Celtics (5-1) at Thunder (3-2) 11/7

[FLCeltsFan]

 at  
Boston Celtics (5-1) at Oklahoma City Thunder (3-2)
Sunday, November 7
7:00 PM ET
Game #7 Road Game #3
TV:  NBA-TV, CSNNE,  FSOK, NBAC
Radio:  WEEI, WWLS
Oklahoma City Arena


Probable Starters
Point Guard
 vs  
Rajon Rondo  11.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 15.5 APG .483 FG%
Russell Westbrook  22.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 6.6 APG, .418 FG%

Shooting Guard
 vs  
Ray Allen  18.0 PPG,  3.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, .470 FG%
Thabo Sefolosha    3.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG,  2.0 APG,  .333 FG%

Small Forward
 vs  
Paul Pierce   19.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, .458 FG%
Kevin Durant  26.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG,  1.8 APG, .374 FG%

Power Forward
 vs  
Kevin Garnett   15.7 PPG,  9.8 RPG,  1.8 APG,  .500FG%
Jeff Green    19.4 PPG,  7.2 RPG,  0.6 APG,  .440 FG%

Center
  vs  
Jermaine O'Neal   6.4 PPG,  2.6 RPG,  1.9 BPG,  .500 FG%
Nenad Krstic    6.2 PPG,  4.8 RPG,  0.0 BPG,  .414 FG%





Boston Bench Mob
Marquis Daniels
Glen Davis
Luke Harangody
Nate Robinson
Von Wafer
Semih Erden


Injured
Kendrick Perkins (knee) out
Avery Bradley (ankle) day to day
Shaquille O'Neal (knee) day to day
Rajon Rondo (plantar fasciitis) probable
Delonte West (Suspended)



Thunder Reserves
Serge Ibaka
James Harden
Eric Maynor
Cole Aldrich
Daequan Cook
DJ White
Royal Ivey
Byron Mullens
Mo Peterson

Injured
Nick Collison (knee) out  

Team Connections
Nick Collison, Cole Aldrich and Paul Pierce all attended the University of Kansas
Jeff Green was originally drafted by the Celtics with the 5th overall pick in the 2007 Draft
Nick Collison and Ray Allen were teammates in Seattle from 2004‐07
Kevin Durant, Royal Ivey and Avery Bradley attended the University of Texas
Daequan Cook and Jermaine O’Neal were teammates in Miami 2009-10
Shaquille O’Neal and Daequan Cook were teammates in Miami 2007-08

Key Matchups
 vs  
Rajon Rondo vs Russell Westbrook
Rondo once again faces one of the top young PG's in the league.  These two PG's were vying for a spot on Team USA before Rondo withdrew and were was talk about which was the better PG.  Rondo always has a little extra motivation playing against the rising PG's in the league.  


 vs  
Paul Pierce vs Kevin Durant  
Kevin Durant is making a case for being the best player in the NBA and is already in MVP talks for this season and  Pierce will have his hands full trying to guard him.  Durant is also a good defender so this may be a tough game for Pierce all the way around.  

Honorable Mention
Kevin Garnett vs Jeff Green
This is the matchup that most favors the Celtics.  KG has a height and an experience advantage and should be able to use both of those to boost him to a big game.  

Game Notes  
Last Season the Celtics split  the series 1‐1 with the visiting team winning each game.   Kevin Garnett paced the Celtics with an average of 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last season.   Rajon Rondo also averaged 15.5 points, 8.5 assists and 4.5 steals per game against OKC.   Kevin Durant averaged 36.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game against the Celtics last season while Russell Westbrook averaged 18.0 points and 7.0 assists per game.

This is the first game of a tough 4 game road trip for the Celtics.  It is also the first of back to back games with a game vs the Mavericks looming on Monday night.   The Thunder are 1-1 at home while the Celtics are 1-1 on the road.   These two teams will meet again for the second and final time on  November 19 in Boston.  

Keys to the Game
Take Care of the Ball -  The Celtics have been up and down in this area but they tend to get sloppy for portions of games and turn the ball over way too much.  They need to take care of the ball and limit turnovers.  

