Boston Celtics

Celtics Starting 5 Against Washington Sort Of Murky With So Many Injuries

Published

2 months ago

March 14, 2018

Tanner Rebelo

With Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Daniel Theis, Gordon Hayward, and Jaylen Brown all out tonight against the Washington Wizards the lineup and rotations for Brad Stevens are going to be fairly interesting, to say the least.

Many of the injured like a Theis, Hayward, and Smart are expected to be out for the foreseeable future with only Smart potentially coming back this season. So the lineup challenge will be something Stevens has to deal with on a game-by-game basis. But Wednesday nights game against Washington will likely be the most challenging with two all-stars out in Irving and in Horford.

#NEBHInjuryReport for tonight's game vs. Washington:

Brown (concussion) - OUT
Hayward (left ankle rehab) - OUT
Horford (illness) - OUT
Irving (left knee soreness) - OUT
Smart (right thumb sprain) - OUT
Tatum (low back tightness) - PROBABLE
Theis (left knee meniscal tear) - OUT

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 14, 2018

So what exactly will the starting five look like for Stevens against the Wizards? Well here are the players who are expected to be available.

The #Celtics are EXTREMELY shorthanded going into tonight's game vs @WashWizards.

Who is your Starting 5?

Available are:
Tatum (probable)
Rozier
Morris
Monroe
Baynes
Larkin
Nader
Ojeleye
Yabusele
Jabari Bird
Kadeem Allen

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 14, 2018

Chances are Shane Larkin will slot in at point guard with Terry Rozier at the shooting guard position. Then you will have the rookie Jayson Tatum at small forward, Marcus Morris at power forward and either Aron Baynes or Greg Monroe at center.

Larkin

Rozier

Tatum

Morris

Baynes/Monroe

With many key scorers out you could potentially see Tatum and Rozier lead the team in points with the chances of the pair launching up 20+ shots a piece an actual possibility. The emergence of Morris as a scorer should also help fill in the gaps for the Celtics.

The big question for tonight is who off the bench will step up and make key shots for Boston. A part of me believes it will be Abdel Nader. Either way, it is going to be a challenge Stevens will have to manage going forward with the second best team in the Eastern Conference having some serious injury concerns all of a sudden.

For those of you that though a potential Hayward return was crazy, these injuries may force it with the star wing reportedly close to running and all reports saying he looks close to 100% at practice.

Update: It appears that Guershon Yabusele will make his first NBA start for the Celtics tonight.

So to make it official:

Boston Celtics tonight vs. Washington…

Starters: Rozier, Tatum, Morris, Yabusele, Baynes

Bench: Larkin, Allen, Nader, Bird, Ojeleye, Monroe

Out: Irving, Smart, Brown, Hayward, Horford, Theis

Not walking through that door: Bird, McHale, Parish

— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) March 14, 2018

Boston Celtics

Connelly’s Top Ten – Sixers Live in Paint (for more than three seconds)

Published

2 weeks ago

May 8, 2018

Michael Connelly

1. Celtics Stuff

* Horford averaging 11 shots a game

* Horford 6 shots / Baynes 7 shots

* Rozier at home in the playoffs – 22.8 a game

* Rozier on the road in the playoffs – 12.8 a game

2. Sixers Stuff

* TJ McConnell has been profiled – even McHale was throwing little white guy comments out like – “he’s gritty”

* Love Simmons going behind the back pass in the playoffs for a turnover

* Ebid still chirping

* Simmons in series 20-44 (45%) / 26 assists to 20 turnovers (1.30)

* McConnell – 15-18 (83%) / 12 assists to 2 turnovers (6.00)

3. Refs

* Somewhere Tim Donaghy is saying – I told you so

* The refs controlled the game with getting Celtics in early foul trouble – at halftime – 16 fouls on Celtics – 8 on Sixers

* Why didn’t they look for a flagrant for the elbow by Ebid – back of Smarts head?

* Calling travel on Celtics when Simmons travels every time he gets in the pain is ridiculous

* At one point I backed up the DVR to count Saric in the lane for 8 seconds

* Saric and Belinelli are European soccer whiners

* Stevens should get on the refs on Ebid moving picks – he knocked out Larkin and almost concussion on Smart

4. First round picks last year – must kill Philly fans watching Tatum knowing he couldn’t have been theirs

5. Celtics are 11 for their last 43 from three point land – 25%

6. Bird 9 playoff games his rookie year vs. Tatum:

* Bird – 21.33 a game – 9 games

* Tatum – 18.33 last nine games

7. Amazing Stat – Celtics at the point:

· Marcus Smart in seven games has an insane 21 turnovers in 216 minutes (one every ten minutes)

· Terry Rozier over the last seven games has 8 turnovers in 262 minutes (one every 32 minutes)

8. Old School – How absurd is three point shooting in the NBA right now:

* Aron Baynes took six three pointers Monday night

* Larry Bird didn’t take six three pointers in his last 65 playoff games

9. Just a Little Bit Outside – Charles Barkley comment of the night when being told what Summa Cum Laude means – he said “oh that’s when my tutor who did my homework got.”

10. Randomocity

* McHale going over the top to not seem favorable to Celtics?

* Larry Bird was 24 his first playoffs – Tatum is 20

* Marcus Morris was putting the 3-0 series lead in Ebid’s face – he better not let them come back

* Toronto should be relegated to the WNBA

Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics Win In A Thriller To Take Game 2 From 76ers

Published

2 weeks ago

May 4, 2018

Tanner Rebelo

Boston Celtics Win In An Absolute Thriller To Take Game 2 From The Philadelphia 76ers With Big Games From Jayson Tatum And Terry Rozier

The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 108-103 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

The leading scorer for the Boston Celtics was Jayson Tatum who had 21 points followed by Terry Rozier who had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists. Al Horford had a double-double with 13 pts and 12 rebounds. The surprise of the night was the fact that Jaylen Brown was able to play.

Brown had been dealing with a Hamstring injury that had him doubtful for Game 2 only to be upgraded to probable just an hour before tip-off. It was clear that the hamstring was bothering him on Thursday night but he was still able to score 13 points and hit some critical shots for the Celtics down the stretch.

Philly held a lead of 22 points in the 2nd quarter but a 20-5 run by Boston to close the 1st half made it a 56-51 game at the half. The C’s had an 8 point lead early in the 3rd but the Sixers battled back and kept the game close till the end.

BEST OF the @celtics run that fueled their 22-point comeback win in Game 2 at home! #CUsRise #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/IbXTK2QjLT

— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2018

With the win, the Celtics will prepare for Game 3 which will take place on Saturday at 5:00 pm in Philadelphia.