at 
Orlando Magic (14-31) at Goston Celtics (22-23)
Friday, February 1, 2013
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #46,  Home Game #25
TV:   CSNNE, FSFL, NBA-LP 752(ORL)/753(BOS)
Radio:  WEEI,  WDBO
TD Garden
Referees:  Derrick Stafford,  Tre Maddox, Haywoode Workman

The Celtics will try to get back to the .500 mark once again and win their third straight game when they host the reeling Orlando Magic.  The Magic have been in a tailspin and it has gotten even worse as Glenn Davis broke his foot early in their last game and will be lost for the rest of the season.  They may also be without their leading scorer, Aaron Afflalo, who is day to day with a calf injury.  For the Celtics, Jared Sullinger is also day to day with back spasms. 

The Magic list their starting PF as to be determined.  I've taken a guess that they may start Kyle O'Quinn but they haven't given any indication of who they plan to start.  For the Celtics, Sully didn't practice on Thursday and wasn't at the shootaround.   He is 50-50 to play in this game and will probably be a game time decision.  If he can't go, expect Brandon Bass to move back into the starting lineup.     Also, Fab Melo is with the team and will be on the active roster for the first time this season. 

The Magic are just 2-8 in their last 10 games while the Celtics are a slightly better 4-6 in their last 10.  The Celtics are 15-9 at home and would like to establish a home dominance while the Magic are just 6-15 away from home.   They have lost their last 4 games on the road by an average of  20.0 points per game.   The Celtics have won six straight in the series, including a 116-110 victory in Orlando on Nov. 25. 


Probable Starting Matchups  
Point Guard
  vs 
Avery Bradley vs Jameer Nelson

Shooting Guard
vs
Courtney Lee vs JJ Redick

Small Forward
vs
Paul Pierce   vs Maurice Harkless

Power Forward 
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Kyle O'Quinn

Center
vs
Kevin Garnett  vs Nikola Vucevic



Celtics Reserves
Brandon Bass
Jason Collins
Jeff Green
Jason Terry
Leandro Barbosa
Chris Wilcox
Fab Melo

Injured
Rajon Rondo (knee) out
Jared Sullinger (back) day to day


Magic Reserves
Gustavo Ayon
Andrew Nicholson
E'Twaun Moore
DeQuan Jones
Josh McRoberts
Ishmael Smith
Hedo Turkoglu

Injuries
Al Harrington (knee) out
Glenn Davis (foot) out
Aaron Afflalo (calf)  day to day


Key Matchups 
vs
The "Pit Bulls," as Avery Bradley and Courtney Lee have been called, will go against two of Orlando's key scoring options.  Their defense will be key to limiting the Magic's offense and also to keeping the ball moving on offense for the Celtics. 

vs
Kevin Garnett vs Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic is playing well for the Magic and KG will need to keep him away from the basket and also try to continue to hit his shots on the other end. 

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is the key to winning. Period.  The Celtics are getting back to playing tough defense and have limited opponents to 84.0 points per game in its last two games.   The two prong attack of Lee and Bradley harassing the opposing guards has a lot to do with it.   They need to continue to make defense a priority. 

Rebound -  Rebounding takes effort and desire and when the Celtics show both on the boards, it translates to the other parts of the game as well.  They have to rebound to prevent second chance points for the Magic and to be able to get them for themselves. 

Be Aggressive - The Celtics have to be aggressive from start to finish.  They have to take the ball to the hoop and not settle for jumpers, especially if the jumpers aren't falling.  They also have to be aggressive in going after loose balls and rebounds as well.   And most important,  they have to be aggressive on defense.  If they play timidly in the least or show any weakness, the Magic will take advantage of it. 

Ball Movement - The Celtics moved the ball and found the open man in each of their last two games and it resulted in wins for the Green team.   They need to continue to share the ball, and to advance the ball quickly to get easy baskets before the defense is set. 

