Jazz (0-4) at Celtics (0-4) Game 5 11/6

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Utah Jazz (0-4) at Boston Celtics (0-4)
November 6, 2013
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #5, Home Game #2
TV: CSNNE, ROOT Sports, NBA LP 757(DTV)
Radio:  Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub,  WBZ, KZNS
TD Garden



Probable Starters

PG: Avery Bradley
SG: Gerald Wallace
SF: Jeff Green
PF: Brandon Bass
C: Vitor Faverani

Celtics Reserves
MarShon Brooks
Jordan Crawford
Kris Humphries
Kelly Olynyk
Phil Pressey
Jared Sullinger
Courtney Lee
Phil Pressey (ankle) day to day
Keith Bogans (thumb) day to day

Injuries
Rajon Rondo (ACL)out
Gerald Wallace (knee) day to day





Probable Starters

PG:  Jamaal Tinsley
SG:  Gordon Hayward
SF:  Richard Jefferson
PF:  Derrick Favors
C:   Enes Kanter

Jazz Reserves
Rudy Gobert
John Lucas III
Alec Burks
Michael Harris
Ian Clark

Injuries
Andris Biedrins (ankle) out
Trey Burke (finger) out
Jeremy Evans (rotator cuff) out
Brandon Rush (knee)  out
Marvin Williams (Achilles) out

Key Matchups
vs
Gerald Wallace's status is uncertain for this game,  but this is a game where the Celtics would need his size at the shooting guard spot to match up with Hayward.  His defense is also needed on Hayward, who is averaging 15 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. 

vs
Vitor Faverani vs Enes Kanter
Kanter has been playing very well for the Jazz, averaging 16.7 points and 10 rebounds.  Vitor, who is averaging 9.5 points and 7.3 rebounds, will need to play tough defense to keep Kanter from going off. 


Honorable Mention
Jeff Green vs Richard Jefferson
The big question in this matchup is whether Jeff Green will have two good games in a row or fall back into the pattern of one aggressive game, two invisible games.  Richard Jefferson has lost a step over the years but he is still averaging 11.7 points and the Celtics will need to pay attention to him.


Game Notes
The Celtics and Jazz clash in a battle of two 0-4 teams. The Jazz come into this game after being blown out the night before by the Nets in the first of a 4 game road trip. They will continue their trip through Chicago and Toronto after this game. The Jazz are also short handed with 5 players on the injured list.   If ever there was a game that the Celtics should win, it is this one.

The Jazz are 36-50 all time vs the Celtics and 11-32 all time on the road.  They have lost 5 straight games to the Celtics.  No current players on the Jazz were on the last team that beat the Celtics on March 22, 2010. 

The Celtics are still looking for their first win and hoping to avoid becoming the first Celtics team since  their first season in 1946 to open the season 0-5.  To do that, they are going to have to find a way to close out games. 

Gerald Wallace left Monday's game with a bruised knee.  He is listed as day to day and should he not be able to play, I'm not sure who Stevens will start in his place.  Possibly start Jordan Crawford at the point and move Bradley to the 2 as that seemed to work in the preseason. 

Keys to the Game
Run, Run, Run - The Celtics have to run.  They have the youth and the depth to run every time down the floor but for some reason they walk the ball up part of the time.  They need to get the ball up the court before the defenses can get set.

Rebound - The Celtics have been doing better on the boards since that first game,  but they need to put out the effort every game to grab rebounds, especially on the offensive end. 

Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics are still turning the ball over too much.  They have to take better care of the ball, make smart passes, and limit their turnovers.

Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics have been playing very well for 46 minutes and then in the last two minutes they seem to fall apart.  They must find a way to close out the game and execute in the final couple minutes of the game. 

X-Factors
Home and Jazz Fatigue
The Celtics are playing at home and hopefully the home crowd will give them a boost in this game. Also, the Jazz are on a road trip and playing in the second of back to back games so fatigue may set in to give the Celtics an edge. 

[SHAQATTACK]

Wow here is  a





                                [             TANK     BATTLE.        ]



This Utah team is  horrible ,  no way we loose this one.    We'll beat them by 20+.

[BASS_THUMPER]

Bass shutting Favor down

Bass 10+ pts
     10+ rebs

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

Bet the Jazz fans are also thinking 'surely we con't lose this one too' also. BOLD Predictions: 10 assists for Bradley, 30 points for Olynyk, 3 made 3s for Courtney Lee 

[bello_man09]

This is the battle of the bottom...We win by 10!!!

[beklog]

First win of the season.. come'on Cs don't let me repeat this every game

[hwangjini_1]

The celtics will win this one. Green has a monster game. Maybe olynyk begins to shoot the ball well.

Gooooo celtics!!

[celticslove]

we win this one. wallace+green will bring coach stevens first W.

[TwinTower14]

unfortunately the C's are going to win this game but they will lose Friday and Saturday.....tank job 2013/2014...

[Birdman]

might be the first win folks!!

[beklog]

Pressy please comeback we need you

[Surferdad]

For all Celtics games this season, I am looking forward to the first half only 

In the Detroit game, I went turned it off at halftime. 

Wife: "How did they do?"
Me: "They are up at halftime."
Wife: "Well at least you can go to bed happy."

I have to thank her for that perspective and for the strategy.

[BigAlTheFuture]

Going to the game tonight. Lets get a W.

[Galeto]

I think Utah has the edge in this one.  They've faced a much tougher schedule than the Celtics have in Brooklyn, OKC (even without Westbrook, Durant can win a game by himself, which is about what he did in the season opener against them), Houston and a much better than expected Phoenix team which is 3-1.  If Utah was in the Eastern Conference, they'd be right there with the teams battling it out for the 7th/8th seeds. 

[Who]

I think Utah is ripe for the picking.

Their PG rotation is John Lucas III and Jamaal Tinsley. Neither one of which should be playing regular minutes in the NBA. Their big man duo of Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter is pretty solid but they have no depth behind them. I mean Rudy Gobert is their main backup big. Gordon Hayward is a strong player on the wing but after Hayward they are relying on Richard Jefferson and Alec Burks. Both are good backup quality wings and question marks as starters.

There is some young talent there to be developed for the future but in the here and now there isn't a whole lot of talent on that Utah Jazz squad. I think they are going to be something like a 25 win team this year.