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Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« on: February 04, 2016, 11:11:44 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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Boston Celtics (29-22) at Cleveland Cavaliers (35-13)
Friday, February 5, 2016
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #52, Road Game #27
TV:  CSNNE, FSOH, Sportsnet One, NBA-LP 758(DTV)/755(xfinity)
Radio:  98.5 Sports Hub, 1100 WTAM
Quicken Loans Arena




Probable Starters

PG: Isaiah Thomas................... SG: Avery Bradley

SF: Jae Crowder........... PF:  Amir Johnson......... C:  Jared Sullinger 

Celtics Reserves

Evan Turner
Marcus Smart
Jonas Jerebko
Terry Rozier
James Young
Kelly Olynyk
RJ Hunter
Tyler Zeller
David Lee

Injuries

Jordan Mickey (ankle) out

Head Coach
Brad Stevens




Possible Starters

PG:  Kyrie Irving ................ SG:  JR Smith

SF: LeBron James................. PF: Kevin Love ............... C:  Tristan Thompson

Cavs Reserves
Iman Shumpert
Tristan Thompson
Richard Jefferson
Mo Williams
James Jones
Anderson Varejao
Sasha Kaun

Injuries
Matthew Dellavedova  (hamstring) day to day


Head Coach

Tyron Lue

Game Notes
After just one game at home, the Celtics head out on the road once again to face the Cleveland Cavaliers.  The Cavs have been playing very well at home with a 19-3 record.  The Celtics are 14-12 on the road.  The Cavs are beginning a 4 game homestand with this game that will take them up to the All Star break. 

The Cavaliers are coming off a 106-97 loss in Charlotte and so they will be especially motivated in this game to avoid a 2 game losing streak.  The Celtics have won two straight and will be looking for a 3 game win streak.  The Cavs have won their last 5 games against the Celtics including a 4 game sweep in the playoffs last season and an 89-77 win over the Celtics in Boston in December of this season.   They will meet one more time in Cleveland on March 5. 

The Celtics remain in the 4th spot in the East, 7.5 games behind the Cavaliers who are in first place.  The Celtics are tied with the Hawks, who are in third place by virtue of owning the tie breaker.  The Celtics are also 1/2 game ahead of both Chicago and Miami who are in the 5th and 6th spots.  Atlanta is at home vs the Pacers, Miami is at Charlotte and Chicago is at Denver so the standings could get a shake up before the night is over.

Jae Crowder injured his ankle when Marcus Morris fell on it during Wednesday's game vs the Pistons.  He finished the game and although limping slightly after the game is expected to play in this game.  Jordan Mickey remains out with a sprained ankle.  For the Cavs, Matthew Dellevadova missed Wednesday's game with a hamstring injury and is a game time decision. 

Key Matchups
vs
Jae Crowder vs LeBron James
A banged up Jae will have his hands full in defending LeBron who is averaging 24.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists.     LeBron loves the Celtics and in 40 regular season games against them he is averaging 29.7 points, the second highest against any opponent. The only team he averages more against is the Thunder (29.73). 

vs
Amir Johnson vs Kevin Love
Love will probably still be looking for some revenge against the team that ended his playoff run last season.   He is averaging 16.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists and needs to be covered both on the perimeter and in the paint. 

Honorable Mention

Isaiah Thomas vs Kyrie Irving
Irving missed the first meeting between these two teams but he is back now and playing very well.  He is averaging 17.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists.  He will be a tough matchup for Isaiah. 

Keys to the Game
Defense Defense Defense!! Defense is key to winning every game.  The Celtics need to continue to play tough defense.  The Cavs are averaging 105.3 points per home game this season, which is tops in the East.  Over their last 3 home games they are averaging 115.3 points and shooting 53.6% from the field.  They are also averaging 29.3 assists over the last 3 home games.  The Celtics have to match their defensive intensity if they have any hope to win this game. 

Rebound - The Celtics can't score if they don't have the ball. They must crash the boards as a team to prevent the Cavs from getting second chance and fast break points. They also need to rebound to give themselves extra possessions and to fuel their running game.

Run, Run, Run - The Celtics need to run on every possession in order to get some easy points before the Cavs defense sets up.  When the Celtics walk the ball up and slow the game down they struggle.  They have to run and they have to move the ball.  The Cavs are a good defensive team and so the Celtics need to try to beat their defense up the court. 

Be Aggressive  -  The Celtics must be the more aggressive team.  They have to beat the Cavs to every loose ball and win the 50/50 balls.  They have to be aggressive on the boards and in driving into the paint and to the basket.  They have to be the team that works harder.   

Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics have to play hard from the opening tip to the final buzzer.   They can't afford to let the Cavs get a big lead because the Cavs are a very good defensive team and it won't be easy to dig out of a hole against them.  They also can't let the Cavs back in it if they can manage to build a lead.

Move the Ball -  The Celtics need to move the ball and find the open man.  When they stop moving the ball and try to do too much individually, they struggle.  They have to keep the ball moving but at the same time, they have to make good passes and not allow the Cavs to force turnovers. 

X-Factors
Officiating - As always, the officiating is an x-factor. Every crew officiates differently and teams never know what to expect. Sometimes they let them play and other times they call a foul on every possession. Some games they call evenly and others they favor one team or the other. It's like Forrest Gump's box of chocolate... you never know what you are going to get. In most games against the Cavs, however, the Cavs seem to get the benefit of way too many calls. 

Revenge Factor
-  There is the Celtics desire to avenge the 89-77 drubbing they received from the Cavs this season.  Then there is their desire to avenge the 4 game sweep in the playoffs.  The Cavs would like to avenge Love's arm or JR's suspension or even all the beatings they took during the Big 3 era.  They may even be looking to avenge Wednesday's loss and just take it out on the Celtics.   Either way, it will probably be a chippy game.

Road Factor
- The Cavaliers play very well at home with just 3 losses there this season.  The Celtics are above .500 on the road, but not anywhere as dominant on the road as the Cavs are at home.  Hopefully the Celtics can overcome any distractions that come up on the road and focus on getting a win.   

Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2016, 11:14:08 PM »

Offline KeepRondo

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TP FLCelts for the game thread!!!


Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2016, 11:16:41 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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TP KeepRondo for being first to post in the game thread!   And thanks for the TP.

Gooooo Celtics!!!   I sure would love to beat this team. 

Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2016, 11:28:28 PM »

Offline hwangjini_1

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beer mugs!!! the perfect way to celebrate the upcoming celtics victory over the evil and pathetic cleveland team!

thanks for the thread flc, and a tp. i love the work you put into each and every one of these threads.

goooooo celtics!!!  ;D
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 (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2016, 11:31:03 PM »

Online jpotter33

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beer mugs!!! the perfect way to celebrate the upcoming celtics victory over the evil and pathetic cleveland team!

thanks for the thread flc, and a tp. i love the work you put into each and every one of these threads.

goooooo celtics!!!  ;D

Hopefully someone in Quicken Loans Arena will have one of those mugs to lob upside the head of the refs when they start their inevitable star-biased horsecrap tomorrow in Cleveland!  ;)

Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2016, 11:39:16 PM »

Online SCeltic34

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I don't think I'll be home from work in time to catch the reception Olynyk will get from Cavs fans when he enters the game, unfortunately.

Hopefully this year's playoffs (Finals) will prove that the Cavs would probably have lost against GSW even when Irving and Love are healthy.  And I think it will.  Whoever comes out of the West - either Golden State or San Antonio - will win in 7 games.

Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2016, 01:01:35 AM »

Offline trickybilly

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Win this game. Win this game. Win this game.
"Gimme the ball, gimme the ball". Freddy Quimby, 1994.

Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2016, 09:22:51 AM »

Offline letsgoblue86

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Can't believe this isn't on national tv

Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2016, 10:39:14 AM »

Offline straightouttabahstun

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Not expecting a victory. But I'm expecting them to give them hell. Kind of like the movie "300". You don't take the big one down, but you give 'em a big old scar just to remember who you crossed. That being said, I'd love to be wrong.

Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2016, 10:43:36 AM »

Offline BudweiserCeltic

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Can't believe this isn't on national tv

Opted for Hawks-Pacers, but yeah, this should've been a good opportunity for a national tv game. It's easily the highest profile game of the night with Spurs/Mavs, definitely the highest profile game in the time slot.

Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2016, 10:45:59 AM »

Offline Who

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Looking forward to seeing the Tyronn Lue effect

Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2016, 04:48:49 PM »

Offline makaveli

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thomas being recognized all over right now. firstly made the all star team, and now he is 10th on the MVP ladder.
IMHO he is a superstar and a franchise type of a player, what a find by danny and also CBS has to be given a whole lot of credit.
but hold the applause until the season is over, as we know, we only count championships in Boston Celtics uniform
what doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2016, 05:18:10 PM »

Offline B0S_C

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LeBron loves the Celtics and in 40 regular season games against them he is averaging 29.7 points

LOL  ;D As sure as hell we love him back  ;D

Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2016, 05:27:05 PM »

Offline CoachBS#1

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Go Celtics!!! kick some JR's butt!!

Re: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13) Game #52 2/5/16
« Reply #14 on: February 05, 2016, 06:01:23 PM »

Offline SHAQATTACK

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LeBron has grown up.

I doubt he complains about any calls tonight.