Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2016 20:27:28 GMT -5
at 
Boston Celtics (0-1) at Atlanta Hawks (1-0)
Tuesday, April 19. 2016
7:00 PM ET
Round 1 Game [HASH]2 Road Game [HASH]2
TV: TNT, CSNNE, FSSE, TSN
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 92.9 FM The Game
Philips Arena
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs 
Isaiah Thomas vs Jeff Teague
Shooting Guard
vs 
Marcus Smart vs Kyle Korver
Small Forward
vs 
Jae Crowder vs Kent Bazemore
Power Forward
vs 
Amir Johnson vs Paul Millsap
Center
vs 
Jared Sullinger vs Al Horford
Celtics Reserves
Evan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
Jordan Mickey
Terry Rozier
James Young
Tyler Zeller
John Holland
Injuries
Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) questionable
Marcus Smart (finger) probable
Avery Bradley (hamstring) out
Head Coach
Brad Stevens
Hawks Reserves
Dennis Schroder
Kriis Humphries
Mike Scott
Lamar Patterson
Tim Hardaway Jr
Walter Tavares
Mike Muscala
Thabo Sefalosha
Kurt Hinrich
Tim Hardaway
Injuries
Tiago Splitter (hip) out
Head Coach
Mike Budenholzer
Game Notes
The Celtics entered game 1 of this series with a few bumps and bruises but with no injuries reported. The Celtics come into game 2 at considerably less than full strength. After trying to block a shot in game 1, Avery Bradley had to be helped off the court with what is reported as a significant hamstring injury. He is definitely out for this game and probably for the series. Without Bradley, the Celtics lose one of their best defenders, their second leading scorer, and one of their team leaders.
Brad Stevens has said that he may go with a traditional lineup or he may still go with small ball. There are 4 possibilities to start in place of the injured Avery Bradley: Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Evan Turner, and RJ Hunter. I've seen cases made for each of them. My guess is that it will be Marcus Smart but Evan Turner started when Jae Crowder was out and Rozier has played very well when given the chance this season and that would keep the second unit pretty much intact.
Regardless of who starts in Avery's place, Rozier, Hunter and Tyler Zeller need to be ready for an increased role in this game. Along with Avery's injury, Marcus Smart injured his finger and missed Sunday's practice. He practiced on Monday, however, and is expected to play in this game. Kelly Olynyk aggravated the shoulder injury that kept him out of 12 games after the All Star break. He missed practice on both Sunday and Monday and is questionable for this game. Jae Crowder is also still dealing with the ankle injury that sidelined him for 8 games. He said that he is probably 75 or 80 percent right now.
It seems as though the chips are stacked against the Celtics but they have defied the odds all year and seem to be at their best when their backs are against the wall. I certainly wouldn't bet against them. The Celtics went 3-3 without Bradley this season, including the Celtics' only win over the Hawks back in November. They also beat Golden State with Jae Crowder, one of their best defenders, sitting out the game.
The Hawks coach, Mike Budenholzer, has said that he may go with a Teague/Schroder back court to try to exploit the loss of Bradley. Schroder was a non-factor in game 1 as he missed all 6 of his field goal attempts in 11 minutes of play. Kyle Korver also struggled with just 2 points on 1-10 shooting. Paul Millsap also had just 14 points and 7 rebounds after averaging 25.3 points and 11 rebounds over the Hawks 3 wins in the regular season.
Key Matchups
vs 
Amir Johnson/Jared Sullinger vs Paul Millsap/Amir Johnson
The Celtics bigs have got to defend well against the Hawks big men. Millsap and Horford can hit from outside and are also very strong going to the basket. They have both had big games against the Celtics and it will be crucial for the Celtics to limit their effectiveness. Jared and Amir also have to hit their shots and play well on the offensive end.
vs 
Isaiah Thomas vs Jeff Teague
Teague is a handful for anyone to guard and so expect either Rozier or Smart, if they start to defend Teague and try to slow him down. It will be key for Isaiah to get his offense going. He has been dealing with a sore wrist on his shooting hand and scored 27 in game one, shooting just 8-21. They Celtics will need Isaiah to come up big for them in this game.
