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The Boston Celtics (2-0), after thoroughly dominating the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday and holding them to a franchise-low 59 points, renew their budding rivalry with the Chicago Bulls (1-0) tonight at 8 p.m. EST at the TD Garden.
The Bulls, playing on the second night of a back-to-back, are coming off an impressive win against the San Antonio Spurs last night and look to exact a measure of revenge tonight against the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year.
Unlike last spring's playoff tilt, both teams enter tonight's contest with their starting lineups healthy and intact. For Chicago, small forward Luol Deng's broken right leg is fully healed, and he appears to have returned to his 2006-2007 form, when he averaged nearly 19 points and 7 rebounds a game. For Boston, Kevin Garnett looks to be fully recovered from offseason surgery, though he still has a ways to go before he fully regains strength in and around his knee and completely regains his wind.
Both teams also made important changes to their bench over the summer. For the Celtics, that meant the addition of Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels. For the Bulls, that meant the departure of Ben Gordon, who left as a free agent to sign with the Detroit Pistons for a ridiculous 55 million dollars over 5 years.
On the injury front, the Bulls appear to relatively healthy, while the Celtics will continue to dress just 11 players, although there is a small possiblity that Brian Scalabrine (sprained ankle) might be available.
What to Look For
The matchup everyone will be watching occurs at point guard, where Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose face off in a battle of future All-Stars. Rose, who was hampered by a sore tendon in the preseason and only played in one preseason game, looked no worse for the wear last night against the Spurs, going for 13 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Rajon has also looked impressive so far in the young season, averaging 9 points, 10.5 assist, 4.5 rebounds and 3 steals a game.
While Rose has the height and strength advantage, which makes him almost unstoppable when attacking the rim, Rondo has a decided quickness and experience edge on Rose, and completely had his way with Rose in last year's playoff matchup. Both players are similar in the way they stuff the stat sheet, and either is a triple-double threat each time they step on the court.
Like their matchup with the Bobcats, the Cs will be tested tonight by Chicago's athleticism and must pay special attention to limiting their turnovers, keeping Rose and the Bulls out of transition, and locking down the defensive boards if they want to win.
Boston's frontline will also be tested by Chicago's mixture of young and old. Center Joakim Noah and power forward Tyrus Thomas are both the kind of ultra-athletic, high energy bigs that often give Boston trouble, while center Brad Miller's long distance shooting, deft passing, and craftiness around the rim is certain to give Boston fits at times.
In the backcourt, Deng has historically played Paul Pierce pretty tough, using his length and athleticism to hang on Paul's shooting hand and to keep him out of the lane. At guard, John Salmons can be a handful to guard, and Ray Allen will need to pay close attention to him, especially from the corners where he can be deadly from 3.
Boston's greatest advantage in this game is their depth. Realistically, Chicago only goes 7 deep, with rookie forward Taj Gibson and guard Jannero Pargo rounding out the top 9. Other than Miller, only reserve guard Kirk Hinrich should give the Cs problems.
For Boston to be successful tonight, look for them to close down the paint and force Chicago into contested jumpers, while offensively breaking down the Bulls in transition and from deep. If the Bulls are to be successful, it'll probably because they'll spend a good deal of the game in transition and get fat off a ton of offensive rebounds and 2nd chance points.
Prediction: Rondo gets his first triple-double of the season, as does Rose, but the Cs prevail 92-86. Ray Allen's also due for a big game.
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Friday, 30 October 2009
The Boston Celtics (2-0), after thoroughly dominating the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday and holding them to a franchise-low 59 points, renew their...
© 2010 - New England Sports Blog
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