Magic (21-45) at Celtics (27-36) Game #64 3/13/15

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Orlando Magic (21-45) at Boston Celtics (27-36)
Friday, March 13, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #64, Home Game #33
TV: CSNNE, FSFL, NBA-LP 754(DTV), 754(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, ESPN 580 AM
TD Garden


Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Marcus Smart vs Elfrid Payton

Shooting Guard
vs
Avery Bradley vs Victor Oladipo

Small Forward
vs
Evan Turner vs Tobias Harris

Power Forward
vs
Brandon Brass vs Dewayne Dedmon

Center
vs
Tyler Zeller vs Nikola Vucevic



Reserves
Gerald Wallace
Jae Crowder
James Young
Phil Pressey
Shavlik Randolph
Isaiah Thomas
Jonas Jerebko
Gigi Datome
Kelly Olynyk

Injuries
Jared Sullinger (foot) out
Isaiah Thomas (back,elbow) questionable 

Head Coach
Brad Stevens

Reserves
Ben Gordon
Maurice Harkless
Channing Frye
Andrew Nicholson
Aaron Gordon
Willie Green
Kyle O'Quinn
Luke Ridnour

Injuries
Evan Fournier (hip) out
Willie Green (back)  questionable
Devyn Marble (eye) out

Head Coach
James Borrego

Game Notes
For the second time in a week, the Celtics and the Magic face off, this time in Boston.  In the last game, the Celtics lacked energy and aggressiveness and, after leading by as many as 20 points in the first half, they lost to the Magic 103-98.  Nikola Vucevic, the Magic's best player missed that game with a sore ankle, but he should be back for this one. 

Orlando has lost their last 9 games on the road and 8 straight at the TD Garden.  The Celtics have won 4 of their last 5, with the loss being to this same Magic team.  The Celtics have won 7 or their last 8 games at home.  The Celtics are 7-3 in their last 10 games and 16-16 at home.  The Magic are 4-6 in their last 10 games and 10-24 on the road.

The Celtics must win games like this that are very winnable if they want to continue their push for the playoffs.  With 18 games left after this one, the Celtics are 1 game behind Charlotte for 9th place and 1.5 games behind Miami for the 8th and final playoff spot.  They are also 2 games behind Indiana, who are in the 7th spot.  On the other end, Orlando has the 5th worst record for the lottery and the Celtics have the 11th worst record, 7.5 games behind Orlando. 

Key Matchups
vs
Tyler Zeller vs Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic is averaging 19.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.  He is an interior defender as well as a force on offense in the paint. He is averaging 18 points per game in two games vs the Celtics this season.   Zeller will have his hands full trying to contain him.   He missed the last game but should be back for this one and the Celtics need to be ready for him.

vs
Evan Turner vs Tobias Harris
Harris is averaging 17.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.04 steals per game and has been playing very well.  He lit the Celtics up for 21 points in their last meeting and so Turner must stay with him on defense and try to limit his touches. 

Honorable Mention
Avery Bradley vs Victor Oladipo
The Celtics were missing Bradley in their last meeting and will need his defense to help slow down Orlando's backcourt.  Oladipo is averaging 17.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.64 steals and is very dangerous on the offensive end.  In their last game vs the Celtics, Oladipo led the Magic with 22 points.   Bradley will need to play tough defense on him to keep him in check. 

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense wins games pure and simple.  The Celtics' defense was good against the Grizzlies but was very porous against the Magic the last time.  They need to play tough lock down defense on this team if they want to win. 

Rebound - The Celtics have to crash the boards in order to give themselves extra possessions as well as to prevent the Magic from getting second chance points and fast breaks.  Much of rebounding is effort and desire and when the Celtics put out that effort on the boards, it seems to carry over into the other areas of their game as well. 

Pace and Space - The Celtics must set the pace and run on every possession.   They have to run and keep up the pace the entire game.   When they get quickly up the court they can often get easy baskets before the defense sets up.  Also they need to move the ball and find the open man.  When the ball stops moving and they move away from team ball, they tend to struggle. 

Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team.  They must be the first to loose balls and rebounds, and they have to be aggressive in driving to the basket and not always settling for jumpers.  They must be aggressive on defense and set the tone for the game.   After starting out aggressive in the last game vs the Magic, they stopped hustling and let the Magic out play them the rest of the way.  They have to be aggressive for 48 minutes, with no let up. 

X-Factors
Revenge Factor, Missing Isaiah,  and Home
The Celtics' loss to the Magic is still very recent in their memories and they will want to avenge that loss.   The Celtics will more than likely still be missing Isaiah Thomas in this game but they were able to beat the Grizzlies without him and if they play with that same grind it out mentality in this one, they should win this game as well.  The players mentioned after the last game that they wanted to win every home game because of the support they get from the crowds there.  They should get a boost from the crowd in this game as well. 

[Quetzalcoatl]

X-Factors
Revenge Factor, Missing Isaiah,  and Home
The Celtics' loss to the Magic is still very recent in their memories and they will want to avenge that loss.   The Celtics will more than likely still be missing Isaiah Thomas in this game but they were able to beat the Grizzlies without him and if they play with that same grind it out mentality in this one, they should win this game as well.  The players mentioned after the last game that they wanted to win every home game because of the support they get from the crowds there.  They should get a boost from the crowd in this game as well. 

Do we know for sure if Isaiah is going to be out?  I'd love to win this game.  TP for the thread!

[FLCeltsFan]

TP    Quetzalcoatl for being the first to post in the game thread.   Isaiah is pretty much day to day they haven't ruled him out but said he'd likely be back on Monday. 

[SHAQATTACK]

In the game thread pics

Marcus Smart 's neck is TWICE as thick Payton's .....LOL


Go Celtics

[WeMadeIt17]

Gotta have this game tonight. Indy isn't playing so we can gain a half a game. Come on boys!

[Quetzalcoatl]

In the game thread pics

Marcus Smart 's neck is TWICE as thick Payton's .....LOL


Go Celtics

I can't find Payton's bench press results from the combine, but Smart benched 185 19 times. He was up there with the big men on reps.  I'm guessing Payton had like 3 or 4.  There is definitely a large neck disparity between the two

Also, this doesn't sound good for Isaiah this year, yet is such a great testament to his competitiveness (from an article today):

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/03/12/for-isaiah-thomas-painful-literally-watch-celtics/HByF0frPRJrfRlyvoCLsLJ/story.html

Thomas, who is averaging a team-leading 21.4 points and 5.4 assists per game since being acquired from the Suns Feb. 19, does not expect to play in the Celtics’ two games this weekend. He is hopeful that he’ll face the Philadelphia 76ers Monday.

Thomas suffered the injury when he fell after being fouled by Dwyane Wade with 3:44 left in the fourth quarter against the Heat. He also injured his elbow on the play, but he said that pain is now more tolerable.

Thomas said that on the flight back to Boston his back “blew up,” and when he was reevaluated Tuesday, a doctor told him he’d never seen such a deep lower-back bruise.

He didn’t attend the win over the Grizzlies because it would have been too painful to sit on the bench for two hours. He has mostly been icing his back, standing rather than sitting, and sleeping on his stomach. Still, he was thankful that the injury was not more serious.

“I’m tired of watching, and I’ve only watched one game,” Thomas said. “I hope I can play on Monday. As soon as possible, as soon as I can get out there, I’m going to play. I’m moving better every day, but it’s still very sore.”

The Globe article I don't want to talk about is Dan Shaughnessy's Patriots diatribe, I really dislike that man.  Such a whiny jerk

[greece66]

