Raptors (48-21) at Celtics (41-30) Game #72 3/23/16

[FLCeltsFan]

at
Toronto Raptors (48-21) at Boston Celtics (41-30)
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game [HASH]72 Home Game [HASH]37
TV: CSNNE, TSN4, NBA-LP 752(DTV), 752(xfinity)
Radio: 100.7 WZLX, TSN Radio 1050
TD Garden



Probable Starters

Isaiah Thomas...Avery Bradley...Evan Turner ...Amir Johnson...Jared Sullinger

Celtics Reserves
Marcus Smart
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
Tyler Zeller
Jordan Mickey
Terry Rozier
James Young
Coty Clarke
Kelly Olynyk

Head Coach
Brad Stevens

Injuries
Jae Crowder (ankle) out




Probable Starters

Kyle Lowry...DeMar DeRozan...Norman Powell...Luis Scola...Bismack Biyombo

Raptors Reserves
Terrence Ross
Cory Joseph
Lucas Nogueira
Delon Wright
Bruno Caboclo
Jason Thompson

Head Coach
Dwane Casey

Injuries
Demarre Carroll (knee) out
Jonas Valanciunas (hand) questionable
James Johnson (plantar fasciitis) questionable
Patrick Patterson (ankle) questionable

Game Notes
The Celtics host the Toronto Raptors just 5 days after traveling to Toronto for a 105=91 loss to their division foes. The Raptors hold a 3-0 advantage in the series and the Celtics would love to get some revenge with a win in this game and to avoid a series sweep. The Raptors are 20-13 on the road while the Celtics are 24-12 at home.

The Celtics broke their 4 game losing streak with a win over the Sixers and followed that up with a win over the Magic. Both of those teams are lottery bound and so a win over the Raptors would big for them to show that they are indeed back on track. After this game they head out West for a 5 game road trip that will take them through Phoenix, Portland, Los Angeles (both Clippers and Lakers) and Golden State.

It would be nice to head out on the road with a 3 game win streak. Toronto has their own motivation for winning this game. A win in this game would clinch a playoff berth for the Raptors. It would also match a franchise best for wins in a season. The Raptors are also just 1.5 games behind the Cavaliers who have been struggling somewhat of late and the top spot in the East is a possibility for them.

The Celtics spent a day tied with Miami and Atlanta for 3rd in the East. With a win over the Pelicans on Tuesday, the Heat moved half a game ahead of the Celtics into sole possession of 3rd place. The Hawks are in 4th by virtue of owning the tie breaker. The Celtics are holding down the 5th spot while Charlotte is tied with the Celtics but are in 6th due to Boston owning that tie breaker.

Jonas Jerebko returned to the Celtics on Monday and hopefully shook off some rust in that game. Kelly Olynyk finally looked comfortable out on the court and the Celtics will need him to play well again in this game. Jae Crowder will miss his 6th straight game with an ankle injury. For the Raptors, Patrick Patterson, Jonas Valanciunas, and James Johnson all practiced on Tuesday but are listed as questionable for this game. Demarre Carroll is out with a knee injury.

vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Kyle Lowry
Lowry has given the Celtics problems in the past and he is playing very well, averaging 21.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Lowry scored 32 points in their last meeting, including 5 three pointers. It will be important for the Celtics to slow Lowry down and keep him from having another big game.

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Avery Bradley vs DeMarr DeRozan
DeRozan is Toronto's leading scorer and is going to be a tough cover. He is averaing 23.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. DeRozan scored 34 points in January's game between these two teams. In Friday's meeting he finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. It's important for the Celtics to slow both of Toronto's high scoring back court players down.

Honorable Mention
Amir Johnson vs Luis Scola
Scola is averaging 8.6 points and 5 rebounds but really likes playing against the Celtics. He put up 18 points in January's game and added 17 points, all in the first quarter, on Friday. Amir needs to keep him from having another big game in this one. Amir has played very well in the last 3 games and hopefully will give them a boost in this one against his former team as well.

Keys to the Game
Defense
Defense has always been and always will be the key to winning. The Celtics have let their defense slip in recent games and the loss of Jae Crowder is definitely a blow to their ability to defend. They need to play particularly tough defense against the Raptors since they are capable of putting up a lot of points in a hurry. The Raptors hold opponents to just 98.3 points, good for 5th in the league. The Celtics have to match that defensive intensity.

