'It stings that we didn't play to our potential' - Celtics rue missed opportunity in NBA Finals 2022

The Boston Celtics reflected on what could've been as they missed on an NBA championship after going up 2-1 in the NBA 2022 Finals at a point.

The Boston Celtics' Cinderella story ended two games before the ultimate prize. The Celtics, who were in 11th place in the Eastern Conference back in January, were a couple of games away from winning it all. Looking back at it, this Celtics will be seen as a successful one. However, right now, there is an understandable disappointment.

"It will hurt for a while. The pain will never go away. I'm proud of the overall year. We went through a lot. The foundation has been set," Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said after the loss in Game 6. The coach also discussed Jayson Tatum's performance in the Finals, who struggled against the Warriors' defence.

"One thing that he's [Tatum] always done throughout the season was seeing multiple different coverages and figured it out. He did that throughout the first few series. It was a rough one. A very consistent team did some things to limit him and make others pay. For him, it's just continuing to grow and understand that you will see this for the rest of your career. It is just a start," added Udoka.

Udoka praised Tatum's playmaking and worked ethic in his post-game presser. "The growth he showed as a playmaker this year, and in certain areas, I think this is the next step for him. Figuring that out, getting to where some of the veterans are that have seen everything and took their lumps early in their careers," he continued.

"Like I said, very motivated guy that works extremely hard, high IQ, intelligent guy that will learn from this and figure it out. I think it will propel him to go forward, definitely motivate him," concluded Udoka.

Celtics star Jaylen Brown also reflected on the Celtics' missed opportunity in the Finals, as his team was up 2-1 in the series with Game 4 at home. "I know that obviously, it was a game we felt like we could have won. It stings that we didn't play to our potential, but it is what it is. You've got to learn from it and move on. As tough as it is, it's been a great year and journey, it just wasn't our time," he reckoned.