Celtics (23-6) at Warriors (8-21) 12/28

[FLCeltsFan]

  at     

Boston Celtics (23-6) at Golden State Warriors (8-21)
Monday, December 28
10:30 PM ET
Game #30, Home Game #16
TV:  CSN-NE, CSN BA, NBA LP 758, 759
Oracle Arena



Probable Starters
  PG Rajon Rondo

  SG Ray Allen   

  SF  Tony Allen

  PF Kevin Garnett   

  C Kendrick Perkins

Reserves
Rasheed Wallace
Eddie House
Shelden Williams
JR Giddens
Bill Walker
Brian Scalabrine
Big Baby Davis   

Injuries
Marquis Daniels (thumb) out
Paul Pierce (knee)  out

D League
Lester Hudson 





Probable Starters
  PG  Stephen Curry

SG  Monta Ellis   

SF  Anthony Morrow   

  PF Corey Maggette 

  C  Anthony Randolph

Reserves   
Vladimir Radmanovic
Anthony Morrow
Speedy Claxton
Devean George
Chris Hunter
Ronny Turiaf

Injuries
Kelenna Azubuike (leg)  out
Raja Bell (wrist)  out
Andris Biedrins  (groin)  questionable
Mikki Moore  (heel)  out
Brandon Wright (shoulder)  out 

Team Connections
 Celtics Assistant Coach Clifford Ray played for the Warriors from 1974-81 and won a championship with Golden State in the 1974-75 season
Kelenna Azubuike and Rajon Rondo are former Kentucky Wildcats
Anthony Randolph and Glen Davis are former LSU Tigers
Corey Maggette played for Doc Rivers in Orlando during the 1999-2000 season
Brandan Wright and Rasheed Wallace attended the University of North Carolina..
Corey Maggette and Shelden Williams are former Duke Blue Devils…
Mikki Moore played for the Celtics during the 2008-09 and 2002-03 seasons
Speedy Claxton and Shelden Williams were teammates in Atlanta from 2006-08
Mikki Moore and Shelden Williams were teammates in Sacramento during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons

Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Stephen Curry 
Stephen Curry is a good young point guard and had been impressive so far in his rookie season.  Against Chris Paul recently, Curry had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.  He sometimes has lapses on defense and Rondo needs to be aggressive and take advantage of those lapses.   

vs
Ray Allen vs Monta Ellis
Ellis is averaging over 25 points per game and could be a tough matchup for Ray on defense.  Look for Tony to slide over and cover Ellis to allow Ray to concentrate more on his offense. 

Honorable Mention
Kevin Garnett vs Corey Maggette 
Maggette has been playing well for the Warriors and is averaging 17.6 ppg.  KG has a big height advantage in this matchup and so should be able to have a big game. 

Game Notes
• Celtics split the season series 1-1 against Golden State in 2008-09
• Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 21.0 points per game last season
• In his one appearance against the C’s, Corey Maggette netted 38 points for the Warriors
• The Celtics are 4-6 against Golden State since the 2004-05 season
• The Celtics are leading the all-time series 194-127 with the Celtics 108-34 at home

The Warriors' record isn't indicative of the talent on this team.  They have been devastated by injuires and have missed 124 player games to injuries so far this season. This is an average of  4.3 players out with injuries per game.   With all the injuries their lineups have been in constant flux.  But, in spite of all the injuries, here are some surprising stats:
The Warriors are 3rd in points per game at 106.3
They are 1st in the league in steals at 9.82 per game
They are first in fast break points with 23.0 per game
They are 1st in points off turnovers at 22.1 per game and
They are 1st in turnovers forced per game at 18.5

Also. they have a strong bench, and even with all the injuries, their bench is 4th in the league in scoring  with 36.8 points per game.  Their reserves have outscored their counterparts in 16 of their 29 games. 

The Warriors used just 6 players in a win over the Mavs on 11/24.  This is the first time that a team won using just 6 players since 1952 when the Baltimore Bullets beat the Fort Wayne Pistons using just 6 players. 

Former Celtic, Don Nelson, is just 16 wins away from becoming the winningest coach in the NBA.  He is currently at 1317 victories.  Currently in his 46th year in the NBA as a player, coach, GM or consultant, no one has
participated in more games as a player and head coach than the 3,398 that “Nellie” has notched in his career.   He played 14 seasons in the league, all with the Celtics, and won 5 championship rings as a Celtic. 

This team is not to be taken lightly.  They can score quickly and a lot. And they get into the passing lanes and can disrupt the offense.  The Celtics have to stay focused against them or they could end up with a loss. 

