|
|
Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 2, 2019 17:22:08 GMT -5
 at  Houston Rockets (37-25) at Boston Celtics (38-25)
Sunday, March 3, 2019
3:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game [HASH]64, Home Game [HASH]34
TV: ABC
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 790 AM KBME
TD Garden Probable Starting Matchups Point Guard  vs  Kyrie Irving vs Chris Paul
Shooting Guard  vs  Marcus Smart vs James Harden Small Forward  vs  Jayson Tatum vs Eric Gordon Power Forward  vs  Marcus Morris vs PJ Tucker Center  vs  Al Horford vs Clint Capela  ReservesSemi Ojeleye Terry Rozier Daniel Theis Brad Wanamaker Robert Williams Guerschon Yabusele Gordon Hayward Jaylen Brown InjuriesAron Baynes (foot) possible Two Way PlayersPJ Dozier RJ Hunter Head CoachBrad Stevens   ReservesChris Chiozza Gary Clark Isaiah Hartenstein Terrence Jones Nene Austin Rivers
Injuries Kenneth Faried (hip) probable Eric Gordon (knee) probable Gerald Green (illness) questionable Iman Shumpert (calf) doubtful Two Way PlayersVince Edwards Danuel House Head CoachMike D'Antoni
Game Notes The Celtics conclude their 3 game homestand with a visit from the Houston Rockets. These two teams split the series last season with each team winning on their home court. This is the second and final meeting of these two in the regular season. The Rockets won 127-113 on December 27 in Houston. The Celtics are 5th in the East, 2.5 games behind the 4th place Sixers and 3.5 games behind the 3rd place Pacers. The Celtics are 4-6 in their last 10 games and are looking for their 2nd straight win. The Celtics are 24-9 at home and 10-12 vs Western Conference teams. The Houston Rockets are 5th in the West, 1 game behind 4th place Portland and 2.5 games behind 3rd place Oklahoma City. They are 1.5 games ahead of 6th place Utah. The Rockets are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a 4 game win streak coming into this game. They are 15-16 on the road and 15-8 against Eastern Conference teams. The Celtics may get a boost from the return of Aron Baynes, who would definitely help against Clint Capela. Iman Shumpert, who was injured on Wednesday is doubtful for this game. Kenneth Faried and Eric Gordon both missed Thursday's game but are both listed as probable for this game. Gerald Green started for Gordon on Thursday, but is questionable for this game with a strep throat. Key Matchups vs Marcus Smart vs James Harden James Harden is averaging an amazing 36.6 points along with 6.6 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game this season. We know that in the past, Smart has taken up residence in Harden's head and hopefully he can do the same in this game. Harden is not known for playing great defense and so the Celtics may be able to take advantage of that on offense. vs Kyrie Irving vs Chris Paul Chris Paul missed the game in Houston and so this will be the first matchup between these two point guards this season. Paul is averaging 16.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. Most of the Rockets' offense revolves around Harden these days, but CP3 is very capable of putting up big numbers also and so Kyrie is going to have to play defense as well as playing well on the offensive end himself. Honorable MentionAl Horford vs Clint Capela Capela is averaging 17.0 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 blocks. In the first meeting between these two teams in December, Capela put up 24 points and 19 rebounds. The Celtics will need to keep him off the boards especially.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is always a key to every game. The Celtics beat the Wizards with defense and if they hope to win this game they are going to need the same in your face lock down defense against the Rockets. The Rockets are averaging 113.4 (11th) points per game of 112.1 (25th). The Celtics are averaging 112.1 (15th) points per game and have a defensive rating of 105.7 (5th). If the Celtics play the defense they are capable of, they can win this game. The Rockets average 118.6 points in their wins and 105.8 points in their losses. Teams that play tough defense can beat them. Rebound - In order to score, the Celtics need the ball and to get the ball, they will need to crash the boards as a team. They can't allow the Rockets to own the boards, which will limit the Celtics fast breaks as well as their second chance points. Houston averages 41.5 rebounds while the Celtics average 44.9 rebounds per game. When the Celtics put out extra effort on the boards, it usually carries over into the rest of their game. The Rockets are 10th in 2nd chance points with 13.6 per game. The Celtics can limit these by beating the Rockets to the rebounds. Energy and Aggressiveness - The Celtics need to play physical ball and be aggressive on both ends of the court. They have to come out and play hard from start to finish with no let up. It seems when the Celtics get a lead, they stop being aggressive, as we have seen many times this season. They have to be aggressive and they have to play like the team that wants it more for 48 minutes.
