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Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« on: October 29, 2017, 09:58:54 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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San Antonio Spurs (4-2) at Boston Celtics (4-2)
Monday, October 30, 2017
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #7 Home Game #3
TV: NBA-TV, NBCSB, FSSW
Radio: WZLX 100.7, WOAI 1200 AM
TD Garden




Probable Starters
PG SG SF PF C
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF:  Jayson Tatum 
PF:  Al Horford
C:   Aron Baynes

Celtics Reserves
Jabari Bird
Shane Larkin
Abdel Nader
Semi Ojeleye
Daniel Theis
Guerschon Yabusele
Terry Rozier
Marcus Smart

Injuries
Marcus Morris  (knee)  out
Gordon Hayward (ankle)  out

Two Way Players
Kadeem Allen

Head Coach
Brad Stevens




Probable Starters
PG SG SF  PF C
PG: Dejounte Murray
SG:  Danny Green
SF: Kyle Anderson
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge
C: Pau Gasol

Spurs Reserves
Davis Bertans
Bryn Forbes
Rudy Gay
Manu Ginobili
Patty Mills
Brandon Paul
Derrick White

Two-Way Players
Matt Costello
Darrun Hilliard

Injuries
Joffrey Lauverngne (ankle)  out
Kawhi Leonard  (quad)  out
Tony Parker (quad) out

Game Notes
The Celtics return home from their 2 game road trip to host the San Antonio Spurs.  The Spurs are on the 4th and final game of a 4 game road trip.  The Spurs won the series 2-0 last season.  They started the season out 4-0 and then went 1-2 so far on the road trip.  The Celtics started the season by losing their first two games and since have won 4 straight. 

The Celtics had hoped to get Marcus Morris back for this game but Brad Stevens wanted him to have a full practice in before playing and so now it looks like he will return on Wednesday when the Celtics host the Kings.  Gordon Hayward is expected to miss the season but will rejoin the team as they return home to work with the coaches.

The Spurs are missing some key players also.  Kawhi Leonard (quad) is out indefinitely.  Tony Parker (quad) is expected to spend some time in the G-League on a rehab assignment before returning to the team.  Joffrey Lauvergne (ankle) is listed as  day to day. 

Three of the 5 starters for the Spurs are returning from last season.  While Murray and Anderson replace the injured Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard.  There was little turnover on their roster.  One key addition is Rudy Gay.  The Celtics return just one starter and just 4 players from last season.  Both teams are very well coached. 

The Celtics had Sunday off after returning from their two game road trip to Milwaukee and Miami.  The Spurs played at the Pacers on Sunday where they lost a close one 97-94.  They will return home after this game to host the Warriors on Thursday.  The Celtics will host the Kings on Wednesday. 

With Hayward out, Brad Stevens has been mixing and matching with his starting lineup depending on the matchups on each opponent.  Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford have been the constants in the starting lineup.  He has started Marcus Smart, Daniel Theis, and Aron Baynes all with some success.  I'm listing the same starters as last game but that could easily change. 

Key Matchups 
  vs   
Al Horford vs LaMarcus Aldridge
Aldridge is having a very good season so far, averaging 25.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 blocks.  Al Horford has been playing very well also, especially on defense.  He slowed Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kristaps Porzingis, holding both below their season averages.  He will try to do the same with Aldridge, who played a team high 36 minutes against the Pacers on Sunday. 

  vs 
Jayson Tatum vs Kyle Anderson
Jayson Tatum catches a break in that the Spurs' superstar, Kawhi Leonard, is still out with a quad injury.  The Celtics rookie will instead be matched up with the Spurs 4th year player Kyle Anderson.  Anderson is averaging 8.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists.  He is also shooting 50% from beyond the arc. 

Honorable Mention
Aron Baynes vs Pau Gasol
Gasol has lost a step or two from his prime, but he can still be dangerous.  He is averaging 8.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 blocks.  He finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in 30 minutes on Sunday. 

Keys to the Game
Rebound - The Celtics can't score if they don't have the ball, and they will struggle when constantly giving up second chance points.  The Celtics are averaging 45.2 rebounds per game while the Spurs are averaging 49.0 rebounds per game.  The Celtics need to continue to work extra hard on the boards.  When they put forth the extra effort on the boards, that tends to spread to other areas of the game as well. 

Defense - Both teams have been good defensively.  The Celtics are 2nd with a defensive rating of 95.1 while the Spurs are 6th with a defensive rating of 98.9.  Defense wins games and so the Celtics need to continue to make defense a priority. 

Move the Ball - When the Celtics move the ball they get good shots and play very well.  When the ball stops moving, the Celtics struggle to score and the rest of their game slows down as well.  They need to keep moving the ball especially against a good defensive team like the Spurs. 

Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to play hard and be the more aggressive team.  They have to go after rebounds, loose balls,  and 50/50 balls.  They have to be aggressive on defense and in getting to the basket.  They have to be the team that works harder and wants it more. 

X-Factors
Home Game - The Celtics are once again at home where they should get a boost from the home crowd and from the familiarity of their home court.  Also, the Spurs have been struggling somewhat on the road, losing 2 of 3 games so far on their road trip.  The Celtics need to capitalize on their home court and use it to their advantage. 

Coaching
- Gregg Popovich is considered by many to be the best coach in the league.  Brad Stevens is considered to be the best young coach in the league and the heir apparent to Popovich's crown.  Matchups and coaching strategy should come into play in this game.

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2017, 09:59:58 PM »

Offline saltlover

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First!

Go Celtics!  Make it 5 in a row and get Brad his first win over Pop!

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2017, 10:00:42 PM »

Offline CelticsElite

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Pacers just beat the spurs. We should be able to win this one .

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #3 on: October 29, 2017, 10:00:46 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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TP saltlover and CelticsElite for being the first to post in the game thread!!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Celtics!!!   

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2017, 10:03:43 PM »

Offline jambr380

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Pacers just beat the spurs. We should be able to win this one .

Yeah, surprising. Let's hope the Spurs are dragging from the Indy game and the Cs can cruise to another victory!

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #5 on: October 29, 2017, 10:04:08 PM »

Offline SHAQATTACK

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trying to recall the last time Boston beat this team.....

was I born ???

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #6 on: October 29, 2017, 10:05:08 PM »

Online liam

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trying to recall the last time Boston beat this team.....

was I born ???

You must be very young...

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #7 on: October 29, 2017, 10:26:23 PM »

Offline slamtheking

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TP for another great thread FL!

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #8 on: October 29, 2017, 10:26:48 PM »

Offline hodgy03038

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Go Celts!!! This would be a big win.

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #9 on: October 29, 2017, 10:30:44 PM »

Offline Sketch5

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I like it when they play the Spurs, it's a good gauge to see where they are. It's been a tough week and a half, lets if they can step up to the big boys.   

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #10 on: October 29, 2017, 10:31:13 PM »

Offline Jon Niednagel

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Let’s go Celtics!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Being a Celtic is, every decision you make is about the team. Every cut you make is about the team. Every pass you make is about the team. You take yourself out of it. It’s not for everyone. If you don’t want to win, don’t want to play team basketball, and it’s more about you then you’re probably not a Celtic." Doc 2010

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #11 on: October 29, 2017, 10:36:45 PM »

Offline RockinRyA

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Hope we win this. What's our record against the Spurs since Duncan was drafted? Its horrendous for sure, I think the only time we consistently won against them was the Big 3 era.

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2017, 10:45:26 PM »

Online hwangjini_1

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first page!!!! heck, i will take what i can get. boy, i go out to shop and walk my puppy and when i get back a zillion posters have already beat me. that's it. from now on the puppy will just have to hold on and wait.  ;D

big big game for the celtics against a premier team. that means the celtics WIN!!!!!!! they dont have a great game thread as we do here!!!! flc is the key to celtics victory, each and every time.  ;D

goooooooooooooooo celtics and tps for flc and the starting rotation above.  ;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: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #13 on: October 29, 2017, 10:50:06 PM »

Offline CelticD

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This should be a W. I know better than to count the Spurs out no matter who they play, but Aldridge is the only player balling since Leonard is still out and he just played 36 minutes on the first night of a back to back.

Celtics have slowed or completely shut down the likes of Joel Embiid, Kristaps Porzingis, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, so hopefully they can contain Aldridge, but he's probably the most savvy out of the bunch.

Re: Spurs (4-2) at Celtics (4-2) Game #7 10/30/17
« Reply #14 on: October 29, 2017, 10:57:47 PM »

Online hwangjini_1

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trying to recall the last time Boston beat this team.....

was I born ???
when were you born?

January 5, 2011
San Antonio Spurs 103, Boston Celtics 105
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201101050BOS.html

3/21/2009 Associated Press
Celtics escape when Spurs miss six free throws
Playing sparingly in his first game in a month, Kevin Garnett sat out a thrilling fourth quarter that ended with San Antonio missing six consecutive free throws to help Boston escape with a 80-77 win on Friday night.

3/18/2008
Celts extend Spurs' skid
Paul Pierce scored 22 points, Kevin Garnett added 21 and the Boston Celtics rallied to beat the San Antonio Spurs 93-91 on Monday night.

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