X-Factors
Focus
The Celtics could let up because of the Magic's record or because they are missing key players, but they need to keep their focus on playing hard and getting the win.   They need to get off to a quick start and play hard throughout. They need to continue to keep their focus on playing as a team.   No let ups. 

Official Report

Derrick Stafford

Over his 24 NBA seasons, Derrick Stafford has worked 1,453 regular season, 112 playoff, and six Finals games. He was a member of the crews that officiated the1992 Legends All-Star Game in Orlando, the 1997 McDonald’s Championship in Paris and the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. The 24-year NBA officiating veteran has also served twice on the Executive Board of the National Basketball Referee Association. Stafford has six years of CBA officiating experience, and he officiated Pro-Am basketball for six years. He also has seven years of collegiate officiating and 10 years of high school officiating experience in Georgia where he worked the state finals. While at Morehouse College he played football for two years and baseball for four. Stafford made All Conference three years in baseball and led the confereence in hitting in 1978. He was also co-most valuable player in baseball with NFL referee Jerome Boger in 1976. Stafford is the founder and president of his own foundation, “Don’t Foul Out, Inc.”.

Stafford is known to be quick to call technical fouls. Pat Riley and Stafford have a bit of bad blood between them. Back in 2003 when Riley was coaching, he accused Stafford of shouting "It's not about you." at Riley when Riley complained excessively about the calls. Stafford was suspended for 2 games as a result. Stafford was also fined as a result of a complaint that Lawrence Frank made when he was coach of the Nets. I found 4 other articles detailing complaints about Stafford for his actions or comments. It seems that Mr Stafford is a hot head who loves to lash out at players and coaches who question him. Hopefully he has mellowed a bit or the way Doc rides the officials may get under his skin.

The Celtics are 1-0 this season and 7-3 over the last 10 games with Stafford on the court. The win was over the Thunder where the free throws were even at 24. One loss last season was to the Lakers where the officiating was terrible and the Celtics shot just 5 (yes, that's FIVE) free throws to 20 for the Lakers. The Magic are 1-0 this season and 8-2 over their last 10 games with Stafford. His home W/L record this season is 23-15.

Tre Maddox

Tre Maddox enters his second NBA season having officiated 43 regular season games. Maddox’s experience includes four seasons and 158 games officiated in the D-League. He also has five seasons of NBA preseason game experienece and worked in NBA summer camps for five years. In addition to his professional experience, Maddox officiated collegiate games for six years in the PAC 10, WCC and Pac West Conferences and has eight years of high school officiating experience.

The Celtics are 1-1 this season and 1-2 over his career as a referee. The win this season was over the Timberwolves and the officiating was good. The loss this season was to the Clippers where the Celtics shot 15 free throws to 24 for the Clippers but the officiating wasn't bad. The loss last season was against the Pacers and the officiating was fairly even. The Magic are 1-1 this season and 4-2 over his career. His home W/L record this season is 20-9.

Haywoode Workman

Haywoode Workman has officiated 209 regular season games in his first four NBA seasons. A second round draft pick by the Atlanta Hawks in 1989, he played professionally for eight seasons in the NBA and overseas betweeen 1989 to 2000. He spent four seasons officiating in the NBA Development League and also officiated in the CBA before joining the NBA. Workman joins Bernie Fryer and Leon Wood on the short list of NBA players who have made the transition to officiating. Workman was an All-State quarterback in North Carolina in 1983 and played in the NC/SC Shrine Bowl. He played one year of football and basketball for the all time winnigest HBCU coach the late Clearence "Big House" Gaines at Winston-Salem State University. He was inducted into the Oral Roberts University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.

The Celtics are 0-4 this season and 4-6 over the last 10 games with Workman, including a loss to Philly in the preseason. There hasn't been a lot of controversy over his officiating. Unlike some of the NBA officials, he keeps a fairly low profile. The Magic are 1-3 this season and 7-3 in their last 10 with Workman. His home W/L record is 20-10 this season.