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Game Preview: Rockets at Celtics
 |
vs. |  |
|---|---|---|
| 37-37 | Record | 47-27 |
| 101.5 | PPG | 98.6 |
| 101.9 | PPGA | 94.5 |
| 44.4 | FG% | 48.2 |
| 47.1 | Opp. FG% | 44.8 |
| 42.2 | Rebounds | 38.7 |
| 21.5 | Assists | 23.6 |
| 14.4 | Turnovers | 15.2 |
| 7.0 | Steals | 8.8 |
| 3.8 | Blocks | 5.0 |
| Point Guard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Aaron Brooks |
Rajon Rondo | ||
| Shooting Guard | |||
Kevin Martin |
Ray Allen | ||
| Small Forward | |||
Trevor Ariza |
Paul Pierce | ||
| Power Forward | |||
Luis Scola |
Kevin Garnett | ||
| Center | |||
Chuck Hayes |
Kendrick Perkins | ||
| Sixth Man | 
Kyle Lowry |
Rasheed Wallace |
|
Friday, April 2, 2010
TD Garden, 7:30 p.m.
TV: CSN New England
RADIO: WEEI 850 AM
During the Celtics' season-long, six-game homestand, which concludes Sunday afternoon, five opponents will have enetered the TD Garden with at least a .500 record.
The C's have already guaranteed themselves a record well above the .500 mark this season, but to achieve that goal for this homestand, the team has some serious work to do.
Boston is 2-2 through the first four games of the homestand and the final two contests of its current run at home both come against dangerous teams. The first of that pair, the Houston Rockets, will tip off against the Celtics at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the TD Garden.
These two teams met two weeks ago in Houston, where Boston pulled out a 94-87 victory. Paul Pierce dominated that game with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and the Big Three combined for 60 points.
On the other side of the ball, the Rockets got double-digit scoring from six of their players, led by Luis Scola and Kevin Martin's 17 apiece. The issue for Houston was that outside of those six players no one else had any success offensively, hence the team's 87 points.
The Rockets had been challenging for a playoff spot nearly the entire season, but their play has dropped off dramatically of late. The team is only 10-13 since the All-Star break and 4-6 in its last 10 outings. The acquisition of Martin -- which meant the departure of Carl Landry -- clearly shook up this team and they haven't been able to adjust since.
Another factor that's in Boston's favor tonight is that the Rockets have struggled mightily on the road this season. Of the 18 teams in the NBA that have a .500 record or better, Houston is tied with Memphis for the fourth-least road wins (ahead of only Charlotte, Milwaukee and Toronto).
That's great news for the C's, who are doing their best to improve their record at home down the stretch of the season. They've been able to do so by winning seven of their 10 home games in March, improving their record in the Garden to 23-14.
A win tonight will not only improve that home record, it will give the C's a chance at finishing this difficult homestand with an impressive 4-2 record when they take on the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday afternoon. It won't be an easy task, as the Rockets have plenty of talent on their roster, but this is certainly a game the C's should win at this point of the season.
Houston's health
On the surface, it looks like the Rockets have struggling simply because their roster underwent a drastic change at the trade deadline by bringing in Martin and shipping out Landry -- and that is somewhat the case -- but much of their lack of production is also due to injuries.
Martin, who is arguably the team's best shooter, has missed Houston's last four games with a sprained left shoulder, and Shane Battier, who is arguably the team's best defender and leader, has been out since March 21 with an MCL sprain in his left knee.
Both players are expected back in the lineup in the near future, and may return tonight. Battier was originally said to be out for 10 days, which would put him right on track to return tonight.
If either or both of these players are on the court for the Rockets, it will be an obvious boost for their chances to win. However, if they're not in the lineup, the C's could win running away.
Channeling anger
After Wednesday night's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was clear that the Celtics were fuming at the final result. Kevin Garnett continually took deep breaths and shook his head while looking at the box score during his postgame press conference, giving the impression that he fully believed Boston should have won that game.
It was one of the more visual signs this season of he and Pierce being very unhappy after a home loss. That game had to have left a sore taste in their mouths, and tonight will be their first chance to channel that anger onto the court against an opponent.
Boston has played with energy and passion this season, but we haven't seen this team play with anger. That loss to the Thunder could be the spark the team needed to release that type of mindset on their opponent for the remainder of the season. We'll see if that's the case when ball goes up at 7:30 p.m.
3-point shooting
This has been a major factor in the Celtics either winning or losing games this season. Boston has hit 38.0 percent of their 3-pointers in their 47 wins, but made only 27.4 percent of their 3s during their 27 losses.
They're coming off of a 3-of-13 performance against the Thunder Wednesday night, which included an 0-of-5 showing from Ray Allen. Those numbers will need to improve tonight if they're going to keep pace with the Hawks for the third seed in the East.
Luckily for them, they've already had some success from downtown against tonight's opponent. During their win on March 19 in Houston, the C's hit 10-of-23 treys. Allen was 5-of-8 from long distance, accounting for 15 of his 19 points.
Houston certainly doesn't want that type of performance to show up again tonight, but the chances are good considering opponents have hit 35.9 percent of their 3s against the Rockets this season. Orlando and Toronto are the only teams in the league that have allowed opponents to make a higher percentage of their 3-pointers while winning at least half of their games.
With that being said, the C's have to like their chances of having a successful night with the threeball.