I actually watched today the loss against Orlando. Based on what I saw:
-Young will hardly take any playing time.
-Gigi and Bass had the games of their lifes so fingers crossed they do it again.
-It is one of the few teams against which we are dominant in the paint: I appreciate Dedmon, his hustle and shot blocking, but we have the numbers on our side to wear them down...
-Key reasons we lost: sloppy D and Orlando had an incredible offensive productivity in the last five minutes. Given that the defeat happened just a few days ago, we now play at TD and we have much more to win than they have to lose, I think we win despite IT's absence.
PS1: Dedmon apart the other Orlando player I respect is Oladipo. As for Elfrid, I say wait for a couple of years and we can get this guy for Pressey and a second rounder (and most ppl will complain we gave away too much lol)
PS2: IT has an incredible ability to draw fouls. It is on the verge of tricking the refs (shooting wild 3s as soon as he hears the whistle, collapsing in epic ways when bigs get contact with him, drawing contact that looks like a foul but is really in the grey zone. He is a master at getting to the free throw line!
PS3: Smart is the exact opposite: he is playing too honestly and his strong built is not helping. i) Should be very careful how he uses his left arm as he gets passed defenders, many refs will call this a foul. ii) He tries to generate contact the wrong way when shooting 3s. I am sure that training with IT will help him a lot in picking up a trick or two in this area 

[BleedGreen1989]

I have a sick feeling Vucevic is going to drop a 20/20.

Hopefully Smart keeps his elbows tucked in this time.

[Tr1boy]

we got this one tonight

[greece66]

As for streams, this one looks legit.
For now they have a show on DeVito and his panda  but it should get better with time...
http://www.vipleague.me/basketball/288785/2/boston-celtics-vs-orlando-magic-live-stream-online.html

[incoherent]

Come on let's get some revenge.


Anyone else worried the refs and the NBA would rather have Paul George and Wade in the playoffs? I feel like the refs are going to start really killing us.

[incoherent]

As for streams, this one looks legit.
For now they have a show on DeVito and his panda  but it should get better with time...
http://www.vipleague.me/basketball/288785/2/boston-celtics-vs-orlando-magic-live-stream-online.html

Drakula stream has HD.  Probably shouldn't post links?

[SHAQATTACK]

In the game thread pics

Marcus Smart 's neck is TWICE as thick Payton's .....LOL


Go Celtics

I can't find Payton's bench press results from the combine, but Smart benched 185 19 times. He was up there with the big men on reps.  I'm guessing Payton had like 3 or 4.  There is definitely a large neck disparity between the two

Also, this doesn't sound good for Isaiah this year, yet is such a great testament to his competitiveness (from an article today):

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/03/12/for-isaiah-thomas-painful-literally-watch-celtics/HByF0frPRJrfRlyvoCLsLJ/story.html

Thomas, who is averaging a team-leading 21.4 points and 5.4 assists per game since being acquired from the Suns Feb. 19, does not expect to play in the Celtics’ two games this weekend. He is hopeful that he’ll face the Philadelphia 76ers Monday.

Thomas suffered the injury when he fell after being fouled by Dwyane Wade with 3:44 left in the fourth quarter against the Heat. He also injured his elbow on the play, but he said that pain is now more tolerable.

Thomas said that on the flight back to Boston his back “blew up,” and when he was reevaluated Tuesday, a doctor told him he’d never seen such a deep lower-back bruise.

He didn’t attend the win over the Grizzlies because it would have been too painful to sit on the bench for two hours. He has mostly been icing his back, standing rather than sitting, and sleeping on his stomach. Still, he was thankful that the injury was not more serious.

“I’m tired of watching, and I’ve only watched one game,” Thomas said. “I hope I can play on Monday. As soon as possible, as soon as I can get out there, I’m going to play. I’m moving better every day, but it’s still very sore.”

The Globe article I don't want to talk about is Dan Shaughnessy's Patriots diatribe, I really dislike that man.  Such a whiny jerk

Poor Thomas .....he is such a game dude.....you know it's bad when a guy this competitive can't make a go of it .

I hit my ribs on a large mechanics VISE  few months back.   It took two weeks for all the swelling to subside .   I bet several weeks will pass before he is completely over the ordeal

[2short]

very impressed with payton last game
besides that i expect a c's blowout!!!

[greece66]

I have a sick feeling Vucevic is going to drop a 20/20.

Hopefully Smart keeps his elbows tucked in this time.

[dang] I forgot about him...
He sure is something to worry about, but hopefully they learned their lesson from the last game, they were too soft on the D last time. Orlando is a young, physical team, but overall we have the better roster (and coach  )