Celtics pay a visit to Tony Allen and his Grizzlies

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Boston Celtics (0-3) at Grizzlies (1-2)
Monday, November 4, 2013
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #4, Road Game #3
TV: CSNNE, SSO-MEM, NBA-LP 755,756
Radio: WBZ, WMFS, 98.5 Sports Hub
Fed Ex Forum
Referees: David Jones, Tony Brown, JT Orr

Game Thread l Chat

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After 3 games, the Celtics are still searching for their first win. It won't get any easier in this game as they face a tough Grizzlies team. And to make it even tougher, the Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games on the road.

The Celtics have shown flashes of playing well and have been able to keep games close but they can't seem to get over the hump and pull it out at the end. Maybe that will come with experience and as chemistry develops. Or maybe it will come when the Celtics have a point guard running the offense down the stretch.

Brad Stevens seems to be settled on his starting lineup for now, having started the same group 3 games in a row. They should be able to build chemistry if he continues to start the same lineup. But beyond the starters, the rotations have been mix or match with no real pattern. But Murphy's law says that now that we expect the same lineup, he will change it.

It's been puzzling why Humphries has been benched for the past 2 games after pulling down 9 rebounds in the first game. Also, it's been puzzling as to why Pressey still is not seeing playing time when one of the problems the team has had is finding someone to run the offense consistently.

The Celtics need to put together a complete game in order to get their first win. Hopefully it will come in this game.

Probable Starting Matchups

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Avery Bradley vs Mike Conley

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Jeff Green vs Tony Allen

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Gerald Wallace vs Tayshaun Prince

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Brandon Bass vs Zach Randolph

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Vitor Faverani vs Marc Gasol

Celtics Reserves

Celtics Reserves

MarShon Brooks

Jordan Crawford

Kris Humphries

Kelly Olynyk

Phil Pressey

Jared Sullinger

Courtney Lee

Phil Pressey

Keith Bogans

Injuries

Rajon Rondo (ACL)out

Grizzlies Reserves

Jerryd Bayless

Quincy Pondexter

Mike Miller

Ed Davis

Kosta Koufos

Nick Calathes

Jamaal Franklin

Jon Leuer

Key Matchups

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Brandon Bass vs Zach Randolph

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Vitor Faverani vs Marc Gasol

Once again, the Celtics face a team that is strong inside. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol will give the Celtics all that they can handle at the power forward and center positions.

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 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. They turned the ball over 23 times against the Pistons. 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
Fatigue and Focus

The Celtics are playing in back to back games on the road. Young teams tend to lose focus on the road and the Celtics have to find a way to keep their focus on defense and winning from start to finish.

Official Report
David Jones
David Jones has officiated 1,435 regular season games and 59 playoff games throughout his 24 seasons as an NBA official. In addition, Jones officiated both the men’s and women’s 2000 Olympic Bronze Medal Games. Jones has eight years of collegiate officiating experience in the Southeastern, Trans-American Athletic, Metro and Sunshine State Conferences. Jones enjoys working with the community by volunteering with the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County in Florida and with the American Heart Association.

He was one of the refs who helped to train Tim Donaghy and was very outspoken in condemning Donaghy's actions and felt that Donaghy's actions took the "ethics and integrity of the profession and threw them out the window." I guess he hasn't looked very hard at the current crop of refs that lack ethics and integrity. The Celtics are 2-8 in their last 10 games with Jones while the Grizzlies are 5-5 in their last 10 with Jones. Although the opponents took more free throws than the Celtics in all 5 games last season, none were particularly terribly officiated. Jones' home W/L record this season is 2-0.

Tony Brown
Tony Brown has officiated 653 regular season games and two Playoff games in his first 11 seasons as an NBA official. Prior to joining the NBA, he officiated for four seasons in the NBA Development League and CBA and three seasons in the WNBA. During that time he worked the 2002 NBA D-League Finals, the 2002 WNBA All-Star Game and the 2001 CBA Finals. Brown attended Florida A&M prior to transferring to Clark Atlanta University, where he received his degree in Finance. As a member of the basketball team, Brown earned All-State honors at Amos P. Godby High School in Tallahassee, Fla.

The Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 games with Brown. Last season in a loss to the Spurs, they shot 20 free throws to 8 for the Celtics and the officiating was one sided in their favor for much of the game. In the win over the Rockets, they shot 29 free throws to 18 for the Celtics, but the officiating was okay. In an OT loss to Atlanta, the Hawks shot 36 free throws to 20 for the Celtics and the officiating was terrible and one sided in their favor. In a win over the Bulls, the Celtics shot 12 free throws to 17 for the Bulls and the refs pretty much let them play. Another game was a loss at Portland where the Blazers took 19 free throws to 15 for the Celtics and again, the refs let them play. His home W/L record is 2-0.

JT Orr
J.T. Orr enters his third NBA season having officiated 112 regular season games. Orr’s experience includes five seasons and 177 games officiated in the NBA D-League. He also has four seasons of NBA preseason experience and worked in NBA summer camps for nine years. In addition to his professional experience, Orr officiated collegiate games for 13 years, working the NCAA tournament in 2011 and including service for the PAC 10/12, West Coast, Big West Conference and multiple small college conferences. He also has 15 years of high school officiating experience.

Orr has called 5 games total for the Celtics, with a record of 1-4 in those games. One game last season was the loss in Denver where the Celtics shot 17 free throws to 31 for the Nuggets. The free throws in the first three quarters were 22-5 in Denver's favor and and only evened up somewhat in the 4th quarter after the game was out of the Celtics' reach. Another game he called was also against the Nuggets where the officiating was again terrible with the Nuggets shooting 36 free throws to 16 for the Celtics. The Grizzlies are 3-2 with Orr over his career. As with many young refs, he tends to be influenced by the home crowd. His home W/L record this season is 2-0.