Author Topic: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18  (Read 49264 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« on: January 17, 2013, 10:20:49 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

  • Kendrick Perkins #1 Fan
  • Author
  • Rajon Rondo
  • *****
  • Posts: 5280
  • Tommy Points: 11831
  • Marcus Smart Fan!
at  
Chicago Bulls (22-15) at Boston Celtics (20-18)
Friday, January 18, 2013
7:00 PM ET
Game #39,  Home Game #21
TV:  ESPN,  NBAC, CSNNE, WCIU 
Radio:   WEEI,  WMVP
TD Garden




Probable Starters

PG: Rajon Rondo..................................................SG Avery Bradley

C:  Kevin Garnett

SF:  Paul Pierce ................................. ............PF Brandon Bass

Celtics Reserves
Jared Sullinger
Jason Collins
Jason Terry
Jeff Green
Leandro Barbosa
Courtney Lee

Injuries

Avery Bradley (ribs) day to day
Chris Wilcox (thumb)  day to day

D-League
Fab Melo




Probable Starters

PG: Kirk Hinrich ............................................. SG: Rip Hamilton

C:  Joakim Noah 

SF:  Luol Deng .................................................. PF:  Carlos Boozer

Bulls Reserves
Taj Gibson
Nazr Mohammed
Nate Robinson
Jimmy Butler
Marquis Teague
Vladmir Radmanovic

Injuries
Derrick Rose (knee)  out 

Team Connections
Bulls Head Coach Tom Thibodeau was a member of the Celtics coaching staff from 2007-10 and was a member of the 2008 NBA Championship coaching staff
Bulls Assistant Coaches Ed Pinckney (1988-94) and Adrian Griffin (1999-2001) played for the Celtics
Jason Collins and Kirk Hinrich were teammates in Atlanta from 2010-12
Jeff Green, Chris Wilcox and Bulls Assistant Coach Adrian Griffin were teammates in Seattle during the 2007-08 season
Green and Nazr Mohammed were teammates in Oklahoma City during the 2010-11 season
Paul Pierce and Kirk Hinrich both attended Kansas
Rajon Rondo, Nazr Mohammed and Marquis Teague all attended Kentucky
Jason Terry and Nazr Mohammed were teammates in Atlanta from 2000-04
Terry and Bulls Assistant Coach Adrian Griffin were teammates in Dallas during the 2005-06 season
Chris Wilcox and Nate Robinson were teammates in New York during the 2008-09 season
Wilcox and Rip Hamilton were teammates in Detroit from 2009-11
Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers and Jimmy Butler both attended Marquette
Nate Robinson played for the Celtics during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons

Key Matchups
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Joakim Noah
Noah brings a lot of energy to the Bulls and he is a presence in the paint.  KG has to match his energy.   In the past,  Noah has been able to get to the basket at will for rebounds and tip ins.  He is also blocking 2.03 shots a game.   In the last meeting between these two teams, Noah finished with his second career triple double.   KG has got to box him out and defend the paint.  This might be a good game for Doc to give Collins some run if Noah starts to go wild inside.   

  vs 
Rajon Rondo vs Kirk Hinrich
Rondo and Hinrich have history together going back to the 2009 playoffs when Rondo shoved Hinrich into the scorer's table and the 2 got into a skirmish.  Rondo has a speed advantage on Hinrich but Hinrich is a good shooter and so Rondo  will need to stay with him on defense. 

Honorable Mention

Paul Pierce vs Luol Deng
Pierce and Deng are always a fun matchup to watch.  Deng is long and a very good defender and has been able to bother Pierce in the past.   He will make Pierce work for his points.  Deng has also been shooting well and is scoring 17.8 ppg and in the past has put up some big games against the Celtics. 

Game Notes

The Celtics try to get back on track as they host the Chicago Bulls.  This is the third of 4 meetings between these two teams.  They split a pair of games in Chicago with the Celtics winning on 101-95 and the Bulls pulling out the other 100-89.  They will meet one more time in Boston on February 13.   

Although Derrick Rose is rumored to be getting closer to a return to the active roster,  he still isn't cleared for full contact.  Avery Bradley injured his ribs against the Hornets and didn't practice on Thursday.  His status for this game will probably be a game time decision.   The Bulls are a good road team with an 11-5 record while the Celtics have been playing well at home with a 13-7 record, in spite of pitiful effort they brought against the Hornets in their last game there.   

The Bulls are coached by former Celtics assistant and defensive guru, Tom Thibodeau.  It follows that they hang their hat on their defense.  They are 3rd in the league in points allowed, giving up  just 91.73 points per game on 43.0% shooting.  The Celtics recent improved defense has moved them up to 7th, allowing 95.71 points per game on 44.6% shooting. 

The Celtics are looking to begin another win streak after their 6 game win streak was snapped by the Hornets in their last game.   The Bulls have won 2  in a row and are looking for their 3rd straight.  The Celtics need to play a lot better than they did against the Hornets if they expect to get a win in this one. 


