Celtics Pre-Game Thread (Collection of past threads)

[Sam]

Dboss has graciously volunteered to contribute a pre-game post before Celtics games. His posts, and hopefully your responses, will appear on this continuing thread. Thank you dboss. I know they're something we'll all enjoy. (Let's hope the games themselves will be as enjoyable. LOL.)

Sam

[dboss]

Tonight Boston takes the court against the 76ers in their 2nd meeting of the year. In the first meeting the Celtics embarrassed the Sixers in a lopsided 104 to 74 victory. After the game I was thinking wow this Celtics team looks unbeatable. Now 9 games later after posting a very average 5-4 mark this rematch is important.

Last night the Sixers almost beat a Wizards team reeling from the loss of their long time owner, Abe Pollin. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends and the Wizards’ organization.

The Sixers lost 108 – 107. They have lost 5 out of their last 6 games.

Things to look for tonight

The Sixers like to run. While Igudala is their go to guy, Lou Williams who replaced Miller as the starting PG is having a solid year shooting the ball from the perimeter and driving the lane. This is just another good match-up for Rondo who should be able to get by Williams whenever he wants to. Rondo will need to close out the perimeter to limit outside shoots that Williams loves to take. He also averages around 5 assist per game.

Last night Elton Brand was a no-show in 27 minutes scoring only 4 points on 1 for 9 shooting. Look for him to play better tonight. KG should be able to dominate this match-up however because Brand is not fast enough to take KG off the dribble or big enough to post him up in the lane.

Thaddeus Young is a quick small forward who can shoot the ball and is most dangerous running the floor and slashing to the hoop. Paul Pierce will need to stay in front of him.

Ray Allen will have his hands full checking Igudala and will need help when Andre takes it to the hole with his acrobatic moves.

This Match-up clearly favors the Celtics because with Marreese Speights missing his 4th game last night with a knee sprain, the Sixers do not have enough bigs to contend with Boston’s frontline.

The Sixers will try to get out and run and Boston’s guards, particularly Rajon Rondo, will need to get back to cut off fast break opportunities. Boston also needs to control the defensive glass and show patience on offense because the Sixers do not have the capacity to play defense for long periods of time.

Happy Thanksgiving!

dboss

[Sam]

Nice inaugural pregame post, dboss. As someone habituated to watching a lot more Celtics basketball than other teams' games, I really appreciate tips on what to look for out there. This is a great addition to the forum.

Thanks again,

Sam

[dboss]

Thanks Sam

My intent is to watch all upcoming opponents before they play Boston.

dboss

[jeb]

dboss

Well done! And thank you. Happy thanksgiving!

[dboss]

Jeb

The idea is to have everyone that is interested to add any of their observations as well.

dboss

[pete]

dboss,

Nice work, you have me all pumped up for the game! No observations at this time, other than the fact that Brand has not been producing for them on a regular basis.

Pete

[beat]

dboss

I watched the last quarter or so of the sixers last evening.
Williams had a great 4th quarter with the last 7 points for the sixers.

Trailing by a point with no shot clock "and here we go again" hero ball came out.
Williams dribbled out nearly ALL the time then threw up a somewhat contested 3 from 3-4 feet behind the arc.
They only needed a 2 to win and got nothing going to the hoop.

Why not get a shot up a bit earlier and if it does not go in hope fopr an offensive rebound or a quick foul with still enough time on the clock for a trey to tie if both fouls are made.

Seems Williams tried to be a hero and failed!

Comming into our house I just hope we come out strong and forge a first quarter lead of at least 1!!!

beat

[KellyGreen17]

Great assessment dboss. Another person to worry about is Jason Kapono off the bench. I feel like he always has a great shooting night against us. Let's hope the C's do a better job of taking away the three pointer as they have struggled with that at times this season. We should have fresh legs since we've had a couple days off so hopefully we won't let the sixers run all over us. I'll be at the game tonight so we better win! I had the unfortunate luck of being at the Orlando game, I can't handle two losses in a row! It's pretty bad getting out of that garage, and it's so much worse when we don't win!

[jeb]

Dboss

Copy that. Hell I am having a hard time keeping up this afternoon. Lotta action on the board.

I think we match up pretty well with the sixers. I got a notion we might have a good shooting night. Sheed is due and Ray also due for a big scoring game.

Kapono must be checked.

[bobc33]

Dboss has graciously volunteered to contribute a pre-game post before Celtics games. His posts, and hopefully your responses, will appear on this continuing thread. Thank you dboss. I know they're something we'll all enjoy. (Let's hope the games themselves will be as enjoyable. LOL.)