Move the Ball and Stay Focused - The Celtics need to move the ball and find the open man. They did this against the Wizards and need to continue to do this even more against the Rockets. They also need to make careful passes because the Rockets are 7th with 18 points off turnovers. If the Celtics lose focus and turn the ball over, the Rockets will make them pay. X-Factors Home Game - The Celtics are playing at home once again and should get a boost from the home crowd that will hopefully be loud and rowdy and cheering them on. The Rockets have won 6 of their last 9 on the road, but had lost 10 of 14 on the road before that. The Celtics need to play well so that the crowd will be loud and rattle the Rockets.
Momentum and Energy - The Celtics finally started to play the right way and showed their defensive identity against the Wizards. They need to build on that win and carry the momentum and the energy they played with in the 4th quarter of that game into this game. |
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Mar 3, 2019 9:00:13 GMT -5
I was looking at the standings and was surprised to see that we still have a good shot at the [HASH]3 seed in the East if we finish strong. Beating a good Houston team today would be a nice way to kick off the stretch drive.
Great to have Baynes back. I feel his importance is often underrated.
|
|
|
|
Post by eja117 on Mar 3, 2019 15:59:02 GMT -5
Listening to Hubie Brown right now is hilarious. He's like "Boston is totally out of sync with no aggression and it's just depressing." I'm like "Yup. He's got us pegged."
|
|
|
|
Post by eja117 on Mar 3, 2019 15:59:57 GMT -5
I had no idea Boston is one of the few teams in the top 10 both offense and defense and top 5 defense, for all our problems. That sounds incredible to me. Maybe the league is having a down year or something or we played mostly cup cakes
|
|
|
|
Post by eja117 on Mar 3, 2019 16:04:55 GMT -5
I'm beginning to think if I had to listen to someone other than Tommy I'd consider Hubie Brown. Although I do think at one point he ran out of things to say during the NBA Draft.
|
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Mar 3, 2019 16:53:46 GMT -5
Terrible at both ends in the first half. We'll see if they show a little pride in the second half.
|
|
|
|
Post by runrondo on Mar 3, 2019 17:26:53 GMT -5
Ugh. We are trending downward at the worst time.
|
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Mar 3, 2019 21:10:15 GMT -5
What stood out to me in this game is how different our results are when we play aggressively vs passively. When we attack - at both ends - the results are dramatically better. Why we are so inconsistent is another question, and maddening, but to me it shows that the problem isn't talent as much as it is attitude.
On another note, Morris is really struggling and I think Brad needs to be thinking about moving someone else into the starting lineup - Brown or Baynes I think, maybe depending on the size of the opponent.
|
|
|
|
Post by Roadrunner on Mar 3, 2019 22:31:15 GMT -5
I watched the first half, via espn.com. BOS had no offense sequence, where HOU is like Harden ISO, Harden to Capella, Harden to the other 3 for 3-points. Brown had some nifty ISO plays. More or less, the difference in the game was the 3-ball.
|
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Mar 4, 2019 7:52:42 GMT -5
Doesn't it often seem like the other team is getting easy, open shots or layups while we're taking fallaway 3's? Sometimes I wonder about Brad's offense. At times the ball moves and the offense hums, but too often it looks awful out there. Is it the system or the execution?
