Celtics continue brutal stretch looking to avenge their earlier loss to the Bobcats

Both teams are looking for their second straight win. The Celtics are coming off a win over the Hawks on Saturday, and the Bobcats are coming off a 24 point win over the Bucks on Saturday. The Bobcats have been winning with defense and points in the paint and the Celtics will need to run in order to beat the defenses and they have to pack the paint on defense to keep the Bobcats from getting inside.

PG SG SF PF C

Jordan Crawford.....Avery Bradley....Jeff Green....Brandon Bass....Jared Sullinger

Celtics Reserves

MarShon Brooks

Jordan Crawford

Kris Humphries

Vitor Faverani

Phil Pressey

Courtney Lee

Phil Pressey

Keith Bogans

Gerald Wallace

Injuries

Rajon Rondo (ACL)out

Kelly Olynyk (ankle) day to day

PG SG SF PF C

Kemba Walker....Gerald Henderson....Michael Kidd-Gilchrist....Josh McRoberts....Al Jefferson

Bobcats Reserves

Bismack Biyombo

Jeff Taylor

Cody Zeller

Ramon Sessions

Anthony Tolliver

Jeff Adrien

Ben Gordon

Jannero Pargo

James Southerland

Injuries

Brendon Haywood (foot) out

Key Matchups

vs

Avery Bradley vs Gerald Henderson

Henderson is averaging 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He is capable of going off at any given time for big numbers. Avery's defense will be needed to keep him in check.

vs

Jared Sullinger vs Al Jefferson

Big Al got his first win over his former team this season. In the first meeting between these two teams, Al finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. Jared didn't play in that game and Kelly wasn't physical enough to keep Al away from the basket. Hopefully, in this game, Sully can contain Big Al and also make Al work on the defensive end as well.

Keys to the Game

Take Care of the Ball- During the Celtics win streak, they averaged under 14 turnovers a game. In their win over the Hawks, they turned it over 17 times. In the losses, they have turned it over 20 or more times, especially in the second half of games. They have to focus on their passes and be aware of the defenders at all times and take better care of the ball.

Run and Set the Pace - The Celtics must run every time down. They can't walk the ball up and settle for a half court game. When they run, they get easy baskets before the defense sets up. They have to do that on every play.

Rebound - The Celtics can't run and they can't score if they don't have the ball. They must crash the boards as a team and put out the extra effort it takes to get the rebounds.

Get into the Paint - The Celtics must go to the hoop and get into the paint instead of settling for long jumpers. Good things happen when they go to the basket.

X-Factors

Focus and Fatigue

The Celtics are bound to be tired, playing in their 5th game in 7 nights. They have to keep their focus on getting the win. Their focus must win out over their fatigue.

Official Report

Ken Mauer

Ken Mauer has officiated 1,603 regular season, 137 playoff, and 12 Finals games during his 27-season career. He was also a member of the crew that officiated the 1993 Europe Tour in London and the 2005 All-Star Game in Denver. Mauer’s resume includes six years of CBA officiating experience, nine years of collegiate officiating experience and 12 years of high school officiating experience in Minnesota. After spending most of his life in Minnesota, Mauer has settled in Ft. Myers, Fla. where he can still watch his cousin, Joe Mauer, with the Twins in spring training. Mauer was a three sport athlete in college at Minnesota where, in 1977, he recieved All Big 10 baseball honors. Mauer regularly supports the Salvation Army, as well as other organizations. He is often a guest speaker at basketball camps and clinics, church groups and officiating groups.

Mauer is very quick to call technicals and in one game, once ejected Doc Rivers less than 3 minutes into a game, and that was before the new "Respect the Game" rules. In a recent Timberwolves game he might have set the record by calling 5 technicals in a 10 second span. The Celtics have to be on their best behavior with Mauer calling the game.

Mauer was one of the refs charged with tax evasion and obstructing federal tax laws for receiving substantial taxable income from 1989 through 1994 and failing to declare it. He was one of the refs in the controversial Miami/Dallas Finals where the foul calls were totally lopsided, giving the Heat the title. In a Suns/OKC game two seasons ago, Mauer told Zabian Dowdell not to be a bitch about the calls. Dowdell asked him if he'd say that off the court and Mauer ejected him from the game for it.

The Celtics are 0-1 this season and 2-8 in their last 10 games with Mauer officiating. This season, Mauer called the loss to the Pistons in which the Celtics shot 12 free throws to 29 for the Pistons and the officiating seemed to favor the Pistons the entire game. In the 2012 ECF Game 2 vs the Heat, the Heat shot 47 free throws to 29 for the Celtics. He failed to call a foul on Wade for hitting Rondo in the head on a layup even though he was in position to see it clearly. He also failed to call a foul on Wade for kicking KG who was going up for a layup when he was again the ref in position to do so. He called a questionable clear path foul on Pietrus. Pierce fouled out on a very questionable call, joining Pietrus and Dooling with 6 fouls. LeBron James took 24 free throws himself. In a loss last season in OT the Bucks shot 36 free throws to 20 for the Celtics. They refused to call an intentional foul at the end to stop the clock. They also ignored an elbow by Ilyasova to Green's head that left him on the floor and injured, even through Mauer was right there and saw the play.