Sam

This board just simply continues to get better and better, and it started at a darn high level. I too seldom watch a game unless the Cs are in it, and a little bit on what to watch for in an opponent will increase my enjoyment.

Thank you dboss!

[KellyGreen17]

ESPN really ought to broadcast more games. Why do we need 4 hours of Sportscenter every day? I'd much rather watch the games myself and form my own opinion rather than being force-fed ESPN's version of what is going on in the NBA. Even NBA TV show's more episodes of Kobe being Kobe or King James brushing his teeth or some such nonsense than they do basketball games.

[bigpygme]

Very helpful take on the Sixers, dboss, v useful to me in preparing to watch and make sense of what's going on in the game tonight. i know we're encouraged to add, but i don't have anything to add to your observations and insights - just thx for sharing them.

[dboss]

dboss

I watched the last quarter or so of the sixers last evening.
Williams had a great 4th quarter with the last 7 points for the sixers.

Trailing by a point with no shot clock "and here we go again" hero ball came out.
Williams dribbled out nearly ALL the time then threw up a somewhat contested 3 from 3-4 feet behind the arc.
They only needed a 2 to win and got nothing going to the hoop.

Why not get a shot up a bit earlier and if it does not go in hope fopr an offensive rebound or a quick foul with still enough time on the clock for a trey to tie if both fouls are made.

Seems Williams tried to be a hero and failed!


Coming into our house I just hope we come out strong and forge a first quarter lead of at least 1!!!

beat

Beat

Did I also mentioned that Wiliams at times makes poor decisions. But he is still young. I saw him play in high school down here in Gwinnett County GA. When he enterd the draft I was thinking he is not ready for pro ball but he has surprised me and turned into a pretty good player but he is no pure point guard (facilitator)

dboss

[dboss]

Great assessment dboss. Another person to worry about is Jason Kapono off the bench. I feel like he always has a great shooting night against us. Let's hope the C's do a better job of taking away the three pointer as they have struggled with that at times this season. We should have fresh legs since we've had a couple days off so hopefully we won't let the sixers run all over us. I'll be at the game tonight so we better win! I had the unfortunate luck of being at the Orlando game, I can't handle two losses in a row! It's pretty bad getting out of that garage, and it's so much worse when we don't win!

Kelly

I always liked Kapona. He is a Celtics type player. I think Marquis will match up with him.

I envy you being at the game. I'll have to live vicariously through your experience of being at the game live!

I have a feeling Rasheed is going to have a big night!

dboss

[dboss]

bobc

I think this is simply the best forum to discuss Celtics basketball and other related and unrelated topics.

Yesterday I went to the Boston Globe sight and there was the most negative post by Dudder about Rondo. I was about ready to rip him a new one and then I said,, I don't have to post here if I do not want to. I can come to this sight where we all have a positive connection.

dboss

[Sam]

One of the factors that encourages people like dboss to contribute more features to the board is the warm and sincere appreciation people display. It's very genuine, and it's particularly welcome after the rather unrewarding last few months on BDC.

Sam

[dboss]

The Raptors are coming off a humiliating beatdown on Wednesday at the hands of the Bobcats, 116-81. The Celtics have won 8 out of the last 9 games from them.

When you think about the Raptors the first name that comes to mind is Chris Bosh. What a stud! He leads Raptors in Scoring at 25.4 ppg, rebounding 11.9 block shots 1.25 and minutes played at 35.5. Bosh is solid from the outside and quick enough to drive to the basket and score over any player in the NBA. The most likely matchup will be him and KG. KG will need to be on his toes. He can take Bosh away from the basket by hitting his patented elbow jumpers.

Andrea Bargnani plays PF and has slowly improved each year since being selected # 1 in the draft. Bargnani is smart. He can shoot pass and drive to the basket. Perkins should be able to keep him off the glass but if Bargnani hits a few deep shots it could cause some problems. To Perkins’ credit, he does a very good job rotating out to defend the pick and roll and then rotating back to cover the paint.

Jose Calderon is a solid if not unspectacular PG. He passes well and rarely turns the ball over and he has a knack for using screens to get open for his jump shoot which is very consistent. On defense he is a step slow to stay with Rajon.

I think all of us would like to Rondo become more aggressive throughout the game.

Pierce matches up with Turkoglu who also can shoot the deep three and take it off the dribble as we witnessed last year in the playoffs.

Ray Allen should dominate DeRozan at the SG.

