Bobcats (3-21) at Celtics (13-10) 2/7

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Charlotte Bobcats (3-21) at Boston Celtics (13-10)
Tuesday, February 7
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #24 Home Game #16
TV:  CSN-NE, SSO-CHA,  NBA-LP 753/754
Radio:  WEEI,  WPNZ
TD Garden 



Probable Starters
PG SG SF PF C
Rajon Rondo.....Ray Allen ..... Paul Pierce.....Kevin Garnett..... Jermaine O'Neal
Celtics Reserves
Chris Wilcox
Mickael Pietrus
JaJuan Johnson
E'Twaun Moore
Sasha Pavlovic
Greg Stiemsma
Avery Bradley

Injured
Brandon Bass (knee) day to day
Keyoon Dooling (hip) day to day
Marquis Daniels (ankle)  day to day




Probable Starters
PG......SG.....SF.....PF ..... C
Kemba Walker......Reggie Williams....Tyrus Thomas........Boris Diaw.......Bismack Biyombo

Bobcats Bench
Cory Higgins
Derrick Brown
DJ White
Matt Carroll
BJ Mullens
Eduardo Najera

Injuries
DeSagana Diop (knee) questionable
Gerald Henderson (hamstring)  out
DJ Augustin  (toe) questionable
Corey Maggette (hamstring)  out 

Team Connections
D.J. Augustin and Avery Bradley both attended the University of Texas
DeSagana Diop and Rajon Rondo attended Oak Hill Academy
DeSagana Diop and Sasha Pavlovic were teammates on the 2004-05 Cleveland Cavaliers
Ray Allen and Kemba Walker both attended the University of Connecticut
Keyon Dooling and Corey Maggette were teammates on the LA Clippers from 2000-04 They also were teammates in Milwaukee during 2010-11
Maggette, Dooling and Chris Wilcox were all teammates on the LA Clippers from 2002-04
Brandon Bass and DeSagana Diop were teammates in Dallas from 2007-09
Bass and Matt Carroll were teammates in Dallas during the 2008-09 season
Corey Maggette played for Doc Rivers in Orlando during the 1999-2000 season
Chris Wilcox and D.J. White were teammates in Oklahoma City during the 2008-09 season.

Game Notes
This is the first meeting between these two teams.  The Bobcats have lost 11 games in a row and with just 3 wins on the season, to say they are struggling is an understatement.  The Celtics have won their last 4 and 8 of their last 9 and are finally looking like a contender once again. 

There will be some drama in this game as Paul Pierce needs just 10 points to move past Larry Bird as the Celtics 2nd all time scorer. I'm sure that the fans, and maybe even Pierce himself, will be counting the points until he reaches that milestone.  Hopefully it won't derail the team's focus on getting the win.   

Defense has been the key for the Celtics,  who have the second-best scoring defense in the league at 86.7 points per game.  Since the Bobcats are only averaging 83 points per game, the Celtics should have no problem holding them to their average.  The key for the Celtics to play their game and not play down to the competition. 

Last season, the Bobcats beat the Celtics in their last two meetings, holding them under 90 point in both games.   The three teams that the Bobcats beat this season are the Warriors, Knicks and Bucks (with Bogut).  They are capable of beating any team that takes them for granted and expects to win without putting out the effort.  The Celtics must play their game and play them tough regardless of their record.   

Key Matchups
  vs 
Rajon Rondo vs Kemba Walker
Kemba Walker returns to New England where he won a lot of fans playing for UConn.  Rondo appears to be getting back to form after returning from his wrist injury and should give Walker all he can handle in this matchup. 

vs
Kevin Garnett vs Boris Diaw
KG has been playing very well and also has a couple of inches on Diaw, who hasn't always been in the best of shape in recent years.  KG should have a big game and be able to get past (or over) Diaw at will. 

Honorable Mention
Paul Pierce vs Tyrus Thomas
Pierce gives up a couple inches to Thomas, but the Celtics' wily veteran should be able to find a way to get past him.  This could be a tough matchup for the Celtics. 

Keys to the Game
Defense -   The Celtics have been winning with tough defense.  They need to continue to make defense their top priority and they will continue to win.  Defense wins games and it wins championships.   

Rebound -    Good things happen when the Celtics crash the boards.   When they show energy in rebounding, that energy spreads to other areas of the game.  They prevent second chance points and fast break baskets by grabbing the rebounds as well.  The Celtics need to swarm the basket as a team to try to grab every rebound. 

