Celtics look to avenge their home loss to the 2-win Bucks

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Boston Celtics (7-11) at Milwaukee Bucks (2-13)
Saturday, November 30, 2013
9:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #19, Road Game #11
TV: CSN-NE, FSNWI, NBA-LP 759(DTV)757(xfinity)
Radio: WBZ, WTMJ
Bradley Center
Referees: James Capers, Olandis Poole, Leroy Richardson

Game Thread l Chat

CLNS Post Game Show
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The month of November mercifully comes to a close as the Celtics become the first team to reach 19 games. The Bucks have won just 2 games this season and one of them was against the Celtics. The Celtics will definitely be looking to avenge that loss in this game. These two teams will face each other again on Tuesday in Boston.

The Bucks have lost 11 games in a row while the Celtics have won 3 of their last 4. The Bucks are 1-6 at home while the Celtics are 4-6 on the road. Both teams are playing in the second of back to back games and both teams had to travel after their last game.

In their first meeting on November 1, the Celtics were up 22 with 7 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter. From that point, the Bucks went on a 41-23 run to tie the game. They then went on a 10-0 run over the final 2 minutes of the game to get the win. The Celtics rightfully felt like they let that one get away. This game will be about revenge. That, and it would be embarrassing if 2 of Milwaukee's 3 wins this season are courtesy of the Celtics.

Be sure to check out the CelticsBlog chat during the game and don't miss the CLNS Post Game Show right after the game. Your broadcast crew is Nick Gelso, Calvin Chamberlain and Matthew Fahey. Brian Langford 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 Lineup

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

Celtics Reserves

MarShon Brooks

Kris Humphries

Vitor Faverani

Phil Pressey

Gerald Wallace

Keith Bogans

Injuries

Rajon Rondo (ACL)out

Kelly Olynyk (ankle) day to day

Courtney Lee (knee) game time decision

Probable Starting Lineup

Brandon Knight...OJ Mayo...Khris Middleton...Ersan Ilyasova...Zaza Pachulia

Bucks Reserves

Nate Wolters

Gary Neal

Giannis Antetokounmpo

John Henson

Miroslav Raduljica

Luke Ridnour

Ekpe Udoh

Caron Butler

Injuries

Carlos Delfino (foot) out

Larry Sanders (thumb) out

Key Matchups

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Jared Sullinger vs Zaza Pachulia

In the first meeting between these two teams, Pachulia notched his first 20 point game since 2007. He also had a couple of very obvious flops, one of which got him a warning. Jared has to defend Pachulia and keep him away from the paint. He also needs to make him work on defense.

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Mayo is the Bucks leading scorer with 15.3 points per game. He is capable of having a big game on any given night. Avery's defense will be needed to keep Mayo off balance the entire game.

Keys to the Game

Run and Move the Ball - The Celtics play so well when they run and keep up a fast pace throughout the game. When they slow it down, they get into trouble. The also have to move the ball and find the open man. When they start over dribbling and try to do too much individually, they struggle.

Take Care of the Ball - The Bucks are 9th in the league in forcing turnovers with 16.29 a game. The Celtics at times get careless with the ball and turnovers can bury them. The Celtics have to take care of the ball and not give the Bucks easy points off turnovers.

Rebound - Rebounding is mostly effort and desire and the Celtics need to have both and they need to crash the boards as a team. They play best when the guards, along with the front line, go after every rebound.

Attack the Paint - At times the Celtics love the jumper and 3 point shots. When they fall, like they did against the Cavs, it's great. But, when they don't fall, it can get ugly. When they aren't falling, they need to get into the paint and drive to the hoop.

X-Factors

Fatigue and Revenge

Both teams are playing in back to back games and so whichever team is better conditioned and can handle the fatigue the best will come out the winners. The Bucks come from behind win over the Celtics to begin November has to be on the Celtics' minds as is revenge for that loss.

Official Report

James Capers

The son of former NBA official James Capers Sr., James Capers has officiated 1,049 regular season games, 55 Playoff games and two NBA Finals games during his 18-season NBA career. In addition to his NBA experience, Capers has six years of CBA officiating experience, including three CBA Finals and two CBA All-Star Games. The community-conscious Capers was the recipient of the 1998 Monarch Award as Chicago Sportsman of the Year for his career and community achievements. Capers also conducts NBA Read to Achieve programs at two Chicago Public schools -- Vanderpool and May Academy Elementary Schools.

