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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 19:33:14 GMT -5
Celtics begin road trip with a stop in Houston to take on the red hot RocketsThe Celtics look to extend their 4 game win streak and end the Rockets 14 game win streak.By flceltsfan Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY SportsThe Celtics travel to Houston to take on the hottest team in the league. The Houston Rockets have won 14 straight and currently have the best record in the league. The Rockets have won 10 straight at home as well. The Celtics are on a 4 game win streak. The Rockets are 24-6 at home while the Celtics are 21-8 on the road. The Celtics are 16-6 vs the West while the Rockets are 18-5 vs the East. The Celtics came from 26 down in the first half to beat the Rockets 99-98 at home on December 28th. In the last 7.3 seconds of that game, Marcus Smart drew 2 offensive fouls on James Harden and the Celtics scored 4 points over that span to get the win. The Rockets were missing Chris Paul, Luc Mbah a Moute and Clint Capela in that game. It was 10 years ago this month on March 18, 2008 that the Celtics stopped Houston’s 22 game win streak with a 94-74 win in Houston. KG, Paul Pierce and Leon Powe all scored 20 or more points. I’m sure those two Celtics’ wins will be fresh on the mind of the Rockets in this game. After missing the last game, Daniel Theis traveled with the team and according to Brad Stevens is expected to play tonight. Gordon Hayward posted another w workout video and is making progress in his rehab, but remains out for the Celtics. Brandon Wright (knee), Ryan Anderson (hip) and Chinanu Onuaku (nose) are all listed as out for the Rockets. It should be noted that there are 3 former Celtics on the Rockets’ roster. Former Celtic Gerald Green joined the Rockets in Boston when they played the Celtics the first time this season. Also, they have former Celtic RJ Hunter on their roster. They signed him to a 2-way contract on January 12. Former Celtic, Joe Johnson was also signed after the trade deadline. Probable Celtics Starters
PG: Kyrie Irving Bob DeChiara-USA TODAYSports
SG: Jaylen Brown Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
SF: Jayson Tatum John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
PF: Al Horford Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
C: Aron Baynes Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Celtics Reserves Abdel Nader Marcus Morris Greg Monroe Terry Rozier Shane Larkin Semi Ojeleye Marcus Smart
Injuries Gordon Hayward (ankle) out Daniel Theis (hamstring) probable Guerschon Yabusele (G-League) questionable
Two Way Players Kadeem Allen Jabari Bird
Head Coach Brad Stevens
Probable Rockets Starters
PG: Chris Paul Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
SG: James Harden Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
SF: Trevor Ariza Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
PF: PJ Tucker Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
C: Clint Capela Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
Rockets Reserves Tarik Black Eric Gorden Gerald Green Joe Johnson Luc Mbah a Moute Nene Zhou Qi
Injuries Brandon Wright (knee) out Ryan Anderson (hip) out Chinanu Onuaku (nose) out
Two Way Players RJ Hunter Markel Brown
Head Coach Mike D’Antoni
Key Matchups
Kyrie Irving vs Chris Paul Chris Paul is averaging 19.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.8 steals this season. He is fitting very well with Harden on this team. He missed the first game between these two teams and should make a difference in this one. Kyrie will need to out-play him on both ends of the court.
Jaylen Brown vs James Harden Harden is the Rockets top player and is averaging 31.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game. In the last game, Brown was out and it was Marcus Smart who was tasked with guarding Harden. Harden scored 34 but in the last 7.3 seconds, Smart got in Harden’s head and drew 2 offensive fouls from him. We will likely see a combination of the two players on him in this game.
Honorable Mention Aron Baynes vs Clint Capela Capela is averaging 14.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game. He is also their rim protector. Baynes has been playing very well and hopefully will continue that in this game.