Another loss was to New Orleans where the Hornets shot 31 free throws to 16 for the Celtics and the officiating wasn't bad in spite of the free throw disparity. A third loss was to the Hawks who shot 36 free throws to 20 for the Celtics and the officiating was terrible and biased toward the Hawks the entire game, especially in OT. In a win last season vs the Raptors, the Celtics shot 35 free throws to 19 for the Raptors and the calls seemed to favor the Celtics. In 3 other games with Mauer last season, they let them play and the officiating was even. It's hard to tell which Mauer will show up, the one that lets them play and is fair or the one that tries to micromanage the game and make it about himself. The Bobcats are 1-9 in the last 10 games with Mauer. He is a veteran official that isn't usually swayed by the home crowd. His home W/L record this season is 3-6.

Marat Kogut

Marat Kogut enters his fifth year as an NBA Referee having officiated 208 games. Kogut immigrated to the United States with his family seven days after he was born. Raised in Brooklyn, NY, he started officiating at the age of 16 at local recreational youth leagues. His professional experience includes three years in the WNBA, as well as 4 years in the NBA Development League, where he officiated over 180 games, including the Finals in his last two seasons and the 2009 D-League All-Star Game in Phoenix. Prior to joining the NBA officiating staff, Kogut worked in several Men's NCAA mid-major Division I conferences, including the Ohio Valley Conference, Atlantic Sun, and Big South Conference, as well as in New York metro area High School basketball for four years. Kogut was the Head Men's Basketball Manager for the St. John's Redstorm.

The Celtics are 0-1 this season with the loss being in the preseason to Toronto. They are 3-7 in the last 10 games with Kogut calling them. In one loss last season to the Lakers, the officiating was terrible and LA shot 20 free throws to 5 (yes, FIVE) for the Celtics. In a game vs the Pacers last season, the refs let them play in the first half and then in the second half they started calling a lot of ticky tack fouls on the Celtics. KG was called for a flagrant 2 and was ejected. That flagrant 2 was later downgraded. The Pacers shot 18 free throws in the second half of that game compared to 9 for the Celtics. Another loss last season was to the Bobcats where the Celtics shot 26 free throws to 30 for the Bobcats and there were questionable calls both ways but it was evenly called. His last game for the Celtics last season was a win over the Raptors where the Celtics shot 35 free throws to 19 for the Raptors and the Celtics seemed to get the benefit of close calls. The Bobcats are 1-0 this season and 2-8 in their last 10 games with Kogut as a ref. His home W/L record this season is 5-2.

Leon Wood

Leon Wood’s connection with the NBA began as a player when he played professionally with Philadelphia, Washington, New Jersey, San Antonio, Atlanta and Sacramento, averaging 6.4 points, 3.2 assists and 1.2 rebounds as a guard during his six-year NBA career. In addition to his NBA playing career, Wood was a member of the Gold Medal winning 1984 United States Olympic Basketball Team, and he won another Gold Medal in the 1983 Pan-Am Games.

During his 17-season NBA officiating career, he has worked 1,052 regular season games and 20 playoff games. Wood has three years of CBA officiating experience and one year of collegiate officiating experience in the Ohio Valley and Trans America Athletic Conferences. He also has one year of high school officiating experience in California. Wood played for the University of Arizona for one season before transferring to Cal State Fullerton, where he was named All-American. The native of Santa Monica, Calif. is an inductee into the Orange County Hall of Fame, and in 1998, Wood was inducted into the Cal State Fullerton Hall of Fame. Wood was a member of the basketball team at St. Monica High School.

You would think that being a former player, Wood would try to be fair but he has been a mediocre ref at best. The Celtics 0-2 this season and are 4-6 over their last 10 games with Wood officiating. This season, he called one loss to Philadelphia in the preseason. He also called the loss to the Bucks in which the Celtics shot 38 free throws to 34 for the Bucks and the calls were pretty much even. In his first game with the Celtics last season, the Bulls shot 24 free throws to 19 for the Celtics and the officiating was fairly good. In his second game vs Atlanta, the Hawks shot 17 free throws to 20 for the Celtics and the refs pretty much let them play. In the third game last season, the Celtics shot 21 free throws to 12 for the Wizards and the 50/50 calls seemed to go the Celtics' way. He also called the loss at Philadelpha where the Celtics shot 23 free throws to 27 for the Sixers and the officiating wasn't bad. The Bobcats are 1-9 over their last 10 games called by Wood. His home W/L record this season is 9-2.