Be Aggressive - When the Celtics are the more aggressive team they usually win.  They need to be aggressive in going to the basket, in grabbing rebounds, and in hustling after loose balls.  This goes for the Celtics as a team and for each player individually.     

Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics still tend to get sloppy and turn the ball over way too much.  They need to take care of the ball and limit turnovers.  It seems as though they make a run and get a big lead and then they turn the ball over several times and let the other team right back in it.  They have to be careful with their passes and be aware of where the defenders are to avoid allowing them to get steals. 

X-Factor
Trap Game
This is a game that could very easily become a trap game.  A team with a terrible record and only 3 wins.  Coming off a big win over a good Western Conference team.  4 wins in a row.  They could easily let down their guard and play down to the competition.  Hopefully they come out strong and keep their focus and we have Gino time at the Garden again. 

[SHAQATTACK]

 AB , Moore ,Pietrus , JJ and Wilcox should be able to take care of business.

Rest KG , Bass and JO for Thursdays "brawl" in the Garden.  

[Donoghus]

That's one of the worst starting fives I've seen in quite some time.

No wonder they're 3-21.

[Tai]

I had to check to see if that 3-21 was a misprint. That's bad.

We better beat these guys, to put it simply.

[TheTruthFot18]

AB , Moore ,Pietrus , JJ and Wilcox should be able to take care of business.

Rest KG , Bass and JO for Thursdays "brawl" in the Garden.  

I agree. Even Quis, Pav, and Steamer should get a few minutes just to limit the big 3. So looking forward to Thursday.

[Tgro]

I had to check to see if that 3-21 was a misprint. That's bad.

We better beat these guys, to put it simply.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't like having a creampuff before the next game being a big one. Its like having something real easy and then you run into a buzzsaw. Especially if we have a hard time putting Charlotte away. I'd much prefer having something a bit more challenging before facing the Lakers. Just to keep us on our game. 

[Tai]

I had to check to see if that 3-21 was a misprint. That's bad.

We better beat these guys, to put it simply.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't like having a creampuff before the next game being a big one. Its like having something real easy and then you run into a buzzsaw. Especially if we have a hard time putting Charlotte away. I'd much prefer having something a bit more challenging before facing the Lakers. Just to keep us on our game. 

Having a hard time with Charlotte lets Doc say "You better not play like that against the Lakers if you don't wanna be blown out". At least, that's one way to look at it.

Also, I'm sure a younger team would confirm your fears, but I think this one's veteran-laden enough to understand that's, to put it simply, how you end up losing games.

[SHAQATTACK]

Hope the C's don't overlook this game , in lue of the "DA BIG GAME" wiff LA.

[bfrombleacher]

Why is Tyrus Thomas a small forward when they have Boris Diaw? That's really weird... And Reggie Williams is in the D-League on my 2k12 association.

Please don't let your guard down fellas!

[jdz101]

I had to check to see if that 3-21 was a misprint. That's bad.

We better beat these guys, to put it simply.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't like having a creampuff before the next game being a big one. Its like having something real easy and then you run into a buzzsaw. Especially if we have a hard time putting Charlotte away. I'd much prefer having something a bit more challenging before facing the Lakers. Just to keep us on our game. 

Yeah but at the same time you dont want them looking at this as a certainty and concentrating on the lakers. A win against the bobcats is just as valuable as a laker win in the regular season. Just gotta keep winning.

[action781]

I'd really like to see Avery Bradley get a lot of PT this game for several reasons.

1.  Shut down defender on Charlotte's best scoring option
2.  Continue to give Bradley some more PT and experience
3.  Rest Rondo

If I'm Doc, I think I'd even consider holding Rondo out of this game.

[2short]

I'd start steismsa and let JO take a game off.  If we can't beat them with kg, wilcox, steismsa and JJJ up front than we don't deserve it.
bottom 5 in nba is really bad
I was looking at their roster for the "who can we get from them in trade" thought ewww besides lil henderson not to much of interest

[letsgoblue86]

Hope to see more of JaJuan again; on a side note just saw on draft express that JaJuan's vertical is higher than Blake Griffin's.

[gar]

Trap for the starters; but if you play the reserves you show that you trust them and that you are relying on them to bring home a win. Need to make it clear to the bench that if they cannot build and hold a lead against this team, they need to put in some more work.

By the way love JjJ; but the kid look skinnier than the day he showed up for training camp which was skinnier than he looked in the draft.

[action781]

I'm kinda liking the celts -14 tomorrow.  I could see a 20 point victory