Preview and Official Report - Celtics (1-0) at Rockets (2-0) 11/1/14

 

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Boston Celtics (1-0) at Houston Rockets (2-0)
Saturday, November 1, 2014
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #2, Road Game #1
TV: CSN-NE, CSN-H, League Pass  758(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub, 790 AM
Toyota Center
Referees:  David Jones, Derrick Collins, Sean Wright
The Celtics didn't have to wait long for their first road trip.  After blowing out the Nets in their home opener, they headed out on the road to face the Houston Rockets.  This will definitely be a challenge for the Celtics, especially for their front line as they seek to slow down Dwight Howard, one of the few true centers left in the league.  The Celtics will try to keep Howard from getting the ball in position to score as well as to try to keep him out of his comfort zone, which is easier said than done.  Expect to see more of Tyler Zeller in this game as well since coach Stevens said that he regretted not using him more in their first game. 

The Celtics will also face the challenge of having to slow down James Harden.  That may be one of the Celtics strengths in this game with their pitbulls  Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart in the backcourt.   Containing the league's 9th highest scorer will be a good test for the Celtics defensive minded guards. 

Both teams last played on Wednesday and both teams are on a win streak, although modest ones with the Celtics winning their home opener and the Rockets winning their first two games.   The Rockets won the season series last year 2-0.    The Celtics are 42-29 all time vs the Rockets in Houston. 

The Celtics' depth may give them their biggest advantage in this game.  The Rockets have averaged 106 points over their two games but only 25 of those came from their bench.  On the other hand, the Celtics scored 121 points, with 44 of those points coming from their bench.  The Celtics second unit should give them an advantage over their counterparts on the Rockets. 

the Rockets' starting point guard, Patrick Beverly, is day to day after leaving Wednesday's game vs the Jazz with a hamstring injury.   Clint Capela and Nick Johnson are also day to day with injuries.  For the Celtics, only Vitor Faverani is expected to be unavailable.   Gerald Wallace sat out practice after a minor procedure on his knee but is expected to be available for Saturday's game.

Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Patrick Beverly

Shooting Guard
  vs 
Avery Bradley vs James Harden

Small Forward
vs
Jeff Green vs Trevor Ariza

Power Forward
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Terrence Jones 

Center
vs
Kelly Olynyk vs Dwight Howard

Reserves
Phil Pressey
Marcus Smart
Evan Turner
Marcus Thornton
Brandon Bass
Dwight Powell
Tyler Zeller
Gerald Wallace
James Young

Injuries
Vitor Faverani (knee) out
Gerald Wallace (knee) probable

Reserves
Tarik Black
Isaiah Canaan
Troy Daniels
Joey Dorsey
Francisco Garcia
Donatas Motiejunas
Kostas Papanikoulaou
Jason Terry

Injuries
Patrick Beverly (hamstring)  day to day
Clint Capela (groin) day to day
Nick Johnson (back) day to day

Key Matchups
vs
Kelly Olynyk (19 PPG, 6 RPG, 2 APG) vs Dwight Howard (17.5 PPG, 10 RPG, 2 BPG)
Although the matchup is Olynyk vs Howard, Jared Sullinger will also spend time trying to stop the Rockets' big man because he will better be able to push him out from his comfort zone.  Another key to this matchup is the fact that the outside shooting of the Celtics big men will draw Howard out from the paint on the other end. 

vs
Avery Bradley (15 ppg, 0 rpg, 0 apg) vs James Harden (25 ppg, 4 rpg, 8 apg)
James Harden scores approximately 1/4 of the Rockets' points and it will be up to Avery Bradley as well as Marcus Smart to slow Harden down.   Harden is also not known for playing great defense and so the Celtics may be able to take advantage of that if Bradley, Smart or Thornton can get hot. 

Keys to the Game
Pace and Space - Brad Stevens system depends on the Celtics to run and set the pace of the game.  The Rockets especially depend on getting a lot from their starters and so if the Celtics can run the floor on every possession they may be able to wear them out.   They also have to move the ball and find the open man to keep the Rockets from setting up their defenses. 

Rebound -  In order to score, the Celtics need the ball and to get the ball, they will need to crash the boards as a team.   They can't allow Dwight Howard to have a big game on the boards, which will limit the Celtics fast breaks as well as their second chance points. 

Defense - I sound like a broken record, but defense is always important to getting every win.  If the Celtics can play tough team and individual defense for 48 minutes they will get a win. 

X-Factor
Focus On the Road
The Celtics are a young team and sometimes that equals out to struggles on the road.   If they can keep their focus and stick with the game plan,  they have a chance to get a win in this game.  But that is a big if when you are talking about young players. 
Official Report
David Jones  - David Jones has officiated 1,494 regular season games and 67 playoff games throughout his 25 seasons as an NBA official. In addition, Jones officiated both the men’s and women’s 2000 Olympic Bronze Medal Games.
Jones has eight years of collegiate officiating experience in the Southeastern, Trans-American Athletic, Metro and Sunshine State Conferences. In the past, he has been pretty good in calling the games. He is not usually influenced by the home crowd. The Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 games while the Rockets are 6-4 in their last 10 with Jones.

Derrick Collins - Derrick Collins has officiated 806 regular season games and 14 Playoff games in 13 NBA seasons. Prior to joining the NBA, he officiated five seasons in the CBA where he worked two Finals, and three seasons in the WNBA, working three WNBA Playoffs and Finals. He has seven years of collegiate officiating experience in various conferences (Big 12, Sun Belt, Conference USA, Southland, SEC, TAAC, OVC and SWAC), and he officiated a Southland Conference semifinal game. Collins also officiated at the high school level in Louisiana. Another ref with very little controversy. He is also has not usually been influenced by the home crowd. The Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 games with Collins while the Rockets are 8-2 in their last 10.

Sean Wright - Sean Wright has officiated 532 regular season and 12 playoff games in his nine seasons. Prior to joining the NBA, Wright was an official in the NBA D-League, where he participated in the Playoffs in 2004 and the Finals game in 2005. Wright’s collegiate officiating experience includes working in the SEC, Colonial, Big South,
Southern, Ohio Valley, Atlantic Sun and Southwestern Athletic Conferences. It was Sean Wright that Rondo threw the ball at resulting in his ejection and suspension in 2012. In one game with Wright last season, a loss to Philly, Tommy called him an idiot after one particularly bad call. The Celtics are 1-9 in their last 10 games with Wright while the Rockets are 8-2 in their last 10.

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