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Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« on: January 31, 2012, 10:30:24 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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  vs 
Toronto Raptors (7-15) at Boston Celtics (10-10)
Wednesday, February 1
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #21, Home Game #13
TV:  CSNNE, SNET1,  NBA-LP 754
Radio:  CJCL,  WEEI
TD Garden 




Probable Starters
PGSGSFPFC
PG: Avery Bradley
SG:  Ray Allen   
SF:  Paul Pierce
PF:  Kevin Garnett
C:   Jermaine O'Neal

Celtics Reserves
Brandon Bass
E'twaun Moore
Greg Stiemsma
JaJuan Johnson
Sasha Pavlovic
Marquis Daniels
Mickael Pietrus

Injured
Keyon Dooling (hip) day to day
Rajon Rondo (wrist)  day to day




Probable Starters
PGSG SF PFC
PG:  Jose Calderon   
SG: Jerryd Bayless
SF: DeMar DeRozan
PF: James Johnson
C:   Amir Johnson

Raptors Bench
Ed Davis 
Jamaal Magloire
Gary Forbes
Anthony Carter
Solomon Alabi
Rasual Butler 
Linas Kleiza
Aaron Gray
Leandro Barbosa

Injuries
Andrea Bargnani  (calf)  out

Team Connections
Rajon Rondo, Raptors Head Coach Dwane Casey and Jamaal Magloire all attended the University of Kentucky
Jermaine O’Neal played in Toronto during the 2008-09 season
Linas Kleiza and Keyon Dooling both went to the University of Missouri
Keyon Dooling and Rasual Butler were teammates on the Miami Heat during the 2004-05 season
Rasual Butler and Brandon Bass were teammates in New Orleans from 2005-07
Brandon Bass and Jamaal Magloire were teammates in Dallas during the 2007-08 season.

Key Matchups
  vs 
Ray Allen vs Jerryd Bayless
Bayless gives up a couple inches to Ray, but he has the speed to stay with Ray as he runs through screens trying to get open.  Ray has been shooting the ball well since his return and if Bayless leaves him open, hopefully Ray can make him pay. 

  vs 
Paul Pierce vs DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan has been one of the bright spots for the Raptors and has been playing well.  Pierce came up limping in the 4th quarter of the Cavs game but he seemed to shake it off.  Hopefully he will be ok for this game. The Celtics win streak coincided with Pierce's return to playing well.  The Celtics need his versatility and ability to give the team whatever it needs on any given night.   

Honorable Mention
Benches
With both teams playing back to back, their benches will be important in this game.  The deeper team whose bench contributes will be the team that comes out on top. 

Keys to the Game
Rebound -  The Celtics have got to crash the boards to prevent second chance points.  They out rebounded their opponents during their win streak However, they were out rebounded in both of their games vs Cleveland.  Being out-rebounded 39-28 in the second game almost led to a second lost lead loss in a row.  The effort they put out on the boards will usually spread to other areas of the game.  The team that wins the rebounding battle more times than not will win the game. 

Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics tend to turn the ball over way too much at times.  They will make a run in a game to tie it or take the lead and then they will turn the ball over several times only to dig themselves into a hole.  They have to make smarter passes and pay attention to the opponents so as not to allow them to get an easy steal.  They also have to handle the ball better and not drive into a crowd only to lose possession of the ball.

Defense -  The Celtics must make defense a priority in each and every game.  Their defense was excellent in beating the Magic and Pacers recently and then they lapsed into  lax defense against the Cavs.  They played great defense while building a 21 point lead in the second game but let up on defense and allowed the Cavs to come back to within 2.     They must play strong defense all game.  With the Raptors, they must particularly guard the perimeter as they love to shoot from beyond the arc.   
 
Make Shots and Take Advantage of Opportunities -  There are times when it seems as though no one on the Celtics can hit the broad side of a barn.  They miss jumpers, layups, 3 pointers, and shots in the paint.    This inability to hit shots keeps them from taking advantage of opportunities.   

Hustle and Effort
The Celtics were out-hustled in both games against the Cavs.  The Cavs beat them to loose balls, to rebounds and in hustling on defense in the 4th quarter.   The Celtics need to show effort and hustle for 4 quarters, no matter the opponent.  They can't take any opponent for granted.   

Game Notes
This is the 4th meeting this season between these two division foes. The Celtics won both preseason games between then and also beat them 96-73 in their first regular season meeting.  The Raptors haven't won in Boston since 2008 (7 games).   The Celtics have clawed their way back to .500 and could have a winning record for the first time this season with a win here. 

