Ime Udoka explains why he benched Grant Williams after the forward allowed a dunk by Bam Adebayo while complaining about a foul call, while also picking up his fourth foul.
Grant Williams got the start in the Boston Celtics' preseason finale vs. the Miami Heat, but a miscue in the third quarter earned him some time on the bench.
Williams argued with the officials after committing an offensive foul and while he was busy bickering, Heat big man Bam Adebayo was able to cruise to the hoop for the easy dunk. Celtics head coach Ime Udoka promptly removed the 22-year-old forward from the game after the sequence.
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Udoka was asked after the 121-100 loss why Williams was benched.
“Two reasons: him complaining but also, I think he picked up this fourth foul on that play if I remember correctly,” Udoka said. "But yeah, I mean, the main thing I’m telling him to get back and stop worrying about the referee. Your guy’s bringing it right behind you. So that was a part of it, but I think he did have this fourth foul as well.
"But, you know, just a learning moment and can’t get caught up in that. You got to play through it just like they did. They played with pace. When we cried about calls they were running out and got too many easy looks. Something, like I said, we’ve talked about early in camp and something I’m gonna keep hammering away on until we get to where we want to be.”
Another lesson for the C's as they prepare for Wednesday's regular-season opener vs. the New York Knicks. Between Marcus Smart being suspended for reportedly missing a team flight and Williams' benching, Udoka is setting the tone for the new campaign.
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C's-Knicks is set for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip-off at Madison Square Garden.