Celtics Look to Bounce Back vs Speedy Warriors

by FLCeltsFan on Dec 28, 2009 3:30 PM EST in Boston Celtics Games

Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors, Dec 28, 2009 10:30 PM EST

(23-6) at (8-21)

Boston Celtics (23-6) at Golden State Warriors (8-21)
Monday, December 28
10:30 PM ET
Game #30, Home Game #16
TV: CSN-NE, CSN BA, NBA LP 758, 759
Oracle Arena

Today's Referees: Derrick Stafford l Brian Forte l Gary Zielinski

Game Thread l Chat

After a tough loss to a team they should have dominated, the Celtics regroup to face another team that they should dominate. But, the Warriors love to run and in the second game of back to backs after a game that went down to the wire, the last thing the Celtics want to do is run for 48 minutes. The Celtics slacked off on defense against the Clippers and it cost them last night. They need to get back to their defensive mindset and shut down the Warriors' fast break.

The Warriors' record isn't indicative of the talent on this team. They have been devastated by injuires and have missed 124 player games to injuries so far this season. This is an average of 4.3 players out with injuries per game. With all the injuries their lineups have been in constant flux. But, in spite of all the injuries, here are some surprising stats:
The Warriors are 3rd in points per game at 106.3
They are 1st in the league in steals at 9.82 per game
They are first in fast break points with 23.0 per game
They are 1st in points off turnovers at 22.1 per game and
They are 1st in turnovers forced per game at 18.5

Also. they have a strong bench, and even with all the injuries, their bench is 4th in the league in scoring with 36.8 points per game. Their reserves have outscored their counterparts in 16 of their 29 games.

The Warriors used just 6 players in a win over the Mavs on 11/24. This is the first time that a team won using just 6 players since 1952 when the Baltimore Bullets beat the Fort Wayne Pistons using just 6 players.

Former Celtic, Don Nelson, is just 16 wins away from becoming the winningest coach in the NBA. He is currently at 1317 victories. Currently in his 46th year in the NBA as a player, coach, GM or consultant, no one has
participated in more games as a player and head coach than the 3,398 that "Nellie" has notched in his career. He played 14 seasons in the league, all with the Celtics, and won 5 championship rings as a Celtic.

This team is not to be taken lightly. They can score quickly and a lot. And they love to get into the passing lanes and disrupt their opponents' offense. The Celtics have to stay focused against them or they could end up with a second straight loss. The key to this game will be the Celtics getting their defensive focus back.

Probable Starters
PG Rajon Rondo

SG Ray Allen

SF Tony Allen

PF Kevin Garnett

C Kendrick Perkins

Probable Starters
PG Stephen Curry

SG Monta Ellis

SF Anthony Morrow

PF Corey Maggette

C Anthony Randolph

Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is a good young point guard and had been impressive so far in his rookie season. Against Chris Paul recently, Curry had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. He sometimes has lapses on defense and Rondo needs to be aggressive and take advantage of those lapses. I expect a good game from Rondo tonight as he tries to make up for missing the free throws that could have won the game for the Celtics last night.

vs
Ray Allen vs Monta Ellis
Ellis is averaging over 25 points per game and could be a tough matchup for Ray on defense. Look for Tony to slide over and cover Ellis to allow Ray to concentrate more on his offense. This will be a big test for Tony as he tries to shut doen the Warrior's best scorer.

Honorable Mention
Kevin Garnett vs Corey Maggette
Maggette has been playing well for the Warriors and is averaging 17.6 ppg. KG has a big height advantage in this matchup and so should be able to have a big game on both ends of the court.

Game Notes
• Celtics split the season series 1-1 against Golden State in 2008-09
• Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 21.0 points per game last season
• In his one appearance against the C’s, Corey Maggette netted 38 points for the Warriors
• The Celtics are 4-6 against Golden State since the 2004-05 season
• The Celtics are leading the all-time series 194-127 with the Celtics 108-34 at home

Keys to the Game
Defense - The Warriors can put points on the board quickly and in bunches. It will be important for the Celtics to bring their defensive intensity into this game, especially shutting down their fast breaks.

Rebound - The Celtics need to crash the boards to keep the Warriors from igniting their fast breaks. In the second game of back to backs, the Celtics legs may be getting tired and they can keep the Warriors from running as much and also give themselves some second chance points if they are aggressive in grabbing the rebounds.

Take Care of the Ball - The Warriors can be very disruptive by getting into the passing lanes. They average 9.82 steals a game and are best in the league at forcing turnovers. The Celtics need to stay focused and not give the Warriors any easy opportunities to steal the ball or to score.