I've seen several posts from Lakers fans who swear he hates the Lakers. At least he has that in his favor. In 2012, Capers called game 2 of the ECF and the officiating was terrible in that game. The Heat shot 47 free throws to 29 for the Celtics. Pierce, Dooling and Pietrus all fouled out. There were bad calls and missed calls throughout the game. Lebron James took 24 free throws himself, only 4 less than the entire Celtics team.

The Celtics are 1-0 this season and 6-4 over their last 10 games with Capers. The win this season was over the Jazz and the officiating wasn't bad. One loss last season was the Nets game that resulted in a brawl. Capers gave Doc a T for yelling to Rondo. They let the Nets get away with pushing and shoving and hard fouls the entire first half. The Nets shot 17 free throws to 5 for the Celtics in the first half and 3 of those free throws were on technicals. They did better in the second half after the brawl, but the refs' failure to call the game evenly in the first half led to the fight.

One win last season was over the Pacers. The refs let them play in the first half and then started calling more on the Celtics in the second half. The Pacers shot 28 free throws to 18 for the Celtics. Capers also called a flagrant 2 on KG, which resulted in his ejection. The league downgraded the flagrant 2 upon review which shows that it was a bad call. Another win was a 2 point win over the Bulls where the Bulls shot 17 free throws to 12 for the Celtics and they let a lot go both ways. The second loss last season was to the Heat where Miami shot 28 free throws to 13 for the Celtics and the game was pretty much called one sided for the Heat. The Bucks are 0-1 this season and 3-7 over their last 10 games. His W/L record this season is 7-5.

Olandis Poole

Poole joined the NBA officiating staff 10 years ago and has officiated 521 games. After three seasons in the NBA Development League, where he worked the postseason each year, Poole spent 12 years in the college ranks in the Southeastern Conference, Big East, Atlantic 10, Conference USA, Big 12, Southern Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, and Atlantic Sun Conference. He officiated the NCAA Tournament from 1996 through 2004, including the 2004 NCAA Final Four. While attending Newport News Apprentice School, he received Basketball MVP honors three out of four years.

The Celtics are 1-1 this season, losing by one point to the Knicks in the preseason. The win was over the Hawks in which the Celtics took 31 free throws to 12 for the Hawks. There were a few questionable calls that went the Celtics way and if there was a bias, it seemed to be toward the Celtics. The Celtics are 7-3 over their last 10 games with Poole as a ref. He called wins over Toronto, Denver, and Houston and the loss to the Kings last season. The officiating in all of those was fairly even. The Bucks are 1-1 this season and 6-4 in their last 10 with Poole. Unlike some refs, he isn't influenced by the home crowd. His home W/L record this season is 2-7.

Leroy Richardson

Leroy Richardson served his country for 12 years in the United States Navy (May 1982 – January 1994), and was the 1991 and 1992 Tactragrulant sailor of the year in Dam Neck, Va. He was also awarded the Navy Achievement Medal and two Good Conduct Medals. Richardson was an enlisted surface warfare specialist and underwater sea surveillance specialist, was deployed to the Mediterranean from August 1988 through February 1989 and was stationed in Keflavik, Iceland from April 1986 through May 1987.

After leaving the Navy, Richardson decided to pursue officiating full time. Since joining the NBA staff, he has officiated 1,041 regular season games and three playoff games over the past 18 seasons, and was a member of the crews that officiated the 2000 Schick Rookie Game, 2000 NBA All-Star Saturday and the 2003 Japan Games.

Richardson has three years of CBA officiating experience as well as 10 years of Pro-Am officiating experience, including the 1992 Pro Am Nationals. He also has three years of collegiate officiating experience in the Big East, Southeastern and Ohio Valley Conferences. Richardson spent eight years officiating in Virginia high schools, where he worked the VHSL State Tournament.

The Celtics are 0-1 this season and 6-4 in their last 10 games with Richardson on the court. The loss this season was to the Raptors in the first game of the season. The Celtics shot 29 free throws to 23 for the Raptors and the officiating was good. He called 4 games last season and no calls stand out in any of them, which is what you want from referees. The Bucks are 4-6 in their last 10 games officiated by Richardson. His home W/L record this season is 12-1.