Post by FLCeltsFan on Dec 25, 2014 23:32:55 GMT -5
at
Images courtesy of Fanatics.com
Brooklyn Nets (12-15) at Boston Celtics (10-16)
Friday, December 26, 2014
1:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game [HASH]27, Home Game [HASH]16
TV: CSNNE, YES, League Pass 751(DTV), 751(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WFAN
TD Garden
Images courtesy of Fanatics.com
Brooklyn Nets (12-15) at Boston Celtics (10-16)
Friday, December 26, 2014
1:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game [HASH]27, Home Game [HASH]16
TV: CSNNE, YES, League Pass 751(DTV), 751(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WFAN
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Jameer Nelson vs Jarrett Jack
Shooting Guard
vs
Avery Bradley vs Sergey Karasev
Small Forward
vs
Jeff Green vs Joe Johnson
Power Forward
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Kevin Garnett
Center
vs
Tyler Zeller vs Mason Plumlee
Celtics Reserves
Phil Pressey
Evan Turner
Brandon Bass
Tyler Zeller
Gerald Wallace
Jameer Nelson
Jae Crowder
Brandan Wright
Injuries
Marcus Thornton (calf) out
James Young (shoulder) probable
Nets Reserves
Alan Anderson
Markel Brown
Cory Jefferson
Jerome Jordan
Mirza Teletovic
Brook Lopez
Bojan Bogdanovic
Darius Morris
Brandon Davies
Injuries
Deron Williams (calf) day to day
Game Notes
The Celtics and Nets meet for the 4th time this season and the 2nd time in the regular season. The Celtics beat the Nets twice in the preseason and then again on opening night of the regular season. The Nets are looking for their first 3 game win streak this season while the Celtics are hoping to avoid a 3 game losing streak.
The Celtics are a much different team from the one that faced them on opening night. Gone is Rajon Rondo and in his place will be either Jameer Nelson or Marcus Smart. In spite of the slow start that the Celtics got with Nelson in their last game, he played very well down the stretch and so it's possible that Nelson will get the start again in this one.
Deron Williams has been out with a calf injury and is day to day for this game. If Williams can't go again, Jarrett Jack, who always plays well against the Celtics, will once again get the start. Brook Lopez has been coming off the bench since coming back from a back injury as Mason Plumlee has been playing very well in the starting spot.
The Celtics are 7-8 at home while the Nets are 5-8 on the road. The Celtics trail the Nets by just 1.5 games in the Eastern Conference for the 8th playoff spot.
Key Matchups
vs
Jeff Green vs Joe Johnson
Johnson leads the Nets in scoring at 16.7 points per game. It will be key for Jeff Green to slow him down if the Celtics expect to get the win.
vs
Tyler Zeller vs Mason Plumlee
Plumlee has been playing very well in the starting spot since Brook Lopez went down with a back injury. He is averaging 18.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks as a starter in his last 7 games. Zeller has also been playing very well for the Celtics and this should be a good test for him.
Honorable Mention
Jared Sullinger vs Kevin Garnett
This is the student vs the teacher. Sully has been struggling somewhat, especially since Rondo was traded, to the point where he was benched for the entire second half of the last game. Sully is a proud player and that should fire him up to play well along with playing against his former mentor to show that he learned his lessons well. KG also has a lot of pride and will do his best not to let Sully get the better of him. This should be a good matchup, assuming that Brad Stevens gives him a chance to redeem himself and starts him in this one.
Keys to the Game
Pace and Space - The Celtics must run and move the ball and get open shots. Running on every possession will also allow them to get easy shots before the defenses can get set up. They can also wear the older Nets down if they can keep the pace up.
Rebound - The Celtics can't score if they don't have the ball. They have to rebound from every position on the court in order to give themselves extra possessions and to limit the Nets' fast break opportunities and second chance baskets. They all have to make an effort on the boards to make up for the loss of Rondo, who was one of the Celtics better rebounders.
Defense - Defense is always the key to winning. The Nets allow only 98.4 points per game while the Celtics allow a whopping 104.3 points per game. The Celtics absolutely must find ways to get stops.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics seem to either start out fast and build an lead and then slack off and let the other team back into the game. Or, they start slow and dig a big hole and then have to play very hard to catch up and come up just short. They have to play hard from start to finish and avoid those slumps.
Be Aggressive - When the Celtics are aggressive, they are tough to beat. They must be the more aggressive team in going after loose balls, in rebounding, on defense and just play harder in general.
X-Factors
Focus and Revenge
The Celtics seem to lose focus and go through periods when they can't hit a shot and seem to throw the ball away on every possession. Can the Celtics keep their focus in this one? The Nets will be looking to avenge 3 losses to the Celtics. Will that give them an extra push to play harder?