Marcus Smart vs Eric Gordon Gordon is averaging 18.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists off the bench and is shooting 33.5% from beyond the arc. Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier will be tasked with slowing Gordon down along with helping on Harden.
www.celticsblog.com/2018/3/3/17076062/celtics-begin-road-trip-with-a-stop-in-houston-to-take-on-the-red-hot-rockets
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 19:46:45 GMT -5
Daniel Theis Returning Against Rocketsby Joshua BatemanDaniel Theis expected to return to the lineup against the Houston RocketsWhen the season began, very few would have thought that Daniel Theis‘ health would have been important to the Boston Celtics, but that is the reality we are living in. Theis has been steady all season long, and started to surge out of the All Star break. Theis got his first start, and really did not disappoint in any way. Theis has emerged as a great rotation player, who could easily get more and more opportunities with the first unit. Theis is is becoming vital to what they want to do on defense, and everyone is relieved that his hamstring issue is minor, and he is ready to get back on the court. The Celtics have a lot of young versatile bigs, but Theis is the one who is separating himself this season. He may not be the strongest, but he is a capable defender who puts in work on the boards. When the shots are falling for him, he becomes that three and D undersized big that the Celtics have spent a lot of time looking for, and that is valuable to almost anything the Celtics will want to do. He brings stability and consistency to a second unit that has very little, and is looking like the most complete and well rounded option to play next to Al Horford. Theis is not a major impact or game changing player, but he is turning into exactly what you want in a role player, and the Celtics need as much of that as possible right now. Especially against a team like the Rockets, the Celtics cannot win based on hero ball and individual talent. They need their overall units to be getting any advantage they can, and Theis has to be a part of that. Theis helps the Celtics get comfortable, and keeps the defense honest, He will not break the game against the Rockets, but the Celtics cannot afford to have any rotation guys play like a liability, Theis is the kind of advantage that the Rockets may not be preparing to fight, and him being healthy and playing well is absolutely a factor in one of the bigger games of the season. hardwoodhoudini.com/2018/03/03/boston-celtics-daniel-theis-returning-rockets/
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2018 19:50:36 GMT -5
This is another barometer game. Unfortunately I have to leave mid way to meet with a friend after a long, long time. Heartbreaking!
Go Celts! Win this one and show us what you all are made of.
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 19:54:47 GMT -5
Will Brown get Harden and Smart Gordon or will we see more of this?
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Post by puddin on Mar 3, 2018 20:07:54 GMT -5
Will Brown get Harden and Smart Gordon or will we see more of this?
^^^ the worst call in the entire history of the NBA. So sez The Beard. Pud
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 20:25:25 GMT -5
Can Marcus Smart Repeat Success Against James Hardenby Joshua BatemanThe Boston Celtics need Marcus Smart to be effective against James Harden to have a chance against the Rockets
James Harden is once against having an MVP level campaign where he is proving that he is one the greatest offensive players this league has ever seen. He has mastered things on offense in ways that no one else in the league has, and he is probably the most frustrating offensive player to have to defend in the NBA. When you are thinking about how you want to contain the most frustrating offensive weapon in the NBA, one of the first places you could look is the most frustrating defensive player in the NBA, and that is what makes his matchup with Marcus Smart so fascinating. Ever since he entered the league, people could see what a special defender Smart is, and now everyone else on the outside is quickly catching up to the fact that he is as good as anyone else in this league on the defensive end, and the way he plays can be a great way to neutralize Harden. Last time they went head to head, Smart limited Harden to just six points while guarding him, which is already one of the most impressive things he has done this season. What was more impressive, however, is forcing him into more turnovers than assists, and how that pushed Harden off his game. Everyone remembers the back to back offensive fouls that allowed the Celtics to steal one of their best wins of the season, but less people remember the terrible deep contested shots that Harden took on multiple possessions before that. Jayson Tatum even managed to get a late game block on him, because Harden took the mentality that he was just going to score no matter what, and the Houston Rockets lost because of it. One of the best parts of this Rockets team is that they are one of the highest