn
The Nuggets salary dumped the 27th overall pick in the 2019 draft to trade Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur to the Brooklyn Nets.
20-30 of that draft:
20. Thybulle
21. Brandon Clarke
22. Grant Williams
28. Jordan Poole
29. Keldon Johnson
Willingness to pay tax is important. – 5:47 PM Synergy Sports Tech @SynergySST
Grant Williams has shot an eFG% of 73% on unguarded catch and shoot jumpers within the Celtics’ half court offense this season. – 5:47 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka on Sunday April 10 when the Celtics clinched the two-seed: “We don’t run from anyone. We just play our game and let the chips fall where they may.” – 5:47 PM Rylan Stiles @Rylan_Stiles
I could see Aaron Wiggins maturing into a Grant Williams role as long as his three point shot continues to come around. – 5:47 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Grant Williams’ extension talks this offseason are getting a lot more interesting – 5:46 PM Malika Andrews @malika_andrews
Take a bow, Grant Williams. On the biggest stage, no less. – 5:46 PM Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
Grant Williams is having a career-best performance so far in Game 7:
25 points
7 threes (on 43.8% shooting)
4 rebounds
+23
Milwaukee is daring him to shoot and he’s making them pay. pic.twitter.com/8CZ3yCcOYH – 5:46 PM

Dave Mason @DeuceMason
Grant Williams: 7-16 from 3
Milwaukee: 4-25 from 3 – 5:46 PM Rosalyn Gold-Onwude @ROSGO21
Who have been some of your favorite high impact role players of the playoffs so far?
Grant Williams today…
Kevin Looney… – 5:45 PM Scott Kushner @ScottDKushner
If I had a nickel for every time I drunkenly yelled at a Pelicans staffer to draft Grant Williams in Summer of 2019, I could buy a very modest house in an undesirable area. – 5:45 PM Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Players with 7+ three-pointers and 25+ points in a Game 7 in NBA history:
Steph Curry (twice)
Grant Williams
-end of list- – 5:45 PM The Ringer @ringernba
Grant Williams right now pic.twitter.com/lwvLK43R6e – 5:44 PM

StatMuse @statmuse
Grant Williams vs the Bucks drop defense pic.twitter.com/KVe4qoysbP – 5:43 PM