What to look for

Did you know that Toronto shoots 39% as a team from the arc? They average 20 three pointers per game so as has been the case with most of the games lately, the Celtics will again need to close out the perimeter and not get caught cheating in the lane.

The Raptors are not a very good defensive team. If Boston plays solid defense and moves the ball on offense the results should be a win. Raptors opponents are averaging 108.6 PPG. However the blowout to the Bobcats may be an incentive for them to play better at the defensive end. The Celtics just need to use their arsenal of weapons.

The Raptors are also vulnerable to the fast break so I look for Boston to push the ball.

dboss

[jeb]

KG seems to do pretty well @ Bosh. Rondo should dominate Jose. The 3's stat is troubling due to our recent woes.

[dboss]

Jeb

If KG can hold him under his average that would be great, however Bosh is a very strong rebounder so as a team the Celtics need to put a body between him and the basket.

dboss

[dboss]

With respect to the bench, Jarret Jack and Marcco Belinelli are their main guys. Jack has been playing well over the past 5 games averaging 10.3 PPG and 3.6 assist. Belinelli is another one those prototype Italian players. He can shoot the ball deep but is a bit streaky He is not a very strong defensive player.

House and Daniels will match up with them off the bench....Advantage Celtics based on Daniels' defense and House's ability to knock down outside shots.

The other two Raptors of significance are Amir Johnson, their best rebounder off the bench, is also very active on the offensive glass and Antoine Wright. Wright played the last two games and was a non-factor as he was coming off an ankle injury and had missed the previous 3 games.

Because of Rasheed height advantage, we may see Nesterovic match up with him.

dboss

[swedeinestonia]

Bosh should be an excellent measure on KGs progress.

[dboss]

The Heat Started the season off well winning 6 out of 7 games but then took a dip and have since lost 5 out of 8.

Dwayne Wade is not just an Allstar he is one of maybe 3 or 4 superstars in the league averaging 27 pts, 5.3 Assists and 4.8 rebounds and 2.07 steals per game. After that there is a significant drop off in contribution as O’Neal averages 14.6, Beasley 14.3, Haslem 10.8 and PG Chalmers 10.5.

The Heat are a pretty good rebounding team lead by Uldonis Haslem at 8.9 and O’Neal who grabs 8.3 board pr game. Beasley chips in with 6.8 rebounds.. Haslem comes off the bench and brings energy and he is a good defender however at 6’ 8” he is an undersized PF. The other starter for the Heat is Quinton Richardson who does not like Paul Pierce.

Other bench contributors for the Heat include Daequan Cook SG, 6.8 ppg, Carlos Arroyo PG, 4.9 ppg and Joel Anthony an undersized BU center.

As a team the Heat only average 96.1 ppg while shooting a very average .452 from the field. They do not get a lot of steals (5.93) or block shots (5.27)

What to Look For

Dwayne Wade dominates the basketball. His shooting percentage this year has dropped to .421 and he is no threat form the arc at .277 but he will get to the line a lot driving to the basket physically over powering his defenders. It will be a long night for Ray Allen because this is the type of player that gives him fits.

When Wade has the ball look for the Celtics to shut off the driving lanes with quick rotations and traps to force him to take jump shots or give the ball up.

Perkins is a good matchup with O’Neil and should be able to limit his scoring and keep him off the glass.

Beasley reminds me of Bosh in that he can shoot from the outside and has a quick first step when driving to the basket. KG will again need to be on his toes defensively and on offense he should be able to get any shot that he wants over Beasley.

Q Richardson and Paul Pierce will go at each other hard but Paul has shown an ability (WADE does not have this yet) to defer to his teammates and not get caught up in a macho challenge

Rajon Rondo will need to be more aggressive scoring the basketball because Ray Allen may expend all of his energy chasing Wade around the court.

The Celtics bench should get the better of the Heat bench because the Celtics have more fire power.

Three Keys to the Game

Limit Dwayne Wade from Driving to the basket

Control the defensive glass

Push the ball on Offense


dboss

[Sam]

Dboss,

Particularly good point about Ray expending his energy chasing Wade on defense. And Ray's psychic energy may be a little depleted anyway due to concern about his hospitalized son.

Nice job,

Sam

[Jerry Tarkanian]

Chalmers is playing well of late, be an interesting match up w/ Rondo.

Anthony, while undersized, is one of the best shot blockers in the league. One of the growing legion of Canadian players in the league. Finding a nice niche as a backup C.

C's should win handily, Wade's expressed desire to play w/ Howard seems to have distracted the Heat last couple of weeks.

[Sponsored content]