Keys to the Game
   
Rebound -   The Celtics are once again last in rebounding, grabbing just 38.71 per game while the Bulls are 7th with 43.68 rebounds per game.  The Celtics  have to box out and keep Noah from getting easy tip ins and to keep the Bulls from piling up the second chance baskets.  The Celtics have got to crash the boards as a team.  rebounding takes effort and every player has  to put out that effort. 

Defense
- Defense has been the Celtics strength in recent years.  It has also been a strength for the Bulls. The Celtics defense finally showed up with the return of Avery Bradley and other than the Hornets game has been solid since his return.   The Celtics need to match the defensive intensity of the Bulls and even exceed it if they want to come out of this game with a win. 

Be Aggressive - It's no secret that the more aggressive team gets the calls and usually the win.  The Celtics must start out being aggressive and that starts with Rondo.  They have to be aggressive on the boards, in defending, in going after loose balls, and especially in getting inside to the basket instead of settling for outside jumpers. 

X-Factors
Focus
The Celtics obviously weren't focused in their last game against the Hornets.   They shot 37% from the line and the only explanation for that has to be a lack of focus.  They also didn't move the ball or play Celtics defense.  They have to come into this game more focused, or they may be facing a 2 game losing streak. 

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2013, 10:36:17 PM »

Offline celticslove

  • Don Chaney
  • *
  • Posts: 1760
  • Tommy Points: 188
TP for another awesome game thread. no avery means less energy for the team. hope we win though.

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2013, 04:45:46 AM »

Online Who

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 47135
  • Tommy Points: 2401
I read that Carlos Boozer has been playing a lot better recently.

A quick look at his stats, over the last 10 games -- Boozer has averaged 22.6 points per game on 53% field goal percentage along with 11.2 rebounds per game in just 34.3 minutes a game.

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2013, 06:15:10 AM »

Offline Yoki_IsTheName

  • Ed Macauley
  • ***********
  • Posts: 11134
  • Tommy Points: 1304
  • I'm a Paul Heyman guy.
Key to this game is shutting down Boozer, who's been playing ridiculous lately. And also making sure Noah doesnt get good positioning on rebounding.

Easy enough to say but once we contain those two things, plus a better shooting like compare to the NO game, we will win.

CELTICS!!!
2019 CStrong Historical Draft 2000s OKC Thunder.
PG: Jrue Holiday / Isaiah Thomas / Larry Hughes
SG: Paul George / Aaron McKie / Bradley Beal
SF: Paul Pierce / Tayshaun Prince / Brian Scalabrine
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge / Shareef Abdur-Raheem / Ben Simmons
C: Jermaine O'neal / Ben Wallace

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2013, 07:24:26 AM »

Offline ACF

  • Danny Ainge
  • **********
  • Posts: 10756
  • Tommy Points: 1157
  • A Celtic Fan


TP.   Go Celtics!









Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2013, 07:35:51 AM »

Offline azzenfrost

  • Bailey Howell
  • **
  • Posts: 2063
  • Tommy Points: 177
All I can say is I hope AB is able to play.
I moved the cheese.

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2013, 09:07:44 AM »

Offline jdz101

  • Ray Allen
  • ***
  • Posts: 3171
  • Tommy Points: 404
Lets get out early and grab a lead in this one.

Keep noah off the glass and get P-double going early.


how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck was chris bosh?

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #7 on: January 18, 2013, 09:11:16 AM »

Offline Fafnir

  • Bill Russell
  • ******************************
  • Posts: 30859
  • Tommy Points: 1327
I read that Carlos Boozer has been playing a lot better recently.

A quick look at his stats, over the last 10 games -- Boozer has averaged 22.6 points per game on 53% field goal percentage along with 11.2 rebounds per game in just 34.3 minutes a game.
Yeah we'll need to do a solid job on Boozer to win this game.

Hopefully the C's come out with better energy and aggression tonight.

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2013, 10:01:15 AM »

Offline CelticG1

  • Antoine Walker
  • ****
  • Posts: 4201
  • Tommy Points: 288
I read that Carlos Boozer has been playing a lot better recently.

A quick look at his stats, over the last 10 games -- Boozer has averaged 22.6 points per game on 53% field goal percentage along with 11.2 rebounds per game in just 34.3 minutes a game.
Yeah we'll need to do a solid job on Boozer to win this game.

Hopefully the C's come out with better energy and aggression tonight.

Id like to see sully on Noah and kg on boozer

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2013, 10:06:20 AM »

Offline CelticsFan9

  • Don Chaney
  • *
  • Posts: 1571
  • Tommy Points: 116
  • Everyone's excited for the new era.
I read that Carlos Boozer has been playing a lot better recently.

A quick look at his stats, over the last 10 games -- Boozer has averaged 22.6 points per game on 53% field goal percentage along with 11.2 rebounds per game in just 34.3 minutes a game.
Yeah we'll need to do a solid job on Boozer to win this game.

Hopefully the C's come out with better energy and aggression tonight.