functioning offenses the league has ever seen. No one needs more material to be convinced about what Harden and Chris Paul can do in isolation, but that is not why they are the biggest threat to the Warriors since Kevin Durant joined them. They are a threat to the Warriors because they have all the individual talent coming together in a way that will allow them to score with a team that will always have more talent than them. The Rockets know exactly what they need to do, and everyone knows how to get there. And, at this point, no defense is really proving they can consistently keep them away from that. Who knows if he can repeat it but, last game, Smart gave us a taste of how you can throw off the Rockets: you need to frustrate the most frustrating player in the game. Smart is the one player that will give you no space no matter how you try to get it. He is going to be stronger than you, he will stay in front of you, there there will be no space what so ever. The danger is that you know Harden is going to use that aggressiveness to try and get him into foul trouble, but Smart is becoming a lot more polished, and is avoiding the bad fouls. The Rockets always go through Harden to function well, and Smart is as good of an option to throw that off as anyone else. The unfortunate reality is that how this matchup is officiated will play a major role. Everyone likes to talk about the calls Harden gets, but that is because he has mastered how to get those calls. If Harden is able to force Smart into situations where he cannot be aggressive without fouling, he will dominate. If, however, Smart is able to play with all his intensity and energy, and take away any bit of space Harden might have, without fouling, then the Celtics could have a repeat of their last game. Smart will wear you down physically, but he will also wear you down mentally. He will make you believe that what he is doing will never stop and never slow down, and that is why you saw Harden chucking up those awful shots last game, and pushing off just a bit more than he usually does. Next: is Monroe washed up already? The Celtics need Smart to be the most important player in this game, because if he is able to frustrate Harden again, and prevent him from being as masterful as he has been all year long, the Celtics could get a signature victory tonight. hardwoodhoudini.com/2018/03/03/boston-celtics-can-marcus-smart-repeat-success-against-james-harden/
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2018 20:52:51 GMT -5
Too many turnovers. Looks like the Celts are focused on their shooting. The defense has not kicked in yet.
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 21:03:57 GMT -5
Exactly!
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 21:07:02 GMT -5
Nice 10-0 run to take back the lead ... thnx T-Ro!
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 21:12:02 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2018 21:14:13 GMT -5
Rockets trying to exploit Moose on defense seems to be playing into Celts hands!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2018 21:19:51 GMT -5
Cm'on Marcus Morris! Have to hit that open corner 3. The Rockets do at their end. Settle down and play with confidence.
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 21:20:54 GMT -5
Moose with 8pts-3rbds-1blk in 6mins ... unable to close out the three from the corner but very efficient on offense.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2018 21:21:42 GMT -5
Yes, but we can dominate them.
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 21:22:59 GMT -5
another TO (6)
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 21:24:45 GMT -5
Phantom 3rd foul on Brown vs Harden ... Ugh
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2018 21:25:42 GMT -5
Go Kyrie! KI is god!
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 21:25:59 GMT -5
WOW! I thought Ky would lose the ball and he makes the shot add 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 21:27:40 GMT -5
Al can't get it going with the fall-away ...
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2018 21:29:23 GMT -5
Mark Jackson is such an idiot! Van Gundy makes so much more sense.
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Post by Cabutan on Mar 3, 2018 21:30:19 GMT -5
Well. Wtf is this offense allbout? All of the sudden we have been shooting great since Smart came back
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 21:30:46 GMT -5
T-Ro with the hot hand ... 4-6 (2-2)
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2018 21:31:07 GMT -5
Al can't get it going with the fall-away ... They are defending him well. Forcing him into fall aways.
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2018 21:32:20 GMT -5
Well. Wtf is this offense allbout? All of the sudden we have been shooting great since Smart came back Indeed ... 53% overall and 61.5% on threes
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Post by Cabutan on Mar 3, 2018 21:34:14 GMT -5
In that span, i have seen our best ball movement plus guys arent settling for the 3. Hopefully it lasts
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