Home at Last

by FLCeltsFan on Jan 2, 2009 3:30 PM EST

Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics, Jan 2, 2009 7:30 PM EST

Washington Wizards (6-24) at Boston Celtics (28-5)
Friday, January 2
7:30 PM
Game #34, Home Game #19
TV: CSN-HD, CSN-HD, NBA LP 753
TD Banknorth Garden

Game Thread l Chat

Wizards Blogs: Bullets Forever l Truth About It

The Celtics return home after a tough 4 game road trip to face the Washington Wizards who are in last place in the Eastern Conference. This should be an easy game for the Celtics as they are home, have had a couple of days off, and are facing a team that is just 2-12 on the road, but, with the way the Celtics have played on the recent road trip, nothing is certain.

Last season, the Wizards won the series 2 games to 1. The Celtics won one in Boston while the Wizards won one at home and a second game in Boston, giving the Celtics back to back losses in January. . The Celtics won the first meeting between these two teams this season at the Verizon Center 122-88. The Wizards have been hit with injuries this season. Caron Butler, their leading scorer has been out the past 3 games with a sprained ankle and was listed as questionable for this game but has said that he is targeting this game for a return.

Hopefully, with a couple of days off, the Celtics have looked at film and solved the problems that plagued them on the West coast. and will start a new win streak with this game.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG:    Rajon Rondo vs Mike James
SG:    Ray Allen vs Nick Young
SF:     Paul Pierce vs Caron Butler
PF:     Kevin Garnett vs Antawn Jamison
C:       Kendrick Perkins vs Andray Blatche

Injuries
None

Gilbert Arenas (knee) out
            Brendan Haywood (wrist) out
            Caron Butler (ankle) questionable, but has said the he will play and is
expected to start tonight after going through practice yesterday.

Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Mike James
In the 8 games that James has started since coming to the Wizards, he is averaging 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists. Rondo is much quicker and should be able to get past James at will. He will need to be aggressive for the Celtics to win this game.

vs
Kevin Garnett vs Antawn Jamison
Jamison is 2nd in the league in double doubles and is one of the top power forwards with 20.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. This should be a battle inside on both teams.

Honorable Mention
Kendrick Perkins vs Andray Blatche
In 10 starts for the Wizards, Blatch is averaging 11.8 points and 7 rebounds. Perk is the Celtics best interior defender and should be able to stop Blatche from establishing inside.

Team Connections
Caron Butler and Ray Allen are former UConn Huskies
Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt were teammates at USC
DeShawn Stevenson played for Doc in Orlando
Darius Songalia was drafted by the Celtics with the 50th pick in 2002
Antonio Daniels and Ray Allen were teammates in Seattle
Brian Scalabrine played for Eddie Jordan in NJ while Jordan was an assistant there.
Tom Thibodeau was set to join the Wizards last season as an assistant but left the club after his first practice with them.

Keys to the Game
Focus The Celtics, both starters and bench, have not been able to maintain their focus in the losses on the west coast. They need to get that focus back and not allow teams to take them away from their game.

Passing Game In the losses, the team wasn't passing the ball the way they do when they are playing their best. There were too many quick shots and too many jumpers. They need to get back to the basics of passing the ball and finding the open man.

Defense I imagine that Tom Thibodeau had a few choice words to say to team as they have gotten away from what has gotten them to this point. They need to put defense first and foremost and remember that they are a defensive team that can score rather than the other way around.

Rebound The Celtics were out rebounded 44-29 against the Blazers. Rebounding is all about effort and desire and the Celtics showed neither. The Celtics need to show that they want this game more than the Wizards by crashing the boards and putting out the effort to grab rebounds and limit the Wizards' second chance points.

X-Factor
Home at Last
The Celtics are back within the friendly confines of the TD Banknorth Garden. This should help them to get back on the winning track. They have also had some time to watch film from the 3 losses on their road trip and to try to fix what went wrong in those games. Hopefully this will be the start of another win streak.

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Comments

Earth to Rivers:

When the game is out of reach, rest your starters so they’re not gassed when you need them.

by Finkelskyhook on Jan 2, 2009 3:41 PM EST reply actions

Starters aren’t playing too many minutes…some games more than others, but overall the big 3’s minutes have been kept in check. They’ve also gotten a lot of rest in blowouts. It’s understandable fatigue can set in, both physical and mental, as they’ve played a lot of games, especially that brutal stretch in November, with teams coming at them hard every night.

- JoeB

by joeb on Jan 2, 2009 3:56 PM EST up reply actions

Finkel is of the opinion that Doc shouldn’t have played the starters during the entire second half of the Warriors game (or the Kings game? whatever, one of those), because we were up by 20ish at the half-time. I’ve repeatedly asked him if there’s any precedent to that in the entire history of the NBA, but he won’t answer.

by cordobes on Jan 2, 2009 5:42 PM EST up reply actions

not sure how those two games went between warriors and kings, eh?

by wahz on Jan 3, 2009 12:58 AM EST up reply actions

I'm sure how the games went

But we were up by >10 at the halftime and by the middle of the 3rd quarter in both of them.

by cordobes on Jan 3, 2009 8:35 AM EST up reply actions

There probably is a precedent for the C’s having their entire salary cap invested in three players. So the precedent should be not to have them jacking up threes when we’re up 30 against a team offering no resistance. I’m thinking there’s better utilization of their immense skills than that. As in when they’re needed to secure victory.

I don’t know if there’s a precedent or not.

by Finkelskyhook on Jan 4, 2009 3:49 PM EST up reply actions

What Has Doc Been Doing, Begging With Pre-season?

Doc told his players not to come to Waltham before training camp. He didn’t play them much in pre-season. He’s not playing them much during the season. How many fewer minutes can they play. Also, an NBA game is rarely out of reach.

by TrueGreen on Jan 3, 2009 10:28 AM EST up reply actions

Time to Test the Non-starters

I’d like to see if Gabe is an NBA point guard or do we need to look elsewhere.

My opinion is that given the opportunity…..he can run the team better than House. I want House on the floor but only at the 2 position.

Powe….Davis….TA……House…..Pruitt.

When either PP or RA are with four subs the ball never gets to touch all five player’s hands. The one on one duel happens and the unit’s produciton is not there.

Tonight should be a very good opportunity to test those waters.

by BigT1942 on Jan 2, 2009 5:31 PM EST reply actions

I think if given the chance, Gabe can be a very good backup. And, moving Eddie to the 2 will make him more effective because he can concentrate on getting his shot instead of bringing the ball up and having to run the offense.

Perk and Powe... the Next Big Thing

by FLCeltsFan on Jan 2, 2009 7:35 PM EST up reply actions