Celtics feeling the sting of defeat, but believe their future is bright

BOSTON (CBS) -- The Celtics know they blew a shot at a championship. They know that they did it to themselves.

"It's going to hurt, and it's going to hurt for a while," Boston head coach Ime Udoka said after falling to the Warriors in Game 6 on Thursday night. 

Getting that close and coming up short is going to sting for a long time. The Celtics know they are not on the level of the Warriors, proven champions four times over now. 

But they are eager to get there, and are confident that they can in the near future.

"This is just the start," said Udoka. "The foundation has been set. We can hit the ground running next year. We expedited the process of what we wanted to do, now it's a matter of taking the next step. There are levels, and you could see that with Golden State.

"We've seen what we can achieve. It hurts that we fell short, but the future is bright," added Udoka. "Let's come back better from this experience."

Udoka's message in the Boston locker room after Thursday night's 103-90 loss was simple: Use this sting to propel you to greatness going forward.

Jayson Tatum will do just that this summer. His otherwise incredible playoff run ended with a disappointing 13-point, five-turnover showing in Game 6. The Warriors kept him from ever reaching the superstar status that he had displayed so often since January.

Tatum is usually pretty even keeled when he takes the podium after a win or a loss, but the was clearly fighting back his emotions Thursday night. This loss hurts, and it's a pain he never wants to feel again.

"We know what it feels like to get to this point. Getting here and not accomplishing it is tough," he said. "You don't want to feel like this again. You want to get back here. Yeah, it's going to fuel us.

"It's hard getting to this point and it's even harder getting over the hump and winning it," Tatum added. "It's been a long journey, a long process. That's what I took from it. It's tough. You have to take it up another level to do what we want to do."

After scoring 34 points in Thursday's loss, Brown said that the team still has a lot to learn. He said the Celtics showed their immaturity with the bevvy of turnovers that plagued them throughout the Finals.

"You have to learn from it and move on," said Brown. "As tough as it is, it's been a great year and a great journey. At the start of the year, no one though we'd be here and we were two wins away from doing something special. 

"I always look at adversity as opportunities to shape an individual. It wasn't our time, which means we still have a lot to learn," continued Brown. "It's always about growth and continuing to get better, finding different ways to lead. That's what its about. The future is bright and I'm excited to get back next year."

While Tatum and Brown have long futures ahead of them, the same cannot be said about Al Horford. The 36-year-old waited 15 years to reach his first NBA Finals, and understands that his chances to win a title are running out.

But in true Horford fashion, he wasn't going to talk about himself after a 19-point, 14-rebound showing in Game 6.

"I'm very proud of our group. Proud of the growth of our group all year," said Horford. "We went from below .500 team, an average team, to putting it together. I don't want to get caught up in some of the bad stuff that happened tonight. I want us to keep perspective on how much growth Jayson and Jaylen had this year. There's a lot on their hands, a lot of responsibility. They took it in stride and grew as players. 

"There is still a lot of growth and work for all of us. The Warriors were on a different level. That's something we have to accept, and we all have to grow," he continued. "It just wasn't meant for us this year. We fought really hard. I feel like we can hold our heads high. We gave everything we could. 

"For me, I'm looking forward to next year. This is a big summer for us as a team," said Horford. "Individually, for guys to get better and improve on this, and for us to take it to another level."

It's now up to the Celtics to put in the work to reach that level. The sting of losing in the Finals should provide plenty of motivation to get there.