Raptors (25-39) at Celtics (34-29) 3/13

[FLCeltsFan]

  vs 
Toronto Raptors (25-39) at Boston Celtics (34-29)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #64, Home Game #32
TV:  CSNNE, RSN,  NBA-LP 755
Radio:  CJCL,  WEEI
TD Garden 




Probable Starters
PGSGSFPFC
PG:   Avery Bradley
SG:  Courtney Lee 
SF:  Paul Pierce
PF:  Brandon Bass 
C:   Kevin Garnett

Celtics Reserves
Jason Terry
Chris Wilcox
Jeff Green
Jordan Crawford
Terrence Williams
DJ White
Shavlik Randolph

Injuries
Rajon Rondo (knee) out
Jared Sullinger (back) out

Red Claws
Fab Melo




Probable Starters
PGSG SF PFC
PG:  Kyle Lowry   
SG: DeMar DeRozan
SF: Terrence Ross
PF:  Amir Johnson
C:   Jonas Valanciunas

Raptors Bench
Alan Anderson
John Lucas III
Quincy Acy
Mickael Pietrus
Hamed Haddadi
Aaron Gray
Landry Fields
Linas Kleiza

Injuries
Andrea Bargnani  (elbow)  out
Rudy Gay (back) questionable


Key Matchups
   vs   
Courtney Lee vs DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan is the Raptors leading scorer (other than Gay) with 17.8 points per game.   He might not find scoring quite as easy against the Celtics' pit bulls in the back court. 

  vs 
Paul Pierce vs Terrence Ross
Ross is very athletic and is fresh off his slam dunk championship.   He is averaging 6.1 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game, but in his last game, a start in place of the injured Rudy Gay, he had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.  Pierce got the Bobcats game off so should be rested for this one.    Gay is listed as questionable with a sore back, but we could see Gay get the start, in which case, this matchup becomes even more important. 

Keys to the Game
Rebound -  The Celtics have got to crash the boards to prevent second chance points.   Much of rebounding is effort and desire as evidenced by guards leading the team in rebounds in some games.    The effort they put out on the boards will usually spread to other areas of the game as well.   They got out rebounded by the Bobcats 48-29 and have to do a better job on the boards in this one if they expect to win. 

Defense -  The Celtics must make defense a priority in each and every game.  They have been getting back to their defensive roots and need to continue to play that tough team defense all game in every game.    With the Raptors, they must particularly guard the perimeter as they love to shoot from beyond the arc.   After allowing the Bobcats to score 100 points, hopefully we will see a little better effort in this one. 
 
Be Aggressive - The Celtics have to be the more aggressive team.  They have to be aggressive in going to the basket and not just settle for outside shots.  Good things happen when players drive to the hoop.  They also have to be aggressive on defense and in fighting for loose balls.   They showed no aggressiveness or even effort against the Bobcats and they have to correct that in this game. 

Ball Movement - The Celtics need to continue to move the ball and find the open man.  Hero ball doesn't win games and they won't win many games when they spend half of the shot clock dribbling the ball.  At the same time, they have to make smart passes and not turn the ball over. 

Game Notes
This is the third regular season meeting between these two Atlantic Division teams with the Celtics leading the series 2-0.   They will meet one more time on the final day of the regular season.    After losing by 26 points to the Bobcats, the Celtics need to redeem themselves with a win in this one. 
 
The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games while the Raptors are well rested, having been off since Sunday.  The Raptors have played better since the trade that brought Rudy Gay to Toronto, but they have also been struggling with injuries.  Starters Gay and Bargnani missed their last game and Gay is listed as questionable while Bargnani is listed as out for this one. 

Every game becomes important for the Celtics as they are battling for playoff positioning.  The Raptors are in the unenviable 9th spot in the East, 8.5 games out of playoff contention.  They won't make the playoffs and without some serious tanking, they won't get a great draft pick either. 

The Celtics were completely embarrassed by losing to the Bobcats by 26 on Tuesday night.  They showed no effort against a team that they should have easily beaten.  They are still in the 6th spot because Atlanta has also lost 2 their last 2.  They have fallen a full game behind Chicago in 5th and 3 games behind 4th.  They also remain 1.5 games ahead of Milwaukee, who also lost.   A win against the Bobcats could have given them some breathing room in 6th place but their lack of effort kept them from capitalizing on losses by both Atlanta and Milwaukee. 
 

X-Factors
Back to Back and Home Court
The Celtics are playing in back to back games while the Raptors are well rested and so fatigue could come into play.   But, the Celtics are playing at home where they have played well this season.  Hopefully the home crowd will give them a boost. 

[CelticConcourse]

TP FL!

Some may forget we are still undefeated at home since Rondo's injury. We be rolling! (8 in a row so far). Next two games:

Toronto (I see a win)
Charlotte (We're much better at home & with Pierce)

---heat win next 4 games---

MIAMI (let's end that 22-streak a la houston )

Fun three games coming here.

[Chief]

I'd like to stay big. Maybe White can get a few minutes with KG. Hope Bass continues to rebound well.

[CelticConcourse]

Peaches returns to TD Garden! We'll cheer when he comes in (unless he doesn't come in... which is totally likely)!

[The Rondo Show]

Bass

[CelticConcourse]

Maybe Bass read his ESPN article.

[Chief]

Doc, like most coaches, ever the optimists.

[Chief]

Bradley got a calf sleeve?

[CelticConcourse]

Raptors are not our division rivals. They're turrible

[Chief]

KG,if the shot is not going down, go inside and rebound. Make some passes but don't shoot the team out of the game.

[The Rondo Show]

And 1!

[The Rondo Show]

KG,if the shot is not going down, go inside and rebound. Make some passes but don't shoot the team out of the game.

Hes really missing those Rondo pick n rolls

[Chief]

KG,if the shot is not going down, go inside and rebound. Make some passes but don't shoot the team out of the game.

Hes really missing those Rondo pick n rolls

He is so good in the post. And the Celtics are so good when he plays there. Lot of work though. Sometimes he avoids it.

[BleedGreen1989]

Maybe Bass can keep playing well! We sure need him for this final push

[CelticConcourse]

Bass is dominating these past 4 games.