Honorable Mention
Bench Play
The Celtics will need to get production from their reserves in order to have a chance at getting a win. Their depth takes a hit with Avery out and Kelly questionable but each player must step up and contribute. The Hawks got big games from Mike Scott and Tabo Sefolosha off their bench in game 1 and the Celtics need someone to step up and come up big for them in this game.
Brad Stevens vs Mike Budenholzer
With the Celtics being short handed, Brad needs to make adjustments and use the right rotations to get the most out of the players and make up for the absence and limitations due to injuries. Coaching is going to be very important in this game with both coaches trying to make adjustments to counter the adjustments made by the opposing coach.
Keys to the Game
Start Strong - For two straight games, the Celtics have had to come back from big deficits. They were able to come back from 26 down and win by 10 against the Heat, but couldn't get the win after coming back from 19 down against the Hawks. The Celtics can't keep starting slow and getting behind big and expect to be able to come back and win. They need to come out strong to start the game and keep the effort up right until the final buzzer.
Defense - Defense wins games. It is the key to winning every game. The Celtics will miss Avery's defense but need to have every player step up and work harder to get stops as a team. Rozier has been solid on defense in the minutes he's played and Smart is still one of the better defenders in the league. They need to step up their game and get stops to keep the Hawks from having their way on offense.
Focus on Offense - The Celtics had open shots for the most part in the first half but shot just 21%. They have to find someone with a hot hand besides Isaiah to be able to score. The Celtics also have to realize that if the 3 pointers aren't falling, they need to go to the basket. The Hawks had 52 points in the paint to just 36 for the Celtics. The Celtics have to get into the paint more, especially if the 3's aren't falling. They have to focus on hitting shots whether inside or out.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the team that plays harder and that wants this win more, especially to start the game and then keep it up until the final buzzer. They have to be aggressive in diving for loose balls, in going to the basket, in getting stops on the defensive end, and in going after rebounds. They have to play harder and be more aggressive from start to finish. Their best hope to beat the Hawks is to play harder and with more energy.
Rebound - The Celtics need to put out the extra effort to grab rebounds. The Raptors aren't a great rebounding team and yet they beat the Celtics on the boards in game 1. The Celtics need to box out and fight for every rebound to prevent 2nd chance points for the Raptors and to give themselves extra possessions.
X-Factors
Injuries - The Celtics will miss Avery Bradley and will need every player to step up to help fill in for him. But, the injuries to Kelly Olynyk, Marcus Smart, Isaiah Thomas, and Jae Crowder could have an effect on the team, even if they are able to play. The Celtics need every one of them to be effective and overcome the limitations that the injuries cause.
Officiating - I say this every game but the officiating is an x-factor in every single game. We saw this first hand in game 1. The officials favored the Hawks the entire game and even the Hawks fans admitted it in their forums. Here are a few comments from the Hawks fans.
"Foul calls definitely going our way early."
"Celtics getting manhandled in the paint with no calls."
"[dang], Hawks getting all the calls."
"All the calls going our way and still the lead shrinks."
"Mommy, can we keep this referee crew?"
"Man, I'm loving these refs!"
"Refs trying to give us the game and we blowing it!"
"Celtics getting manhandled in the paint with no calls."
"[dang], Hawks getting all the calls."
"All the calls going our way and still the lead shrinks."
"Mommy, can we keep this referee crew?"
"Man, I'm loving these refs!"
"Refs trying to give us the game and we blowing it!"
The league admitted to making 3 crucial bad calls and non-calls against the Celtics in the final 2 minutes of the 1 point loss. I believe if the game was called fairly and competently the Celtics would have won it. In my opinion they owe us one and hopefully the Celtics get a fair shake in this one.
