How we see it goin’ down: Celtics vs. Rockets

Tip: 8:00 pm     Court: Toyota Center    Watch it: CSNNE    Hear it: 98.5

Referees: David Jones, Derrick Collins, Sean Wright

Spread: BOS +8 O/U 110.o

Boston Celtics Tickets

The Matchup

Record: 1-0	Record: 2-0
At home: 1-0	On road: 2-0
Streak:W1	Streak:W2
Leaders	Leaders
Buckets: Kelly Olynk (19.0 ppg)	Buckets: James Harden (25.0 ppg)
Boards: Rajon Rondo (7.0 rpg)	Boards: Dwight Howard (10.5 rpg)
Dimes: Rajon Rondo (12.0 apg)	Dimes: James Harden (8.0 apg)
For the Stat Geeks:	For the Stat Geeks:
Offensive Rating: 118.5 (2nd NBA)	Offensive Rating: 112.7 (5th NBA)
Defensive Rating:101.5 (14th NBA)	Defensive Rating: 97.5 (8th NBA)
Pace:102.8 (2nd NBA)	Pace: 94.0 (21st NBA)

Last time

Last season the Celtics lost the season Series to the Rockets 2-0. In the First game Terrence Jones was the leading scorer with 24 points, and in the second game Howard scored 32. Both also alternated games leading the game in rebounds. Howard had 12 rebounds in the first matchup, while Jones had 12 in the second contest. Rajon Rondo never faced the Rockets in either game last season.

This time

Get it to:  Avery Bradley. James Harden is one of the worst perimeter defenders in the game. His lackadaisical tendencies are a perfect recipe for quick cuts to basket, and heavy doses of picks — something Bradley knows how to capitalize on. The Celtics need to force Harden to work extra hard on the defensive end as a way to off-set his offensive game a little bit.

Gotta stop:  James Harden. Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart will have maybe their toughest test yet against Harden. He orchestrates their offense, and is the primary scorer. One of his best skills is getting to the line which he has done 22 times in the last two games. Containing Harden will be imperative if we have any chance of winning the game.

The Wild Card:  Jeff Green. The swingman will have his hands full defending Trevor Ariza who’s averaging 18 points a game, and shooting 60% from beyond the arc. Green has been known to be very inconsistent, but tonight his going to need to keep the aggression up against Ariza. Green winning his matchup tonight will give the Celtics a very realistic chance of winning the game.

How we see it goin’ down

Celtics: 95

Houston: 100

As much as I want to give the Celtics the win, my mind is telling me Houston will pull out a tight victory. One of the weaknesses of this frontcourt will be on full display tonight with Dwight Howard manning the middle. Though i’m confident Boston will still play a good game because of their ability to spread the floor, Houston just might be a little too much for us.