Author Topic: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 11/1/14  (Read 87011 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 11/1/14
« on: October 30, 2014, 10:31:59 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

  • Kendrick Perkins #1 Fan
  • Author
  • Rajon Rondo
  • *****
  • Posts: 5280
  • Tommy Points: 11831
  • Marcus Smart Fan!
  at 
Boston Celtics (1-0) at Houston Rockets (2-0)
Saturday, November 1, 2014
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #2, Road Game #1
TV: CSN-NE, CSN-H, League Pass  758(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub, 790 AM
Toyota Center



Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Patrick Beverly

Shooting Guard

  vs 
Avery Bradley vs James Harden

Small Forward
vs
Jeff Green vs Trevor Ariza

Power Forward
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Terrence Jones 

Center
vs
Kelly Olynyk vs Dwight Howard



Reserves
Phil Pressey
Marcus Smart
Evan Turner
Marcus Thornton
Brandon Bass
Dwight Powell
Tyler Zeller
Gerald Wallace
James Young

Injuries

Vitor Faverani (knee) out
Gerald Wallace (knee) probable

Team Connections
Terrence Jones, James Young and Rajon Rondo all attended the University of Kentucky
Rockets Coach KevinMcHale played for the Celtics from 1980-93, was a member of three championship teams and had his #32 retired on January 30,1994
Jeff Green and James Harden were teammates in Oklahoma City from 2009-11
Dwight Howard and Brandon Bass were teammates in Orlando from 2009-11
Nick Johnson is the nephew of former Celtic Dennis Johnson
Marcus Thornton and Francisco Garcia were teammates in Sacramento from 2010-13
Jason Terry played for the Celtics in the 2012-13 season

Reserves
Tarik Black
Isaiah Canaan
Troy Daniels
Joey Dorsey
Francisco Garcia
Donatas Motiejunas
Kostas Papanikoulaou
Jason Terry

Injuries

Patrick Beverly (hamstring)  day to day
Clint Capela (groin) day to day
Nick Johnson (back) day to day

Game Notes
The Celtics didn't have to wait long for their first road trip.  After blowing out the Nets in their home opener, they headed out on the road to face the Houston Rockets.  This will definitely be a challenge for the Celtics, especially for their front line as they seek to slow down Dwight Howard, one of the few true centers left in the league.  The Celtics will try to keep Howard from getting the ball in position to score as well as to try to keep him out of his comfort zone, which is easier said than done.  Expect to see more of Tyler Zeller in this game as well since coach Stevens said that he regretted not using him more in their first game. 

The Celtics will also face the challenge of having to slow down James Harden.  That may be one of the Celtics strengths in this game with their pitbulls  Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart in the backcourt.   Containing the league's 9th highest scorer will be a good test for the Celtics defensive minded guards. 

Both teams last played on Wednesday and both teams are on a win streak, although modest ones with the Celtics winning their home opener and the Rockets winning their first two games.   The Rockets won the season series last year 2-0.    The Celtics are 42-29 all time vs the Rockets in Houston. 

The Celtics' depth may give them their biggest advantage in this game.  The Rockets have averaged 106 points over their two games but only 25 of those came from their bench.  On the other hand, the Celtics scored 121 points, with 44 of those points coming from their bench.  The Celtics second unit should give them an advantage over their counterparts on the Rockets. 

the Rockets' starting point guard, Patrick Beverly, is day to day after leaving Wednesday's game vs the Jazz with a hamstring injury.   Clint Capela and Nick Johnson are also day to day with injuries.  For the Celtics, only Vitor Faverani is expected to be unavailable.   Gerald Wallace sat out practice after a minor procedure on his knee but is expected to be available for Saturday's game.

Key Matchups
vs
Kelly Olynyk (19 PPG, 6 RPG, 2 APG) vs Dwight Howard (17.5 PPG, 10 RPG, 2 BPG)
Although the matchup is Olynyk vs Howard, Jared Sullinger will also spend time trying to stop the Rockets' big man because he will better be able to push him out from his comfort zone.  Another key to this matchup is the fact that the outside shooting of the Celtics big men will draw Howard out from the paint on the other end. 

vs
Avery Bradley (15 ppg, 0 rpg, 0 apg) vs James Harden (25 ppg, 4 rpg, 8 apg)
James Harden scores approximately 1/4 of the Rockets' points and it will be up to Avery Bradley as well as Marcus Smart to slow Harden down.   Harden is also not known for playing great defense and so the Celtics may be able to take advantage of that if Bradley, Smart or Thornton can get hot. 

Keys to the Game
Pace and Space - Brad Stevens system depends on the Celtics to run and set the pace of the game.  The Rockets especially depend on getting a lot from their starters and so if the Celtics can run the floor on every possession they may be able to wear them out.   They also have to move the ball and find the open man to keep the Rockets from setting up their defenses. 

Rebound -  In order to score, the Celtics need the ball and to get the ball, they will need to crash the boards as a team.   They can't allow Dwight Howard to have a big game on the boards, which will limit the Celtics fast breaks as well as their second chance points. 

Defense - I sound like a broken record, but defense is always important to getting every win.  If the Celtics can play tough team and individual defense for 48 minutes they will get a win. 

X-Factor
Focus On the Road
The Celtics are a young team and sometimes that equals out to struggles on the road.   If they can keep their focus and stick with the game plan,  they have a chance to get a win in this game.  But that is a big if when you are talking about young players. 
« Last Edit: October 31, 2014, 08:50:04 AM by FLCeltsFan »

Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #1 on: October 30, 2014, 10:40:52 PM »

Offline Surferdad

  • Cedric Maxwell
  • **************
  • Posts: 14456
  • Tommy Points: 972
  • "He fiddles...and diddles..."
No Parsons, Lin or Asik. Rockets lost a lot of depth there.  Ariza? Maybe seen his better days already.  Attack Harden and his matador defense. 

Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #2 on: October 30, 2014, 11:01:01 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

  • Kendrick Perkins #1 Fan
  • Author
  • Rajon Rondo
  • *****
  • Posts: 5280
  • Tommy Points: 11831
  • Marcus Smart Fan!
TP Surferdad for being first to post in the game thread.  I'm thinking the Celtics depth may be their biggest strength in this game.  The Rockets aren't very deep. 

Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #3 on: October 30, 2014, 11:06:12 PM »

Offline Surferdad

  • Cedric Maxwell
  • **************
  • Posts: 14456
  • Tommy Points: 972
  • "He fiddles...and diddles..."
Back atcha'ya with a TP FlCeltsfan. Rockets are a MUCH more formidable opponent than the Nets, plus it's the first road game. But, like you say, this is a winnable game if they play right and somehow limit the damage from Howard. 

Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #4 on: October 30, 2014, 11:25:25 PM »

Offline Mazingerz

  • Bill Walton
  • *
  • Posts: 1257
  • Tommy Points: 99
Hack a dwight with dwight powell hehehe
Peavey Bass Player - relearning to play after 10 years sucks;

Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #5 on: October 30, 2014, 11:35:53 PM »

Offline Kadin

  • Sam Hauser
  • Posts: 167
  • Tommy Points: 29
LET'S GO C'S!


Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #6 on: October 30, 2014, 11:56:15 PM »

Offline hwangjini_1

  • Kevin Garnett
  • *****************
  • Posts: 17835
  • Tommy Points: 2661
  • bammokja
The road to #18 or endless Lamentations by cb takes place tomorrow.

In any case, gooooooooo celtics!!!!!
I believe Gandhi is the only person who knew about real democracy — not democracy as the right to go and buy what you want, but democracy as the responsibility to be accountable to everyone around you. Democracy begins with freedom from hunger, freedom from unemployment, freedom from fear, and freedom from hatred.
- Vandana Shiva

Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2014, 12:07:17 AM »

Offline manl_lui

  • Paul Silas
  • ******
  • Posts: 6571
  • Tommy Points: 427
Dwight Howard should own his matchups, and so will Harden

though I am VERY interested in seeing how Smart/Rondo/Bradley will fair against Harden/Beverly

That is what I want to see the most out of that game

Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2014, 12:31:57 AM »

Offline Kadin

  • Sam Hauser
  • Posts: 167
  • Tommy Points: 29
OP, I think you have the date wrong in the thread title. The game is on Saturday the 1st of November, right?

Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2014, 03:18:29 AM »

Offline pokeKingCurtis

  • Ray Allen
  • ***
  • Posts: 3733
  • Tommy Points: 280
Dwight Howard should own his matchups, and so will Harden

Last time Harden played AB, AB won the match up hands down. On paper and based on observation. On numerous occasions Harden looked foolish on offense. AB shut down Harden and shot lights out on the other end.

In games before that, Harden was the clear winner.

The pitbull style of defense seems to have some effect.

Should be interesting to see two pitbulls go at it against Harden, along with Rondo distributing.

Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #10 on: October 31, 2014, 03:32:53 AM »

Offline playdream

  • Don Chaney
  • *
  • Posts: 1665
  • Tommy Points: 88
Let's just hope Rondo start to buy into the system and stop walking up the court and pounding the ball

Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #11 on: October 31, 2014, 03:55:01 AM »

Offline TheFlex

  • Jim Loscutoff
  • **
  • Posts: 2791
  • Tommy Points: 367
Let's just hope Rondo start to buy into the system and stop walking up the court and pounding the ball

So what you're telling us is that Rondo's showing on Wednesday has been wiped from your brain completely.


Draft: 8 first rounders in next 5 years.

Cap space: $24 mil.

https://www.reddit.com/r/dkcleague/

Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #12 on: October 31, 2014, 04:07:43 AM »

Offline Csfan1984

  • Don Nelson
  • ********
  • Posts: 8825
  • Tommy Points: 289
Let's just hope Rondo start to buy into the system and stop walking up the court and pounding the ball

So what you're telling us is that Rondo's showing on Wednesday has been wiped from your brain completely.

Rondo did pound the ball some on Wednesday. Not very bad but he did a few times. Thing is it can cause players to stop moving and force them wait for Rondo and react to him. He then has to create instead of just moving the ball till space is created.

Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #13 on: October 31, 2014, 04:44:17 AM »

Offline j804

  • Satch Sanders
  • *********
  • Posts: 9188
  • Tommy Points: 3060
  • BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS
Dwight Howard should own his matchups,
Good thing is when needed we should be able to help and get back out to the three our trio of rondo/bradley/smart can cause some havoc
"7ft PG. Rondo leaves and GUESS WHAT? We got a BIGGER point guard!"-Tommy on Olynyk


Re: Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) Game #2 10/31/14
« Reply #14 on: October 31, 2014, 06:20:08 AM »

Offline playdream

  • Don Chaney
  • *
  • Posts: 1665
  • Tommy Points: 88
Let's just hope Rondo start to buy into the system and stop walking up the court and pounding the ball

So what you're telling us is that Rondo's showing on Wednesday has been wiped from your brain completely.
Yeah life becomes a lot easier to just ignore things you don't want to see