This is another team that could present a trap for the Celtics.  If they get too over confident as they did against the Cavs and let up on effort at any time during the game, they could very well be surprised.   They have to treat every opponent, regardless of record, as a serious foe and play them tough from start to finish. 

Both teams are playing in the second of back to back games and both teams had to travel the night before.  The Raptors played the Hawks at home on Tuesday night and the Celtics played the Cavs in Cleveland.  The Raptors are 5-9 on the road and the Celtics are 6-6 at home. 

Doc has said that Rondo could be back for this game or more likely for Friday's game against the Knicks.  We've heard this one before and I'm not counting him in until I see him on the court or hear Doc say he's definitely playing. 


X-Factors

Focus and Desire
The Celtics lost focus against the Cavs and allowed them to score 12 straight points down the stretch of their loss to them at home. They then gave up a 21 point lead to just barely win by 3 on the road.   They must keep their focus and play good basketball for 48 minutes, even against the teams with the worst records.   If they want this win badly enough, and don't self destruct,  they should be able to get it. 

Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2012, 10:35:57 PM »

Offline letsgoblue86

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TP, Go Celtics! Nice work, let's make it two in a row!

Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2012, 12:09:00 AM »

Offline bfrombleacher

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Back to .500. Starting over fresh, like its 0-0. Let's get back over .500!

And how fitting it is that the Raptors are going to be our stepping stone. The Generals to our Globetrotters.

TP.

Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2012, 12:16:28 AM »

Offline ACF

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TP. Go Celtics!

Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #4 on: February 01, 2012, 12:26:52 AM »

Offline j804

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Back to .500. Starting over fresh, like its 0-0. Let's get back over .500!

And how fitting it is that the Raptors are going to be our stepping stone. The Generals to our Globetrotters.

TP.

Agreed now hopefully with Rondo back within the next couple games and on after we can finally see what we're made of. I know everybody's throwing this team under the bus but watch them prove everybody wrong. Rondo is instant energy and more fuel for everybody at the end of games, he obviously breaks down the defense and make things easier on our big three. I'm amped to see what we're looking like as a unit.
"7ft PG. Rondo leaves and GUESS WHAT? We got a BIGGER point guard!"-Tommy on Olynyk


Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2012, 06:43:33 AM »

Offline jdz101

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Bradley's pressure should work well against Calderon, who has been known as a turnover machine.


how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck was chris bosh?

Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #6 on: February 01, 2012, 03:56:14 PM »

Offline j804

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Who is going to lay Kleiza on his tail today?

JO, Bass?
"7ft PG. Rondo leaves and GUESS WHAT? We got a BIGGER point guard!"-Tommy on Olynyk


Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2012, 06:59:50 PM »

Offline letsgoblue86

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No Rondo per Sherrod Blakely:
http://twitter.com/#!/sherrodbcsn

Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2012, 07:05:30 PM »

Offline GreenFaith1819

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TP, FL!

Let's get back above 500, C's!

Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2012, 07:38:15 PM »

Offline Tgro

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Alright! Let's get some Celtic Pride back in our Fanbase!

Go Celtics!!!!
The Celtics aren't quitters. Why should you be? - blind homer

Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #10 on: February 01, 2012, 07:43:55 PM »

Offline nickagneta

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Good start thus far.

Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #11 on: February 01, 2012, 07:49:44 PM »

Offline nickagneta

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Geesh Wilcox..that was embarrassingly bad

Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #12 on: February 01, 2012, 07:51:22 PM »

Offline Chief

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Nice shot Bradley!!!
Once you are labeled 'the best' you want to stay up there, and you can't do it by loafing around.
 
Larry Bird

Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #13 on: February 01, 2012, 07:53:11 PM »

Offline TenaciousD

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Toronto is jsut the kind of team to give our young tall boys (Stiemer, JJJ) some run. Doc?

Re: Raptors (7-15) at Celtics (10-10)
« Reply #14 on: February 01, 2012, 07:59:08 PM »

Offline Chief

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Toronto is jsut the kind of team to give our young tall boys (Stiemer, JJJ) some run. Doc?

I thought that about Cleveland too. I can't believe this team has one 7 games. What a terrible collection of talent.
Once you are labeled 'the best' you want to stay up there, and you can't do it by loafing around.
 
Larry Bird