The Celtics look to sweep their home-and-home set with the Washington Wizards tonight at the TD Garden. The Celtics barely came away with the victory on Saturday night in our nation's capital, so does that give anyone any reassurance that they'll win this game? Well, they still should, and after two good days of practice, the Celtics should be better prepared this time around.
Right before the tip on Saturday, Doc Rivers inserted rookie Jared Sullinger into the starting lineup in place of Brandon Bass. It'll be interesting to see who starts at the power forward spot tonight, but let's put Bass, the comfortable choice, in there for now.
Projected lineups:
Wizards:
A.J. Price
Bradley Beal
Trevor Ariza
Trevor Booker
Emeka Okafor
Celtics:
Rajon Rondo
Courtney Lee
Paul Pierce
Brandon Bass
Kevin Garnett
Keys to the game:
1. Calling on the subs: You know it's bad when the Wizards bench outscores you by 35. The bench should take that as a challenge. Doc Rivers said it best yesterday, "Just because you put a bunch of good players together doesn't mean they're gonna play well." Basketball is a game of chemistry and trust, and the quicker this team -- and in particular the bench -- can formulate that trust, the better they will be. Jason Terry said the lack of performance fell squarely on his shoulders and took responsibility. In my opinion, Lee and Terry are pressing. They're frustrated, and they're playing as Rivers would call "hero basketball" in order to get themselves into the swing of things. Again, not to sound like a broken record, but we need to practice patience with this group. If they come out relaxed and just play their game tonight, the bench will look like the bench we all thought we were going to see from the get-go.
2. Getting on the boards: The Celtics have been outrebounded in each game so far. They were near the bottom of the league in rebounding last season and were only a game away from the NBA Finals. They can't rely on that -- or any other statistical anomaly for that matter -- to continue. I'll mention the height in my next key, but everyone needs to do a better job of getting on the boards.
3. Big night for the bigs: In my last game preview, I listed that establishing Kevin Garnett on the low block as a key to the game. I'll sing that tune once more. Being the future Hall-of-Famer that he is -- also considering he is the only player in league history to attain 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists, and 1,000 steals -- KG needs to be more assertive, something he acknowledges is uncharacteristic of him. "Doc Rivers is Doc Rivers, and Kevin Garnett is Kevin Garnett and I have to find a medium and a balance between that," Garnett said. "He's the captain. I listen to whatever he says. It's his ship. Within the flow of the offense, I pick and choose. I try to use my discretion and IQ to know when to be aggressive at times." Garnett had 15 shots on Saturday, the most he's taken in a game so far this season. He's averaging 13 shots a game, the fewest since his rookie year. That needs to change. For the Celtics to win, they need to take advantage of their height advantage and that starts with KG. Also, look for Brandon Bass to have a bounce back game. Whether he comes off the bench or starts, Bass should look for his shot and try to exploit Kevin Seraphin off the pick and roll.
No comments:
Post a Comment