Eric Koreen @ekoreen
Who is ready for the four-year, $100-million Grant Williams extension? – 5:43 PM Spencer Percy @QCHspencer
Grant Williams, making NBA draft nerds everywhere very proud. – 5:42 PM Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie
This might be the biggest Grant Williams game of his career, but it won’t be the last big game of his career. Just such a killer defender both on ball and positionally off the ball. And the shooting is real now. Everything you want from a playoff role player. – 5:42 PM Mike Lynch @SportInfo247
Grant Williams has tied the all time record for 3s in a game 7 and set the record for attempts. There’s 11 minutes left! – 5:42 PM Christos Tsaltas @Tsaltas46
2017 was Kelly Olynyk in Game 7 vs Wizards
2022 is Grant Williams in Game 7 vs Bucks
Celtics have the way to find heroes in crunch time #BleedGreen – 5:42 PM Jason Dumas @JDumasReports
Grant Williams got a ratchet. Shout-out Lethal Shooter. – 5:41 PM Mike Lynch @SportInfo247
Grant Williams, who has never attempted more than 9 3s in a game before today, has attempted 15 through 3 quarters.
That ties Steph Curry for most in any Game 7 ever
He’s one make away from matching the record as well – 5:39 PM Zach Kram @zachkram
The record for most 3-point attempts in a Game 7 is 15, from Steph Curry. Grant Williams is currently at 15 before the end of the third quarter. – 5:35 PM Tom Haberstroh @tomhaberstroh
Career-high 3-pointers In A Playoff Game
Grant Williams … 6
Larry Bird ………. 5 – 5:33 PM Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
Grant Williams has a game-high 22 points on 8-of-16 FG (6-of-13 3PT), just as we all expected. – 5:31 PM Abby Chin @tvabby
The Grant Williams Game – 5:31 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
The Bucks dared Grant Williams to beat them. After some early struggles, he has been up to the challenge. – 5:31 PM Adi Joseph @AdiJoseph
I thought Grant Williams should have been a lottery pick in 2019, and I think of him when I consider EJ Liddell in 2022. – 5:26 PM Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
Grant Williams dropping weight and transforming his 3-point shot has not only made a huge difference for him but has unlocked so many things for this Celtics team with him as a small ball four. – 5:21 PM Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwill
It didn’t feel like Bud adjusted when Tatum started running wild. And now letting Grant Williams catch fire is backfiring – 5:21 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
One aspect of the White-for-Tatum sub there: Lopez slides over to guard White instead of Grant Williams. Now the Bucks can switch actions with Williams and take away some of the easy looks the Celtics knew they could get. – 5:20 PM Jim Owczarski @JimOwczarski
Grant Williams is now 5-for-12 from three.
The #Celtics have made 13 of their 31 attempts.
#Bucks still sitting on … three made threes. – 5:20 PM Sharife Cooper @SharifeCooper
i rocks wit grant williams ! 💪🏽 – 5:19 PM Eric Nehm @eric_nehm
I’m not sure what Grant Williams’ career-high is for 3-point attempts in a game. But he might hit it today. – 5:19 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Grant Williams is 5-12 from deep – 5:19 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Grant Williams has already taken more 3-pointers today than he ever had in a game before. His season high in attempts was eight. He’s 4 for 11 here today. They’re really daring him to shoot. – 5:13 PM Andrew Lopez @_Andrew_Lopez
Grant Williams had never taken more than 8 3s in a game before this series.
He was 6/9 in Game 2.
He’s 4/10 in Game 3 and we still have 20+ mins left.
Bucks are leaving him open and daring him to shoot. – 5:12 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Grant Williams has matched his career-high with nine three-point attempts. He also took nine in Game 2 of this series. – 5:10 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Celtics started the game churning wide open corner 3s on drive and kicks and hardly anything fell. They open the second burying them and open up a 12-point lead. Grant Williams finally shooting his way out of a slump. – 5:07 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Grant Williams may have shot his way through it. – 5:05 PM Michael Pina @MichaelVPina
that’s the second time an announcer has called grant williams “grant hill” in this series. fair comp imo – 5:04 PM Eric Nehm @eric_nehm
It looked like the Celtics’ replay coaches gave Ime Udoka a few shrugs when he asked if they should challenge, but he went for it anyways.
It would be Jayson Tatum’s third personal foul, if it stands as called, with 33.3 seconds left in the first half. – 4:45 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Grant Williams and Derrick White have combined to take 16 of the Celtics’ 39 shots. They are just 3 for 16. The Bucks defensive strategy is looking very smart right now. – 4:37 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Ime Udoka may have to go back to Pritchard over White if he’s not going to take those shots. – 4:37 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
The Bucks are guarding Grant Williams like he’s still the bum shooter he was as a rookie. And he’s not making them pay. He’s just 2 for 7 from behind the arc, all on wide open looks. Udoka just took him out to go small. – 4:35 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Rare we see a team completely bet on a role player to keep launching uncontested threes when he’s this wide open, but Celtics are pushing Grant Williams to take them. Bucks are winning this gamble for now as he’s just 2/7. We’ll see if it changes when he comes back in the game. – 4:34 PM Alan Hahn @alanhahn
Grant Williams in the coffin corner right now – 4:34 PM Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwill
Good play call from Udoka. Grant Williams passed up 3’s the last two possessions, Udoka drew that up for him to be confident – 4:33 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Ime Udoka was not happy after that 7-0 run. He called the timeout and Smart was the one who started talking to the team first, then Ime came in with some words of his own before going off to draw up a play. – 4:32 PM Eric Nehm @eric_nehm
Big answer from the Bucks there.
Celtics grabbed the 32-30 lead and then the Bucks calmly rattled off a 7-0 run. Timeout to Ime Udoka. Bucks up, 37-32, with 6:03 left in the first half. – 4:29 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Grant Williams has really taken the next step as a flopper in this series. Pushing his game to the next level, just as Ime asked for. – 4:29 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
The Bucks have been daring the Celtics’ supporting cast to shoot, so Ime Udoka puts his all-shooters lineup on the court: Pritchard, Brown, Tatum, Williams, Horford. Budenholzer immediately takes Lopez, who has been great, out of the game. – 4:16 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Brook Lopez guarding Derrick White is fun, though not for the Celtics so far. White 0 for 2 on 3-pointers so far. The Bucks have really dared him and Grant Williams to shoot. Williams has been knockdown all season, but Game 7s have a way of testing your confidence. – 3:56 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Grant Williams is 3-of-17 from 3-point range since Game 3. – 3:52 PM Abby Chin @tvabby
Ime Udoka is heated. Still letting Kane Fitzgerald hear it while Giannis takes his time stepping to the line.
Also, ball don’t lie. – 3:47 PM Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Grant Williams gonna need a defibrillator by the time this game is over. – 3:47 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
A lot of Grant Williams early here. – 3:45 PM Eric Nehm @eric_nehm
Bucks dared Grant Williams to take a 3 and he hit it on the Celtics’ first offensive possession for the game’s first points. – 3:43 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics starters for Game 7:
Al Horford
Grant Williams
Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Marcus Smart
Bucks starters:
Brook Lopez
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Wesley Matthews
Grayson Allen
Jrue Holiday – 3:12 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
New: A look at why Grant Williams is getting the start in Game 7 despite Rob Williams being cleared to play and what Williams’ role could be today masslive.com/celtics/2022/0… – 2:13 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Mike Budenholzer said he’s “beyond impressed” by Ime Udoka, the Celtics coaching staff and the Celtics players.
“In that sense there’s just an incredibly high level of respect.” – 2:07 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Ime Udoka on his mentality entering Game 7: “Honestly it’s no different than Game 1.” – 1:53 PM Andrew Lopez @_Andrew_Lopez
Ime Udoka says Robert Williams III is available to play in Game 7.
Has missed the last three games with left knee soreness.
He will not start. Grant Williams will continue to start in his place. – 1:53 PM Jim Owczarski @JimOwczarski
#Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said Robert Williams III is available to play. He will not start and they will “use him if needed.”
Boston will keep the rotations they’ve used in these games he has been out. – 1:52 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Grant Williams will still start with Rob Williams available. – 1:51 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Rob Williams will be active for Game 7 today per Ime Udoka – 1:51 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Rob Williams is available for Game 7 per Ime Udoka – 1:51 PM

More on this storyline

Eric Nehm: Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer on the verge of tears in his post-game presser as he describes how proud he is of his team for playing hard and competing until the end this season. Mentions how the loss doesn’t change how much he loves them and how proud he is of them. -via Twitter @eric_nehm / May 15, 2022 Marc J. Spears: “I thought about it all day. All night. That’s ho w it is. I’m not going to tell you I was able to go into my backyard and prune. That didn’t happen,” Suns head coach Monty Williams about his Game 7 nerves. -via Twitter @MarcJSpears / May 15, 2022 Gerald Bourguet: Monty Williams on the Suns’ approach to Game 7 today: “For me it’s like, do what we do no matter where we are.” Said they’ve obviously made adjustments, but today is all about playing hard, executing and not overthinking -via Twitter @GeraldBourguet / May 15, 2022