Keys to the Game
Defense - The Warriors can put points on the board quickly and in bunches.  It will be important for the Celtics to bring their defensive intensity into this game, especially shutting down their fast breaks. 

Rebound - The Celtics need to crash the boards to keep the Warriors from igniting their fast  breaks.  In the second game of back to backs, the Celtics legs may be getting tired and they can also give themselves some second chance points if they are aggressive in grabbing the rebounds. 

Take Care of the Ball - The Warriors can be very disruptive by getting into the passing lanes.  They average 9.82 steals a game and are best in the league at forcing turnovers.   The Celtics need to stay focused and not give the Warriors any easy opportunities to steal the ball. 

X-Factor
Fatigue
The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games and in the 3rd game of a 4 game road trip.  Their legs were looking tired in the second half of the Clippers game as they were short on a lot of jumpers.  Fatigue could be the difference in this game. 

[celticinorlando]

if the drop this one..i am on the bridge for sure

[RAcker]

if the drop this one..i am on the bridge for sure

Whoa...slow down there partner.  Or is this like Urban Myer.  I quit...wait...hiatus.  I'm scared of Saban...errr...it's my health...errr...my meal ticket Tebow is gone.

[celticinorlando]

if the drop this one..i am on the bridge for sure

Whoa...slow down there partner.  Or is this like Urban Myer.  I quit...wait...hiatus.  I'm scared of Saban...errr...it's my health...errr...my meal ticket Tebow is gone.

naw...just cant stomach boston playing down to competition....they SHOULD beat GS...

[jadams5214]

Well remember last year the C's lost to the Lakers and Warriors back to back.  Could this year be even worse with back to back losses against two of the worst teams in the NBA? 

[celticinorlando]

Well remember last year the C's lost to the Lakers and Warriors back to back.  Could this year be even worse with back to back losses against two of the worst teams in the NBA? 

please....stop...i am sick enough.....they have to beat GS and at LEAST split this road trip

[Rondo_is_better]

Warriors fans are obnoxious. Can we please shut them up, destroy the Warriors, bang the crap out of them with some hard fouls, win by 35, and go home with our rage taken out on this awful, awful team? Stephen Curry and Anthony need an intro demonstration entitled, "What's Really Up In The NBA. Yeah, YOU AINT READY YET". Just slam them to the earth. Explode on these obnoxious fans silence the building and irrevocably damage this Warriors team by giving them a shameful beatdown that they won't even talk about because of the fear.

[Atzar]

Decent test for a couple of our players in this one.  First of all, I want to see how Rondo plays after the end of that Clippers game.  He should come out with a point to make, and he can shred this team if he so desires.  Next, TA will get to deal with Ellis.  If he can hold his own in that matchup, I'll begin revising my opinion that he can't really help this team this year. 

[Tai]

Warriors fans are obnoxious. Can we please shut them up, destroy the Warriors, bang the crap out of them with some hard fouls, win by 35, and go home with our rage taken out on this awful, awful team? Stephen Curry and Anthony need an intro demonstration entitled, "What's Really Up In The NBA. Yeah, YOU AINT READY YET". Just slam them to the earth. Explode on these obnoxious fans silence the building and irrevocably damage this Warriors team by giving them a shameful beatdown that they won't even talk about because of the fear.

I was thinking we'd do that against the Clippers too, but I'll still give you a TP for flawless style. 

Also a TP to FLCelts, I have to admit I don't give you enough for making these topics, and you had this one ready in practically an hour after the Clippers game ended.

[BigBaby]

i think we got this. warriors have no defense. lakers blew them out by like 30 pts on the road. they suck when they get defended well.

only thing i worry about is its a back to back and we haven't shown a great response right after our other losses this season.

we got it though

[Kiorrik]

Oh dear, this game is on at 10:30, which is like 4:30 in the morning over here... Today is the first day that I haven't slept after watching a C's game, and so far, so good. I'll do it again tonight, I think. Will have to be in bed by like, 8? Ouch.

[P2]

I have a feeling we lose this one, too.

[Drucci]

TP FL.

I hope we don't lose this one too like last year.

I have mixed feelings : I think it's definitely a trap game and the Warriors energy could hurt us but I also feel that our guys will want to win in big fashion tonight... we will see if motivation is stronger than age and fatigue.

[arctic 3.0]

looking forward to seeing randolph play. from what i've heard he would be a great addition to our team.

[Donoghus]

Hate these back-end road games.  Especially coming off a loss.

I think we're in for another real fight tonight.