Celtics (35-42) at Pistons (30-47) Game #78 4/8/15

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Boston Celtics (35-42) at Detroit Pistons (30-47)
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
7:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #78, Road Game #39
TV: CSNNE, FS Detroit, ESPN
Radio: 100.7 WZLX, 105.1 FM
Palace of Auburn Hills



Probable Starters

PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Evan Turner
PF: Brandon Bass
C: Tyler Zeller

Celtics Reserves
Gerald Wallace
Phil Pressey
Jonas Jerebko
Gigi Datome
Kelly Olynyk
Isaiah Thomas
Jae Crowder


Injuries
Jae Crowder (ankle) probable

Red Claws
Chris Babb
James Young

Head Coach
Brad Stevens




Probable Starters

PG: Reggie Jackson
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Caron Butler
PF: Greg Monroe
C:  Andre Drummond

Pistons Reserves
Joel Anthony
Spencer Dinwiddie
John Lucas III
Cartier Martin
Jodie Meeks
Quincy Miller
Tayshaun Prince
Shawne Williams
Anthony Tolliver

Injuries
Spencer Dinwiddie  (ankle)  questionable
Brandon Jennings (Achilles)  out 

Head Coach
Stan Van Gundy

Game Notes
This is the third and final game between these two teams this season.  The series is tied 1-1 with the Celtics winning one game in Boston and the Pistons winning their last meeting in Boston.  Both of their previous games went into overtime.   The Pistons snapped an 8 game road losing streak with their last win in Boston.  Marcus Smart was serving his one game suspension in that game and Sully and Isaiah Thomas were both out injured also. 

Detroit has won 8 consecutive games against the Celtics in Detroit.  The Pistons are also looking to extend a home win streak to six for the first time since 2008.  The Celtics 4 consecutive road games are their most since 2010.   The Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 games and are 16-22 on the road.  The Pistons are 6-4 in their last 10 games and they are 17-21 at home. 

Greg Monroe has missed  11 games with a right knee strain.  He practiced with the team on Monday and is expected to start for the Pistons in this game.  Spencer Dinwiddie is questionable with an ankle injury and Brandon Jennings is out with an Achilles tear.  Jae Crowder didn't practice on Monday with an ankle sprain but is expected to play in this one. 

The Celtics are hanging onto the 8th seed currently but are in a dog fight with 4 other teams.  Brooklyn is 1 game ahead of the Celtics in the 7th spot. Miami is .5 games behind the Celtics while Indiana is 1 game back.  Charlotte is 2 games behind the Celtics.  Detroit is out of the playoff picture and they are holding the 8th worst record, 2 games behind Denver, who own the 7th worst record.   For those watching the scoreboard,  Toronto @ Charlotte, Atlanta @ Brooklyn and Indiana @ Knicks.   

Key Matchups
vs
Marcus Smart vs Reggie Jackson
Jackson is very quick and is always a threat to drive to the basket.  He is averaging 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists.  Marcus Smart missed the last meeting between these two teams and the Celtics will very much need his defense to keep Jackson from having a big game. 

vs
Tyler Zeller vs Andre Drummond
Drummond is a beast in the paint and is averaging 13.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.  Zeller is going to have to play very well on both ends of the court to keep him in check. 

Keys to the Game
Run, Run, Run - The Celtics have proved that when they run and move the ball up the court quickly, good things happen.  When they over dribble and slow the game down, they struggle all the way around. They need to push the ball on every opportunity but also play under control. 

Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be aggressive in going for loose balls, rebounding and defending. They also have to be aggressive in going to the basket and not settle for jumpers. Good things happen when they get inside. They have to be hungry and play like the team that wants it more.  They have to play aggressively for 48 minutes. 

Rebound - Rebounding takes effort and desire.  The Celtics will need both in order to beat the big front line of the Pistons to the rebounds.  The Pistons are 4th in the league in rebounding with 45.0 per game. The Celtics will have to work extra hard to beat them to the boards.

Defense- The Celtics need to play tough team defense, especially in the paint. It doesn't matter how much they score if they can't stop the other team from scoring more. They must play defense and get stops especially at the end of the game. No let ups!

Play as a Team - The Celtics have to play as a team and move the ball to find the open man.  They have to defend as a team and rebound as a team.  Hero ball rarely wins games and so they need to have each other's backs and play together. 

Focus and Motivation
The Celtics are on the road and have to stay focused and try to block out the distractions and hostile crowd that come with being on the road.  They also have to keep their goal of making the playoffs at the front of their minds and give 100% effort to make it happen.   

[Nowee]

Must win to have a chance to make the playoffs.

[jpotter33]

TP for another great thread, FLCeltsFan!

We really need this one for the playoff chances! Hopefully we can contain their huge frontcourt.

[hwangjini_1]

thanks flc for the thread. and i really like the teddy bears...but...i think they ate the starting time for the game. i cant see any, so the teddies must of chomped it down. 

gooooo celtics!!!!!!

oh, and a tp of course, you have more than earned it once again.

[SparzWizard]

This game is on national TV!! ESPN.

[TheFlex]

Worried about tomorrow's Celtics game as someone who knows how good the Pistons and Reggie Jackson in particular have been lately. In Boston's last game vs. Toronto, DeRozan nearly had a career high in points, an effort aided by a hefty amount of free throws. The Cs can't let Reggie get to the line as easily as DeRozan did if they want to get a key win before a couple of daunting matchups with Cleveland.

Oh, and Greg Monroe is coming back tomorrow. Let's see how Boston handles a Jackson/Monroe/Drummond trio.

Oh, and TP to FLCF as always.

[FLCeltsFan]

TP Nowee for being first to post in the thread. 

[FLCeltsFan]

thanks flc for the thread. and i really like the teddy bears...but...i think they ate the starting time for the game. i cant see any, so the teddies must of chomped it down. 

gooooo celtics!!!!!!

oh, and a tp of course, you have more than earned it once again.

Fixed... Game starts at 7:00 PM ET
And I had a talk with those hungry bears  

[Celtic Fan Forever]

On one hand I'm glad I don't have to watch stupid league pass on my computer (New Yorker problems). On the other hand I'm kinda dissapointed that there's no Mike Gorman tonight.

[TheTruthFot18]

Must win to have a chance to make the playoffs.

Yup.

It could and should come down to those matchups. We should beat them but we also just lost to them a few games back in OT.

[TheTruthFot18]

On one hand I'm glad I don't have to watch stupid league pass on my computer (New Yorker problems). On the other hand I'm kinda dissapointed that there's no Mike Gorman tonight.

I forgot why I liked watching games more the past two years. Can't stand most national broadcasters. Even during the big 3 it was "LeBron" all day, even if we weren't playing Cleveland or Miami. 

[makaveli]

i totally dissaggree with the keys to the game if they are in order of priorities.
number one and like 80% of the game depends on us rebounding against AD and GM, the rest is easy

[Celts Fan 508]

Fl, TP for you, I love these threads and appreciate your hard work.  Celts need this one.

[FLCeltsFan]

i totally dissaggree with the keys to the game if they are in order of priorities.
number one and like 80% of the game depends on us rebounding against AD and GM, the rest is easy

Not in any particular order and definitely not in order of priority. 

[kozlodoev]

The starting lineup is... odd. Do you have Smart or Crowder starting in this one? Also, whichever way it is, the other dude has to be listed with the reserves.

Also, while we do have to make sure Drummond doesn't kill you, I think the Bass/Monroe matchup is more important, since we're giving up quite a bit of size there.