:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60544215/gyi0064053387.0.0.0.jpg)
at 
Grizzlies (7-7) at Boston Celtics (6-10)
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #17, Home Game #7
TV: CSNNE, SSO-MEM, NBA-LP 754(DTV),755(xfinity)
Radio: WMFS, WZLX
TD Garden
Referees: Tom Washington, Nick Buchert, Josh Tiven
Game Thread l Chat
CLNS Post Game ShowCall into the Studio: 347-215-7771 | Listen Live
The Celtics and Grizzlies meet for the second and final time this season with the Celtics looking to avenge their loss in the earlier game. The first meeting in Memphis resulted in a come from behind Memphis win.
The Grizzlies will be without their all star center, Marc Gasol, who is out with an MCL sprain. They still have a formidable front line, even with Gasol out, however.
The Grizzlies love to run and will run on every possession. The Celtics need to do the same. The Grizzlies are tough defenders and so the Celtics must run as well and try to get easy points before the defenses get set.
The Celtics are looking for their 3rd straight win while the Grizzlies are hoping to avoid their 3rd straight loss since losing Gasol to the injury. The Celtics are just 2-4 at home while the Grizzlies are 4-3 on the road. Memphis is seeking its fifth straight road win and has won three of the last four against Boston.
Kelly Olynyk is still out for the Celtics and the starting lineup of Crawford, Bradley, Green, Bass and Sullinger have been successful, so I expect Coach Stevens to go with the same group for this game.
Don't forget the CLNS Post Game Show right after the game. Your broadcast crew is Brandon Paul and Brian Langford. Ty Ray hosts will also be stationed in the chatroom at CelticsBlog and manning the CLNS Radio social media outlets. As always, they will be taking your calls throughout the entire broadcast.
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs 
Jordan Crawford vs Mike Conley
Shooting Guard
vs 
Avery Bradley vs Tony Allen
Small Forward
vs 
Jeff Green vs Tayshaun Prince
Power Forward
vs 
Brandon Bass vs Zach Randolph
Center
vs 
Jared Sullinger vs Kosta Koufos
Celtics Reserves
MarShon Brooks
Kris Humphries
Vitor Faverani
Courtney Lee
Phil Pressey
Gerald Wallace
Injuries
Rajon Rondo (ACL)out
Keith Bogans (illness) out
Kelly Olynyk (ankle) out
Grizzlies Reserves
Jerryd Bayless
Quincy Pondexter
Mike Miller
Ed Davis
Nick Calathes
Jamaal Franklin
Jon Leuer
Injuries
Marc Gasol (MCL) out
Key Matchups
vs
Jordan Crawford vs Mike Conley
Jordan Crawford has been doing a surprisingly good job of leading the team in Rondo's absence. Mike Conley leads the Grizzlies with 18.8 points per game and Jordan is going to need to try to keep him from getting big numbers in this game along with leading the Celtics offense and setting the pace for the game.
vs
Brandon Bass vs Zach Randolph
Randolph is a tough cover for anyone. Brandon and Sully are going to need to try to keep Randolph out of the paint and limit his effectiveness.
Keys to the Game
Rebound - Much of rebounding is effort and positioning. The Celtics are going to have to put extra effort into boxing out and crashing the glass against Memphis' big front line if they want to stay close.
Move the Ball and Run - Playing as a team and moving the ball will be the Celtics best hope of winning this game. They need to beat the defense down the court before it gets set up. If they try to slow the game down, they won't get anything against the Grizzlies' tough defense.
Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics are young and new to each other and that often means turnovers. The Celtics turnovers have been high in their losses and lower in their wins. They need to take care of the ball and try to limit those turnovers as the Grizzlies will make them pay if they don't.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics have tended to either get a big lead and then lose it or get in a big hole and then play hard to come back. They need to find a way to play consistently and hard throughout the game to avoid both of those scenarios in this game.
X-Factors
Home and Revenge
The Celtics will be home again finally and should get a boost from home cooking and the home crowd. They will be looking to avenge their earlier loss to the Grizzlies as well. They were able to avenge their loss to the Bobcats and now it's the Grizzlies turn.
Official Report
Tom Washington
Over his 22-season NBA officiating career, Tom Washington has officiated 1,306 regular season games, 104 playoff games and three Finals games. He was a member of the crews that officiated the 1995 Schick Rookie Game, the 1996 Japan Games in Tokyo and the 2004 NBA All-Star Game. In addition to his 20 seasons with the NBA, Washington has two years of CBA officiating experience. He has one year of collegiate officiating experience in Division II and III, and five years of high school officiating experience in his hometown of Philadelphia, officiating in the playoffs for both the men’s and women’s league. Washington is a Cum Laude graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Norfolk State University.
The Celtics are 2-8 in their last 10 games with Washington on the court. In a loss to the Pistons two seasons ago, Detroit shot 46 free throws to 15 for the Celtics, Rondo was ejected, and Tommy Heinsohn called it the worst officiated game all season (are you cringing yet?). In Game 2 vs the Heat in the 2012 playoffs, the Heat shot 47 free throws to 29 for the Celtics, in spite of the Celtics attacking the basket all night. There were bad calls throughout the 4th quarter and OT, all in the Heat's favor. Pierce, Pietrus, and Dooling all fouled out. LeBron was given 24 free throws all by himself.
The first loss last season was at Houston where the Celtics shot 17 free throws to 23 for the Rockets and the officiating wasn't bad. One win last season was vs the Bobcats in which the Celtics took 20 free throws to 24 for the Bobcats and the officiating was ok. The second loss last season was to the Cavs where both teams shot 24 free throws and the officiating was good. The second win last season was in OT vs the Hawks where the Celtics shot 20 free throws to 17 for the Hawks and the refs pretty much let them play. As with a lot of the refs, he can be good but he can also be very, very bad. The Grizzlies are 1-1 this season and 7-3 over their last 10 games with Washington on the court. His home W/L record this season is 9-3.
Nick Buchert
Nick Buchert enters his fourth NBA season having officiated 163 games. Buchert owns nine years of collegiate officiating experience. Additionally, he has officiated the 2010 NBA D-League Finals and 2010 NBA D-League All-Star Game.
He has only officiated 7 Celtics games in his career with a 6-1 record. He called just one game last season, a win over the Lakers in which LA shot 30 free throws to 25 for the Celtics and the officiating wasn't bad. He can be inconsistent in his calls, letting contact go in one game and calling it tight in the next. The Grizzlies are 7-3 in their last 10 games officiated by Buchert. His home W/L record this season is 5-4.
Josh Tiven
Joshua Tiven is entering his fourth NBA season having officiated 167 NBA games. Tiven has seven years of NCAA officiating experience, as well as two years of WNBA officiating experience and two seasons of WNBA Playoff experience. He also has worked three NBA D-League Finals, as well as the 2007-08 NBA D-League All-Star Game.
The Celtics are 1-0 this season, with the win over the Nets in the preseason. They are 6-4 over their last 10 games with Tiven. One loss last season was New York in OT in the preseason in which the Knicks shot 38 free throws to 33 for the Celtics. The second loss was also to the Knicks where the Knicks shot 18 free throws to 22 for the Celtics. One win was the Orlando game, also an OT game. The other wins were against the Sixers and the Suns. All of the games were fairly well officiated.
The Grizzlies are 6-4 over their last 10 games with Tiven on the court. Tiven lives in Connecticut and he has a twin brother who is a big Celtics fan and who was shown in the crowd at the Garden in a game he officiated there. His home W/L record this season is 7-4.