Rebound - After doing a good job on the boards in most of their previous games,  the Celtics were out-rebounded 43-31 by the Bulls, which is one of the reasons the game was so close.  They have to do a better job on the boards to limit the Thunder's fast break and second chance opportunities.  

Defense -   The Celtics need to get back to their defense first mentality.   In the last two games, they have allowed way too many easy shots.  They have been turning on the defensive pressure when they need to down the stretch, but keeping up the defensive pressure all game would go a long way toward eliminating their tendency to give up big leads.  

Bench Play -  After a few disappointing outings, the Bench Mob finally came alive against the Bulls, outscoring their counterparts 37-19.  The starters have been playing way too many minutes and they need the bench to step up and given them a boost when they come in.  

Odd Fact
Thunder is a fitting moniker for the Oklahoma City franchise, not only as a reference to powerful storms in the area known as Tornado Alley. The Oklahoma City-based 45th Infantry Division carries Thunderbirds as its nickname, and that's a reference to the state's Native American heritage.

X-Factor
Rondo's Feet
As Rondo goes, so go the Celtics for the most part.  The Celtics need him healthy and in the lineup.  If he is limited or unable to play, they are in a bit of trouble, especially until Delonte comes back.  

[barefacedmonk]

Tough match up...hope we win.

TP FL.

[Jon Niednagel]

You have a picture of KG instead of PP in your key match-ups. Still a great thread. TP FL. Thanks for putting it together.

[FLCeltsFan]

You have a picture of KG instead of PP in your key match-ups. Still a great thread. TP FL. Thanks for putting it together.

TP for catching that for me.  I fixed it.  I guess that's what happens when you try putting together 2 game threads, a preview and gathering links all at the same time.

[GreenFaith1819]

Thanks for post, FLCeltsFan and TP4U!

Paul seems to get up for OKC and Durant. Looking to continue our win streak!

[jimmehx]

What options do we have if Rondo has to sit for extended periods?

Nate followed by... Wafer?

Gulp.

[j804]

What options do we have if Rondo has to sit for extended periods?

Nate followed by... Wafer?

Gulp.

Russ Westbrook will demolish either of them that could be ugly

[Drucci]

Tough game to start this road trip, but it should be a fun game against the young guys of OKC. My only concern is with Rondo, I hope his feet will be OK and I hope that Doc will rest him as needed too, although our offense goes south when he is off the floor. I also hope we don't play an OT this time, especially with the Dallas game tomorrow.

I won't watch it live but tomorrow morning with the League Pass.

TP FL and go Celtics!

[cornbreadsmart]

Big early season game against the already anointed MVP of the season.

[Mike-Dub]

TP FL.  Once again another excellent preview.

[ToppersBsktball10]

Real excited for this one. As a sophomore and as a scorer on the high school level, I love watching Durant. Should be a great game. C's win by 9.

[ManUp]

One of the few games I will get to see live this year.

Not going to miss a second.

Go Celtics!

[clover]

What options do we have if Rondo has to sit for extended periods?

Nate followed by... Wafer?

Gulp.

Russ Westbrook will demolish either of them that could be ugly

I think Daniels would be third in line and Allen fourth, but it'd still be ugly.

[Jon]

What options do we have if Rondo has to sit for extended periods?

Nate followed by... Wafer?

Gulp.

Russ Westbrook will demolish either of them that could be ugly

I think Daniels would be third in line and Allen fourth, but it'd still be ugly.

Though at least Nate presents a challenge for Westbrook defensively.  A lot of backup point guards would simply give him a break on the defensive end.  If Nate gets big minutes, he could go off for 20 points or more. 

Also, if push came to shove, we could put Ray on Westbrook and Nate on Thabo Sefolosha and dare the Thunder to run their offense through him.  While it wouldn't be ideal, it also could disrupt them, taking the ball out of Durant and Westbrook's hands. 

[gar]

Interesting matchups. C's have not done well against young athletic teams. KG will have his hands full with Jeff Green; but should dominate at Center if Shaq plays. Interesting if Erden gets to play against Kristic as they know each other from international play.