“We are not running from people”- Ime Udoka warns fellow Nigerian Giannis ahead of 2nd round matchup

After sweeping the Brooklyn Nets in the first round, the Boston Celtics will now face the reigning NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference second round.

The matchup was confirmed after the Bucks closed out their first-round series against the Chicago Bulls with a 116-100 win in game five.

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Both of these teams are widely considered favourites to win the Eastern Conference but the Bucks more so because they have Giannis Antetokounmpo who is arguably the best player in the world right now.

But it appears Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is not fazed by the prospect of going against his compatriot. The 44-year-old former Nigerian international has been talking tough and displaying confidence ahead of his team’s biggest challenge.

“We are a basketball team, we are not a track team. We are not running from people” Udoka said speaking about his Celtics’ confidence going into the next round.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a six-time all-star, two-time MVP, reigning NBA champion and finals MVP, one-time defensive player of the year and quite possibly the best two-way player in the league right now.

But beyond pedigree, the ‘Greek Freak’ is a man in form, playing at the top of his game having averaged 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists in the regular season.

And he is clearly not slowing down in the playoffs, as the Greek-Nigerian blitzed past Chicago Bulls in the first round by leading his team to a 4-1 series win while averaging 28.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists on 56.8% shooting.

While Ime Udoka is right to not be afraid of the challenge ahead, these numbers would certainly have made him aware of just how much of a problem Giannis Antetokoumpo can pose.