Celtics (36-32) at Grizzlies (46-22) 3/23

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Boston Celtics (36-32)  at  Memphis Grizzlies (46-22)
Saturday, March 23, 2013
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #69, Road Game #35
TV:  CSN-NE, SSO-MEM, NBA LP  755(BOS)/756(MEM)
Radio:  WEEI, WMFS
Fed Ex Forum


Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
  vs 
Avery Bradley vs Mike Conley

Shooting Guard
  vs 
Courtney Lee  vs Tony Allen

Small Forward
  vs 
Paul Pierce  vs  Tayshaun Prince 
 
Power Forward
  vs 
Brandon Bass   vs  Zach Randolph   

Center
  vs 
Kevin Garnett  vs  Marc Gasol 




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

Injuries
Rajon Rondo (knee)  out
Jared Sullinger (back) out
Courtney Lee (ankle) questionable

Red Claws
Fab Melo


Grizzlies Reserves
Jerryd Bayless
Wayne Ellington
Darrell Arthur
Ed Davis
Josh Selby
Tony Wroten
Quincy Pondexter
Austin Daye
Dexter Pittman
Jon Leuer

Injuries
Darrell Arthur (back) day to day

Team Connections
Tony Allen played for the Celtics from 2004-10 and was a member of the 2008 NBA Championship team
Darrell Arthur, Josh Selby and Paul Pierce attended the University of Kansas
Jared Sullinger and Mike Conley both attended Ohio State
Chris Wilcox and Zach Randolph both played for New York during the 2008-09 season

Game Notes
The Celtics look to close out their road trip against a Grizzlies team that is playing very well.   Memphis is 12-3 since the All Star break with all 3 losses coming on the road.  They have also won 16 of 21 since the trade that brought Tayshaun Prince to Memphis for Rudy Gay.  The Grizzlies beat the Celtics 93-83 in January at the Garden.

That was before the Grizzlies' big trade and it was also Avery Bradley's first game back from his shoulder injury.  The Celtics also  had both Rondo and Sully and so both teams are considerably different since their first meeting.  Both teams are also in the heat of the playoff race. 

The Celtics are still in 7th half a game behind Chicago in 6th and 1.5 behind Atlanta in 5th.  They are also staying 2 games in front of Milwaukee for the 8th spot and a 1st round matchup with the Heat.   The Grizzlies are in 5th in the West  just half a game behind the Clippers in 4th and 1 game behind Denver in 3rd. 

The Celtics have dropped to 5-5 in their last 10 while the Grizzlies are 7-3 in their last 10.  The Celtics are a terrible 12-22 on the road while the Grizzlies are a tough 27-8 at home.   Both teams are coming off a loss on the road and both had to travel overnight, so neither has an advantage in that area.   The Grizzlies had won 2 in a row before dropping their last game to the Hornets.  The Celtics have lost 3 in a row and really need to get a win to keep this road trip from being a total disaster. 

Courtney Lee went down with an ankle injury in the Mavs game and his status isn't known for this game.   I'm leaving him in the starting lineup for now since I don't have a clue whether he will play and if he doesn't play, I don't know who Doc would start, possibly JET or Terrence Williams.  But it's late and I don't want to have to deal with that now,  so Courtney Lee it is. 

Key Matchups 
vs 
Kevin Garnett vs Marc Gasol
Brandon Bass vs Zach Randolph
The matchup between the Celtics bigs and the Grizzlies bigs will be key in determining the winner.   The Grizzlies are strong where the Celtics are weakest and that is in the middle.  I expect KG to cover Gasol and Bass to cover Randolph because he is so physical that he'd be a tough cover for KG. 

Honorable Mention
Paul Pierce vs Tayshaun Prince 
 Prince is long and has always posed problems for Paul Pierce on both ends of the court.   Jeff Green would match up better with him and I expect to see that matchup for at least parts of the game. 

Keys to the Game
Defense - The team that works hardest on defense will be the team that wins.  The Grizzlies are a good defensive team and will limit the Celtics' easy looks.  They lead the league in points allowed at 89.2 points per game.   The Celtics will need to match their defensive intensity if they want to win this game as they won't win in a shoot out.  The Grizzlies are undefeated (20-0) when scoring 100 points in a game.   They are also just 2-6 when allowing their opponents to score 100 points.  The Celtics' defense against the Mavs was terrible for the most part.  They struggled to cover the pick and roll and allowed the Mavs to score 104 points.  Not only will they lose this game if they continue to play defense that poorly,  they will also be a very quick first round out in the playoffs.    The Celtics must bring their A-game on defense if they hope to get a win in this game. 

Rebound - Rebounding is very important in limiting fast break points and second chance points for Memphis.  The Grizzlies are very good at getting second chance points off of offensive rebounds and putbacks with Randoph and Gasol playing inside.    The Celtics must be aggressive in crashing the boards.  The team that wins the battle of the boards usually wins the game.    The Celtics have been outrebounded by large margins in their last 2 games.  They must do better. 

Take Care of the Ball - The Grizzlies are among the best in the league in forced turnovers and steals and they are also very good at scoring off those turnovers.  The Celtics tend to get sloppy and turn the ball over at times and they must take care of the ball and avoid careless passes and lapses in focus or the Grizzlies will make them pay.

