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| The 2013 portion of the Celtics schedule starts tonight, and with it brings the return of Avery Bradley. |
A new year brings a clean slate and a chance to start fresh.
Well, not exactly.
There's no erasing the Celtics miserable 14-16 record. But a new year gives the Celtics a chance to right their wrongs and hopefully move forward in order to become the team that everyone expects them to be.
And it all starts tonight with the return of the savior, the chosen one, the one and only, Avery Bradley.
No pressure kid.
Before yesterday's practice, coach Doc Rivers said Bradley needed to get through one last hurdle (practice) before it was all systems go. "We're just going by how our practice looks. If [Bradley] looks ready to start, he’ll start, he’s a starter," said Rivers. Fortunately for Doc and the Celtics, Bradley successfully made it through practice, and he is expected to start tonight.
With the return of Bradley, the Celtics now have all the weapons in the arsenal ready for attack. Jason Terry will go back to his usual sixth man role and the expectations for Courtney Lee will be lowered, which should make both more comfortable and allow them to play to their capabilities.
While Bradley's status is no longer a question, the uncertainty and questions now shift to Rajon Rondo. Rondo is still dealing with a bruised hip and thigh after taking a knee from Clippers' forward Matt Barnes last Thursday night. Rondo did not practice yesterday and is listed as questionable for tonight's game.
Rivers also said yesterday that the Celtics will stick to their big lineup of Kevin Garnett at power forward and Jason Collins at the center spot for the time being.
The Celtics will ring in the new year with a visit from the Memphis Grizzlies (19-9). Memphis is coming off an 88-83 loss to the Indiana Pacers on New Year's Eve. This is a very good and complete basketball team. For much of the early part of the season, the Grizzlies owned the best record in the NBA. Now, they're only three-and-a-half games behind the San Antonio Spurs for first place in the Southwest Division.
Maybe the Celtics have caught the Grizzlies at the right time.
Here's a preview:
Projected lineups:
Grizzlies:
Mike Conley Jr.
Tony Allen
Rudy Gay
Zach Randolph
Marc Gasol
Celtics:
Rajon Rondo*
Avery Bradley
Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Jason Collins
* status is TBD
Keys to the game:
1. Keep this a low-scoring affair: In order for the Celtics to keep this close, they have to get into a grind-it-out type of game. Both teams have offenses that rank in the bottom half of the league -- Boston's is 17th to Memphis' 22nd. Memphis is number one in points allowed. However, The Grizzlies only shoot 43% as a team. In Boston's 14 wins this year, they have had opponents to 43% from the field. It looks like 43 is the magic number. If the C's can hold Memphis at or around 43%, they should be in good shape.
2. Heavy-duty work: It's all hands on deck once again for the Celtics on the glass. They have one of their toughest challenges yet with rebounding beasts Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Collins and Garnett have their hands full, but it also starts up front. With Bradley back to provide his trademark on-ball defense -- which in turn allows Rondo to take a back seat and pick off passes in passing lanes -- the perimeter defense will be better, which in turn is good news for the bigs. It's a collective effort.
3. Mindset: The Celtics desperately need a win. Tonight starts a stretch of four games in a row against teams over .500 (Memphis, Indiana, Atlanta, New York). After an embarrassing road trip, the Celtics need to dig deep against one of the best teams in the league and show that they are better than what their record shows. Having Bradley back will certainty help, but it's going to take the other 11 active guys to look in the mirror and rise from the darkness.
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