Wizards (0-2) at Celtics (1-2) 11/7

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Washington Wizards (0-2) at Boston Celtics (1-2) 
Wednesday, November 7,2012
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #4  Home Game #2
TV:  CSN-NE, Comcast Sportsnet, NBA-LP 753 (Wiz)/754(C's)
Radio:  WEEI,  WJFK
TD Garden 




Probable Starters
PG SG SF PF C
Rajon Rondo...Courtney Lee...Paul Pierce...Jared Sullinger...Kevin Garnett

Celtics Reserves
Brandon Bass
Jason Collins
Jason Terry
Jeff Green
Kris Joseph
Fab Melo
Darko Milicic
Leandro Barbosa
Chris Wilcox

Injuries
Avery Bradley (shoulders) out




Probable Starters
PG SG SF PF C
AJ Price....Bradley Beal....Trevor Ariza....Trevor Booker.... Emeka Okafor


Wizards Reserves
Jan Vesely
Martell Webster
Jordan Crawford
Chris Singleton
Jannero Pargo
Earl Barron
Cartier Martin
Kevin Seraphin

Injured
Nene (foot) out
Jordan Crawford (ankle) probable
John Wall (Patella) out 

Team Connections
Wizards Assistant Coach Sam Cassell played for the Celtics during the 2007-08 season and was a member of the 2008 NBA Championship team
Kevin Garnett played for Wizards Head Coach Randy Wittman in Minnesota in 2007
Garnett and Cassell were teammates in Minnesota from 2003-05
John Wall and Rajon Rondo both attended the University of Kentucky
Fab Melo, Leandro Barbosa and Nene are natives of Brazil
Chris Wilcox and Sam Cassell were teammates on the LA Clippers during the 2005-06 season
Darko Milicic and Trevor Ariza were teammates in Orlando from 2005-07
Martell Webster and Darko Milicic were teammates in Minnesota from 2010-12.

Game Notes
The Celtics complete a home and home set with the Wizards as they try to climb to .500 after an 0-2 start.  The Celtics started the game in Washington very strong but faded toward the end, allowing the Wizards to make it a close game and almost steal it. 

The Celtics were playing in back to back games on the road, which may have been a factor.  Doc said he wasn't happy with the team's conditioning and ran them through conditioning drills in practice.   Doc also talked about the need for consistency. 

Both teams have had 3 days off prior to this game and so fatigue shouldn't be a factor, unless Doc has worn the team out with the conditioning drills.   The Celtics have also struggled to regain their defensive focus and will look to regain their reputation as one of the top defensive teams in the league starting with this game. 

Jared Sullinger moved into the starting lineup in the last game and was somewhat successful there and although it's never certain these days, I expect him to remain there for this game as well.  Word out of practice on Tuesday was that Sully was practicing with the first team while Brandon Bass was with the second unit.

Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo vs AJ Price
 As Rondo goes so go the Celtics.  With former number 1 pick John Wall out, Rondo should have a much easier time against AJ Price.,  Rondo needs to be aggressive and to be make sure that they play team ball and not hero ball. 

vs
Paul Pierce vs Trevor Ariza
Pierce had a very strong game against the Wizards on Saturday and hopefully he can again lead the Celtics to a win in this one.   

Honorable Mention
Courtney Lee vs Bradley Beal
Lee struggled somewhat in the first game against the Wizards, shooting just 2-7 from the field.  He vowed to play better in this game and so hopefully he will find his shot in this game.   

Keys to the Game
Defense    Defense always wins games.  The Celtics have to make defense their priority and shut down the paint as well as staying on their outside shooters.  The Celtics haven't been able to establish that lock down defense that they have been famous for since KG joined the team. 

Rebound  The Celtics must crash the boards and keep the Wizards from getting second chance points, fast break opportunities and extra possessions.   As I have said before, when the Celtics put out the effort necessary to win the battle of the boards, that effort seems to pick up every area of their game as well.    Sully's presence in the starting lineup helps but someone needs to step up on the second unit and crash the boards. 

Be Aggressive  The Celtics need to play aggressively.  They need to take the ball to the hoop and try to get to the line early and often.   Make the officials call the fouls.  They also have to go for every loose ball and battle for all the rebounds.   If they play passively, they could be facing a loss to a team that is hungry for their first win.    The Celtics were aggressive in the first half of the last game but then let up and played passively in the second half.  They need to be consistent throughout the game.   

Bench Play The Bench was supposed to be the Celtics strength but so far, they have disappointed and have been outscored by their opponents in each of the first 3 games.  They need to find their offense and also some consistency. 

[SHAQATTACK]

woo hoo .........HERE WE GO CELTICS !!!

TP  threadster !

[ACF]

Another GT, another TP.

GO CELTICS!

[perks-a-beast]

wizards should start  Seraphin, they were so much better with him in the game.