Id like to see sully on Noah and kg on boozer

No way that KG doesn't guard Noah.

10% because Boozer pulls KG out of the paint.

90% because KG and Noah hate each other's guts and KG will want to get in Noah's head.

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2013, 10:28:15 AM »

Online Who

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 47135
  • Tommy Points: 2401
I read that Carlos Boozer has been playing a lot better recently.

A quick look at his stats, over the last 10 games -- Boozer has averaged 22.6 points per game on 53% field goal percentage along with 11.2 rebounds per game in just 34.3 minutes a game.
Yeah we'll need to do a solid job on Boozer to win this game.

Hopefully the C's come out with better energy and aggression tonight.

Id like to see sully on Noah and kg on boozer

I would be interested to see Sully on Boozer. I think Sully's physical strength should be a good asset here. Certainly more so than Bass vs Boozer.

The Sully vs Noah (rebounding purposes) and KG vs Boozer (defense) would be very interesting too. Maybe a bit both of matchups. Test them both out for playoff time.

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2013, 11:25:30 AM »

Offline mgent

  • Tiny Archibald
  • *******
  • Posts: 7567
  • Tommy Points: 1962
I read that Carlos Boozer has been playing a lot better recently.

A quick look at his stats, over the last 10 games -- Boozer has averaged 22.6 points per game on 53% field goal percentage along with 11.2 rebounds per game in just 34.3 minutes a game.
Yeah we'll need to do a solid job on Boozer to win this game.

Hopefully the C's come out with better energy and aggression tonight.

Id like to see sully on Noah and kg on boozer

I would be interested to see Sully on Boozer. I think Sully's physical strength should be a good asset here. Certainly more so than Bass vs Boozer.

The Sully vs Noah (rebounding purposes) and KG vs Boozer (defense) would be very interesting too. Maybe a bit both of matchups. Test them both out for playoff time.
You do know Bass is stronger right?
Philly:

Anderson Varejao    Tiago Splitter    Matt Bonner
David West    Kenyon Martin    Brad Miller
Andre Iguodala    Josh Childress    Marquis Daniels
Dwyane Wade    Leandro Barbosa
Kirk Hinrich    Toney Douglas   + the legendary Kevin McHale

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #12 on: January 18, 2013, 11:32:25 AM »

Online Who

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 47135
  • Tommy Points: 2401
I read that Carlos Boozer has been playing a lot better recently.

A quick look at his stats, over the last 10 games -- Boozer has averaged 22.6 points per game on 53% field goal percentage along with 11.2 rebounds per game in just 34.3 minutes a game.
Yeah we'll need to do a solid job on Boozer to win this game.

Hopefully the C's come out with better energy and aggression tonight.

Id like to see sully on Noah and kg on boozer

I would be interested to see Sully on Boozer. I think Sully's physical strength should be a good asset here. Certainly more so than Bass vs Boozer.

The Sully vs Noah (rebounding purposes) and KG vs Boozer (defense) would be very interesting too. Maybe a bit both of matchups. Test them both out for playoff time.
You do know Bass is stronger right?
You think?

I don't. I think Sullinger has shown more physicality  defensively and has been tougher for opponents to overpower. Opponents rarely go through or over Sullinger (in one-on-one sequences). They gotta go around him. Opponents can do go over over/through Bass. He's too small (height/frame, good strength). Sully is bigger and tougher to overpower.

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2013, 11:39:09 AM »

Offline AB_Celtic

  • DKC Commish
  • Ray Allen
  • ***
  • Posts: 3234
  • Tommy Points: 460
I read that Carlos Boozer has been playing a lot better recently.

A quick look at his stats, over the last 10 games -- Boozer has averaged 22.6 points per game on 53% field goal percentage along with 11.2 rebounds per game in just 34.3 minutes a game.
Yeah we'll need to do a solid job on Boozer to win this game.

Hopefully the C's come out with better energy and aggression tonight.

Id like to see sully on Noah and kg on boozer

I would be interested to see Sully on Boozer. I think Sully's physical strength should be a good asset here. Certainly more so than Bass vs Boozer.

The Sully vs Noah (rebounding purposes) and KG vs Boozer (defense) would be very interesting too. Maybe a bit both of matchups. Test them both out for playoff time.
You do know Bass is stronger right?
You think?

I don't. I think Sullinger has shown more physicality  defensively and has been tougher for opponents to overpower. Opponents rarely go through or over Sullinger (in one-on-one sequences). They gotta go around him. Opponents can do go over over/through Bass. He's too small (height/frame, good strength). Sully is bigger and tougher to overpower.

Bass LOOKS stronger because he has low body fat and big arms, while Sully is chubby and not very toned.

However, I think Sully has much more core strength than Bass. The former is more "solid" than the latter.

Re: Bulls (22-15) at Celtics (20-18) 1/18
« Reply #14 on: January 18, 2013, 11:42:28 AM »

Offline SHAQATTACK

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 36776
  • Tommy Points: 2961
hopefully without Bradley we won't suffer though a giant blowout...