|
|
|
|
Post by mev17 on Mar 4, 2019 9:37:59 GMT -5
Doesn't it often seem like the other team is getting easy, open shots or layups while we're taking fallaway 3's? Sometimes I wonder about Brad's offense. At times the ball moves and the offense hums, but too often it looks awful out there. Is it the system or the execution? I agree that shot selection is a major weakness of this team, dating back to even last year. I am not so sure it is the design of the offense so much as how Stevens manages his players. Judging by some comments I have read from him in tbe past, particularly re Smart, he seems to want his players to be confident shooters, so he does not discourage them from shooting. IMO that has allowed some players to get too trigger happy at times, and so the offense digresses. I think he needs to treat players who take too many bad shots the same as those who do not play hard and sit them down, and show them why he is sitting them down. |
|
|
|
Post by Roadrunner on Mar 4, 2019 19:13:20 GMT -5
Doesn't it often seem like the other team is getting easy, open shots or layups while we're taking fallaway 3's? Sometimes I wonder about Brad's offense. At times the ball moves and the offense hums, but too often it looks awful out there. Is it the system or the execution? I agree that shot selection is a major weakness of this team, dating back to even last year. I am not so sure it is the design of the offense so much as how Stevens manages his players. Judging by some comments I have read from him in tbe past, particularly re Smart, he seems to want his players to be confident shooters, so he does not discourage them from shooting. IMO that has allowed some players to get too trigger happy at times, and so the offense digresses. I think he needs to treat players who take too many bad shots the same as those who do not play hard and sit them down, and show them why he is sitting them down. An interesting observation. Here are a few takes: 1. Brown - I noticed takes a lot of low percentage shots, however by default. He drives to the hoop without an action plan if the defense collapses on him. 2. Rozier - I realize it is a contract year, however he tries to squeeze starter shots in a bench role. 3. Horford - I really wished he shot more. % wise, best on the team. |
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Mar 5, 2019 21:22:25 GMT -5
I think Rozier is gone after this year. He clearly would like to play more - and I don't blame him - but I don't see there being more minutes for him if Kyrie is back next year. Frankly he's been pretty bad this year. He looked so promising last March through May, but he has regressed.
If we can get something for him via a sign and trade, then great, but if we can't, I think we need to move on and find someone who can run the offense but doesn't feel like he needs to get a lot of shots for himself - which brings me to this question:
Would you welcome Rondo (who is a free agent) back in a back-up PG role? Danny has shown (with Antoine) that he's willing to give guys a second shot. Do you think Rondo would work if surrounded by guys who can shoot?
|
|
|
|
Post by Roadrunner on Mar 6, 2019 18:56:17 GMT -5
I think Rozier is gone after this year. He clearly would like to play more - and I don't blame him - but I don't see there being more minutes for him if Kyrie is back next year. Frankly he's been pretty bad this year. He looked so promising last March through May, but he has regressed. If we can get something for him via a sign and trade, then great, but if we can't, I think we need to move on and find someone who can run the offense but doesn't feel like he needs to get a lot of shots for himself - which brings me to this question: Would you welcome Rondo (who is a free agent) back in a back-up PG role? Danny has shown (with Antoine) that he's willing to give guys a second shot. Do you think Rondo would work if surrounded by guys who can shoot? I think Rozier plays better with starter players versus bench players. Yes. I was hoping LAL would buy out Rondo. However, would Stevens want Rondo? Doc Rivers had love/hate relationship with Rondo. |
|
|
|
Post by eja117 on Mar 6, 2019 19:55:34 GMT -5
I think Rozier is gone after this year. He clearly would like to play more - and I don't blame him - but I don't see there being more minutes for him if Kyrie is back next year. Frankly he's been pretty bad this year. He looked so promising last March through May, but he has regressed. If we can get something for him via a sign and trade, then great, but if we can't, I think we need to move on and find someone who can run the offense but doesn't feel like he needs to get a lot of shots for himself - which brings me to this question: Would you welcome Rondo (who is a free agent) back in a back-up PG role? Danny has shown (with Antoine) that he's willing to give guys a second shot. Do you think Rondo would work if surrounded by guys who can shoot? I think Rozier plays better with starter players versus bench players. Yes. I was hoping LAL would buy out Rondo. However, would Stevens want Rondo? Doc Rivers had love/hate relationship with Rondo. I really don't think Brad would want Rondo and I doubt Rondo would want Brad. They are a bad match. |
|