Be Aggressive for 48 Minutes - When the Celtics are passive and settle for jumpers and don't swarm on defense they end up in trouble.  The Celtics need to come out strong and play aggressively until the final buzzer.  They can't allow the Grizzlies to build a lead because their defense will make it difficult to come back.   They also must be aggressive in going to the basket and not just shoot jumpers.   

X-Factors
Fatigue and Focus
Both teams are playing in back to back games and both teams had to travel after their games.   Bench play will be crucial in order for the starters to have enough energy to close out the game.  The Celtics tend to lose focus on the road and they have to find a way to keep their focus on defense and winning from start to finish.   

[PhoSita]

There might not be a worse matchup in the league for the Celtics than the Grizzlies.

[thirstyboots18]

I will never give up the dream that the Celtics can make their way through the Playoffs.   I am still cheering the team on, BUT...it is becoming very hard to sit through a game.  Watching has become more work than  fun...making doing almost anything else seem like a better option.  (And I thought last year, with the lockout, was hard...)

TP, FL, on the writeup.  Great job, as always.

[SHAQATTACK]

homer as I am ,  I'm finding excuses to do other things rather than sit though more ho hum ,   boring losses .

Celtics got to shoot better is all I know.    Effort is n't gonna help if you can't put the ball in the bucket .

Celtics need players who can make a bucket to be competitive .

Maybe somebody besides Pierce and KG can score some serious points and help the Celtics win.

JET is awful.

[SHAQATTACK]

There might not be a worse matchup in the league for the Celtics than the Grizzlies.

I'm jealous of the Grizzlies ,  its the type of traditional type of team ...BOSTON needs to be .

I hate small ball.

[GreenFaith1819]

TP,FL!

C'mon BOS! Wakey Wakey!

[relja]

I expect KG to cover Gasol and Collins to cover Randolph

Yeah, Collins should cover... Oh wait.

[Shamrocker]

Like two others have said, I too am finding it hard to watch the C’s of late.  Their brand of basketball is tolerable if they’re winning, but when they’re losing, well, it just doesn't seem worth it.

I miss Rondo.

[GronkSpike]

I am still cheering the team on, BUT...it is becoming very hard to sit through a game.  Watching has become more work than  fun...making doing almost anything else seem like a better option.

homer as I am ,  I'm finding excuses to do other things rather than sit though more ho hum ,   boring losses .

I'm feeling the same way. Still watch every game, but I get "tired" just sitting down and watching it. Really taking a toll. Good thing the B's also play tonight.

I wonder if it would not be better to rest KG, 3rd game in 4 nights, 2nd of a road back-to-back. I mean I'm always pro fighting for the better seed, but I mean, the playoff spot it's already guaranteed...

[Lightskinsmurf]

I will never give up the dream that the Celtics can make their way through the Playoffs.   I am still cheering the team on, BUT...it is becoming very hard to sit through a game.  Watching has become more work than  fun...making doing almost anything else seem like a better option.  (And I thought last year, with the lockout, was hard...)

TP, FL, on the writeup.  Great job, as always.

Same here, I had the game on yesterday but It was because I was forcing myself to watch it. I wasn't watching because I really wanted but because I felt like I kinda had too.

[csfansince60s]

Much like most of the posters, It has been hard for me to watch games too.

I often watch the 1st quarter up to some point, usually to the point of where the subs start coming in, if I can take it that long. Then, if they're getting owned, I click off and click back somewhere in the middle to the end of the 2nd. If the game is close, I watch, but if it's getting away, I click off then back on somewhere near middle to late third.

Lather rinse repeat.

At this point I want us to get the 8th seed. Rest KG/PP A LOT over the rest of the season. Play cHeat right away, when legs are fresh. Get a better draft choice. Win/Win.

[thirstyboots18]

Much like most of the posters, It has been hard for me to watch games too.

I often watch the 1st quarter up to some point, usually to the point of where the subs start coming in, if I can take it that long. Then, if they're getting owned, I click off and click back somewhere in the middle to the end of the 2nd. If the game is close, I watch, but if it's getting away, I click off then back on somewhere near middle to late third.

Lather rinse repeat.

At this point I want us to get the 8th seed. Rest KG/PP A LOT over the rest of the season. Play cHeat right away, when legs are fresh. Get a better draft choice. Win/Win.

I agree with you about the fresher legs competing with Miami, but my conundrum is, I also feel you achieve what you are practicing for, and right now we are practicing for failure.

It is time to flip the switch right now, if indeed it can be flipped. I really don't care about the draft picks, past the top two or three.  If someone slips, we have to trust Danny to find him...where ever...and while he is not perfect, he is as good as anyone at finding good late first/second round picks.

[Celtics18]

I still enjoy watching this team play.  One positive for me lately has been the play of Brandon Bass.  He seems like he is starting to become much more active and aggressive lately.  He had a good night in Dallas, although he missed more than his fair share of bunnies. 

Brandon's going to have his hands full tonight against possibly the strongest, toughest power forward in the league.  His play against Randolph is something I'll be paying close attention to. 

On a related note:  Does anyone think that Doc will end up giving Shavlik a couple of minutes to work against his cousin Zach tonight?

[thirstyboots18]

Sorry, FL.  I didn't mean to hijack this thread.  Maybe this particular rant , if it continues, should be another thread.

Hope for happier results and happier fans tonight!

[CelticConcourse]

Again, we always win the wrong games, I see a win tonight (guaranteed!)