Be Aggressive
The Celtics must be aggressive on defense, in going after loose balls, in crashing the boards, and just all around going all out. They have to aggressively attack the basket. They need to start the game with that aggressive attitude and be aggressive through the whole game with no let up.

Rebound
The Celtics must crash the boards. They can't score if they don't have the ball. Much of rebounding is effort and desire. The Celtics have to be the team that puts out more effort from every player to go after rebounds. The Celtics are 3rd in 2nd chance points and to get 2nd chance points they must first get the rebounds. They have to put out extra effort to box out and grab rebounds on both ends of the court.

Run and Move the Ball
The Celtics need to run on every possession and get up the court before the defenses get set up. When the Celtics slow down, they don't play very well and so they need to run throughout the game. They also have to move the ball and find the open man. The ball stopped moving on their recent losing streak. The Celtics need to keep the ball moving and not lapse into hero ball.

Focus
The Celtics need to stay focused. The Celtics have got to focus on taking good shots and finding the open man. The Raptors have won 33 consecutive games when they hold opponents under 100 points. The Celtics have to focus and not allow the Raptors tough defense to derail them. They also have to keep their focus on defense and not allow the Raptors to get easy and open shots. In Friday's game against the Raptors, the Celtics turned the ball over 7 times in the first quarter and 6 times in the 4th quarter with 3 more in between. The Celtics can't lose focus and allow the Raptors to get easy fast break points off of steals.

X-Factors
Revenge Factor - Amir would love to get a win against his former team and the Celtics, as a team, feel they owe the Raptors some payback after the 3 losses to them. Can the Celtics use that as motivation to play hard and smart enough to get a win?

Home Factor - The last two losses to the Raptors were in Toronto. The loss in Boston was way back in the 2nd game of the season when the Celtics started Marcus Smart, David Lee and Tyler Zeller. They have come a long way since then and hopefully the home crowd will give them the boost they need to win this game.

Officiating Factor - Officiating is always an x-factor. How the refs call the game has a big influence on how the teams play. Will they let them play or call every little bit of contact? Will they call it evenly or will they favor one team or the other. Will they be influenced by the home crowd or will they call it fairly for both teams? It all effects the outcome of the game.

[jmost]

Good win against a team that's been a tough matchup.

I am loving Evan Turner's newfound 3 point shot. It was really the only major hole in his game. I definitely want him back next year and I think he will be.

Smart continues to struggle mightily on offense. I understand even great shooters go through slumps, and that BS wants his guys to take open 3s that present themselves, but is it too much to ask that he pass the ball to his teammate who is also open and is shooting much better? I am not seeing Smart playing smart.

IT also continues to grow on me. For a long time, even after he was named an All-Star, I doubted he was really good enough to be a starter on a championship-level team. I thought his game had too much dribble and not enough pass, but he's really picked up his playmaking - at least to my eyes - and you have to love his attitude. Not enough pro players in any sport have fun out there. Speaking of which, I liked this article about GS and Steve Kerr.

www.si.com/nba/2016/03/23/golden-state-warriors-practices-stephen-curry-steve-kerr

[FLCeltsFan]

I agree jmost that it was a good win! Raptors fans are pointing to the fact that they didn't have Lowry but we didn't have Jae either. One of their best offensive players and one of our best two way players. So no excuses.

Smart's confidence is very low right now. You can see it when he goes to shoot. He has a slight hesitation and because of that he is still struggling. He even struggles with layups. He just needs for a couple to go in and build up his confidence. The fact that he seems to have gotten a reputation with the refs as a flopper and a dirty player doesn't help him. He's not getting calls. There were 3 times in this game when he clearly should have gotten a call and didn't. They pretty much let them play last night but the calls went against Smart rather than just letting things go.

I love IT. He is playing great and his passing has been getting better and better. And I love ET. He's playing an excellent all around game. I really hope he comes back next year. I've read reports that New York is going to make a big push to sign him. I'm hoping he realizes how good Brad Stevens has been for his career and comes back even if NY offers him more.

[FLCeltsFan]

I love the fact that Isaiah has fun playing. I used to love Ricky Davis for the same reason. Yes, he was a head case at times but he loved playing the game and had fun when he was on the court. As I type this I'm watching a replay of last night's game and have to chuckle watching Isaiah guarding Valanciunas on a switch. He gave it his all but it looked funny. Then he went to the other end and shot a hook shot over him. That's just fun!!