[celticslove]

TP sir! hope that we could finally start a streak

[Eddie20]

wizards should start  Seraphin, they were so much better with him in the game.

Kevin Seraphin (calf) out

He's listed as out, but that's probably a mistake.

[Jon Niednagel]

TP sir! hope that we could finally start a streak

FYI, if the TP was for FLCF, then you should say Ma'am not sir. TP to you for using manners regardless.

[Jon Niednagel]

Let's go Celtics!

[FLCeltsFan]

wizards should start  Seraphin, they were so much better with him in the game.

Kevin Seraphin (calf) out

He's listed as out, but that's probably a mistake.

Yep, when I made the thread he was listed as out but it was a mistake because he's not on the list now.

[FLCeltsFan]

Official Report
Monty McCutchen
Monty McCutchen has officiated 1,138 regular season, 94 playoff, and six Finals games. He worked the 2007 NBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas and was a member of the crews that officiated the 1996 and 1997 Mexico Challenges, as well as the 1998 Schick Rookie Game. Prior to joining the NBA, McCutchen spent four seasons in the CBA, where he worked the All Star game his second year and the playoffs all four years. He also officiated the CBA Finals the last three years he was with the league. McCutchen missed the 1998-99 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. He is a former elementary and middle school teacher and is fondly remembered by his students as a really nice guy. In searching for information on him, I found a Cavs' blog that blamed a loss to the Celtics on the officiating of Monty McCutchen. That was the game where Mike Brown was ejected and the Cavs made a furious comeback but fell short. In game 2 of the WCF, McCutchen flipped out on someone and yelled "I'm running this game not you!" as Serge Ibaka went to the line for free throws. Other than that, there's not a lot of controversy about him. The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games and 0-1 this season with McCutchen on the court. He officiated the Heat game to open the season. Needless to say, he allowed Wade and Battier to grab and shove off and foul all game, which led to Rondo's flagrant on Wade out of frustration. The Wizards are 2-8 in their last 10 games with McCutchen. His home W/L record this season is 2-1.

 Bennie Adams
 A former math instructor at Southern University, Bennie Adams joined the NBA officiating staff 18 seasons ago, and since then has officiated 956 regular season and seven playoff games. In addition, he has been a USA Basketball official since 1995. Adams has also officiated the 2008 NBA Europe Live Tour and the 2002 NBA All Star Rookie Challenge. Adams officiated in the CBA for three years, and worked the 1996 CBA Finals. He also has three years of collegiate officiating experience in the Southeastern, Ohio Valley, Trans America Athletic and Southwestern Athletic Conferences. Adams also has 10 years of high school officiating experience in Louisiana. Adams has both a Masters and Bachelors degree in mathematics from Southern University.

Adams tends to be inconsistent especially on charge/block calls. He is one of Tommy Heinsohn's least favorites. In one game, Tommy went ballistic yelling at the top of his lungs "GO BACK TO YOUR MOMMA BENNIE ADAMS!!!" This is Adam's first game with the Celtics this season and they are 6-4 in their last 10 with Adams on the court. The 4 games he officiated for the Celtics last season were all called fairly even. The Wizards are also 6-4 in their last 10 games with Adams. His home team W/L record this season is 0-3.

Kevin Scott
 Kevin Scott enters his second NBA season having officiated 28 regular season games. Scott’s experience includes four seasons and 138 games officiated in the NBA DLeague where he officiated the playoffs in 2009, 2010, 2011 and was selected to work the NBA DLeague Finals in 2011. Scott’s collegiate experience includes four years in the Southeastern Conference, 10 years in the Atlantic Sun Conference, six years in the Southern Conference, and seven years in the Big South Conference. He was also one of the replacement officials during the referee lockout in 2009. He may be remembered for ejecting Bobcats'coach Larry Brown from an exhibition game that season and then calling security to escort him from the court when he didn't leave quickly enough for Scott. Brown was fined $60,000 for verbally abusing Scott.

This will be Scott's third career game for the Celtics and the Celtics are 2-0 with Scott in his career. The first was a win over NJ where the Nets shot 28 free throws to 17 for the Celtics. The second was against the Bobcats where the Celtics shot 45 free throws to 35 for Charlotte and every play seemed to result in a foul. The Wizards are 0-6 with Scott all time. His home W/L record this season is 1-0.

[Fafnir]

Away we go. Pierce starting early.

[Neurotic Guy]

Lee remains cold. It has to be too much thinking. I think in a week Lee will snap out of this.

[tgreanier]

I really like the Jet. I would really like the Jet to earn my admiration tonight.

[BleedGreen1989]

KG doesn't really HAVE to rest, right??

[Kane3387]

The storm is messing with my satellite and thus league pass. Internet is working though. Anyone know where I can find a live stream of this game?

Thanks!