X-Factor
Fatigue
The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games and in the 3rd game of a 4 game road trip. Their legs were looking tired in the second half of the Clippers game as they were short on a lot of jumpers. Fatigue could be the difference in this game.

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Comments

I actually think the key matchup

Is Rondo against Curry and Randolph vs. Perk. Will Randolph outrun Kendrick or will Maggette have such a bad night KG can chip in and provide a bit of double-coverage?

Graham Brunell, administrator for Celtics 17 (mvn.com/celtics17), and MVN.com. Sounds professional eh!?!?

by Celticsfanatic on Dec 28, 2009 3:34 PM EST reply actions

Recipe for Disaster

The Celtics weaknesses are: high turnovers & struggle against athletic/quick teams.

The Warriors are #1 in points off of turnovers? And #1 in fast break points? That’s not good for the Celtics :(

by TomHamilton30 on Dec 28, 2009 3:58 PM EST reply actions

Defense

In the chat last night I kept repeating that if we were going to win, it would be defense for 48 that did it, and I have the same feeling tonight. Good post as always, FL, and tp…as always!

by thirstyboots18 on Dec 28, 2009 4:09 PM EST reply actions

FlCeltsFan excellent summary

Those stats for the Warriors you quote are somewhat intimidating …especially on the backside of a back-to-back game on the road…….after reading your summary I may not stay up late and just dream of a win instead…. I jinxed the game last night anyway in the chat…..either i did or the Clippers fan we had in the chat did….I am going to hide under my blanket

anyway nice write-up

Is it Soup Yet?

by Master Po on Dec 28, 2009 5:06 PM EST reply actions

As always,

your kind words are much appreciated. Master Po, I can’t imagine you jinxing the team. Had to be that Clippers fan. Come out from under your blanket Po! Celtics are going to win this one. TB18 is right – defense is going to win it and no team in this league can play defense like the Celtics (should they choose to do so). And thanks to you TB18 for your kind words as well.

Perk is a BEAST!!

by FLCeltsFan on Dec 28, 2009 5:41 PM EST up reply actions

I keep hearing all this about Rondo being non effective and words between this guy and that guy. The problem is DOC Rivers.

1) He loves old men
2) Because of that his rotation of players stinks
3) Eddie House 17 minutes.please, the guy can only catch and shoot.
4) Scal two straight games nothing absolutely nothing.
5) Ray Allen played 38 minutes, way to long
6) Refuses to play Walker
7) Doc was being interviewed on TV and said he did not have a small forward only big’s,with Walker on the bench
8) You call up your prize small forward from the D-league and then say you don’t have
a small forward

by tyquinton on Dec 28, 2009 5:42 PM EST reply actions

It's all about matchups tonight

Cs have several matchups to exploit if they choose…
1. Low post: Perk, KG, and especially Tony Allen all have sizeable advantages in the post. I’d love to see Doc call TA’s # more than once or twice all night; we have to make up for Paul’s lost scoring and TA could do big damage against the smallish players in GS’s backcourt. Hell, if Doc plays Bill Walker, he’ll have a nice advantage in the post too…
2. Set high picks for Rondo—this should be the staple of our offense tonight. We didn’t pull away against GS last time we saw them until we started setting a ton of high picks for Rondo. Let’s not wait till the 2nd half this time, guys. Set some picks! Rondo can’t be stopped by anyone on the Warriors. We need to exploit that tonight.
3. Hit the glass: GS can’t run without the ball and nor can we. We need to have guys like TA and Baby hit the offensive glass, and bother the rebounder if they don’t get the rebound, so as to slow the fast break. We have a size advantage, but we need to put it to use down low.
4. Create turnovers. Guys like TA and Rondo can create havoc on the perimeter and turn those turnovers into points in transition. I’d like to see a concerted effort to get the team in transition, but we’ll need to secure the defensive boards and work to create turnovers on the perimeter.

by SalmonAndMashedPotatoes on Dec 28, 2009 6:00 PM EST reply actions

this is going to be another battle with an inferior team IMO

by celticinorlando on Dec 28, 2009 7:03 PM EST reply actions

Major coaching advantage to Cs

Don Nelson has been mailing it in for a few years. He’s a money-grubbing disgrace. But he isn’t going to fire himself so the owner has responsibility too.
Despite being a long Scal supporter, I have to agree with his critics. He isn’t much help out there this year and it is time to try an athletic hungry young guy

by Wildblu1 on Dec 28, 2009 7:08 PM EST reply actions