Upcoming Matchup – Boston Hosts Defending Eastern Conference Champions
 |
VS. |
 |
| 1-0 |
Record |
1-0 |
| 114.0 |
PPG |
108.0 |
| 100.0 |
PPGA |
88.0 |
| 42.0 |
FG% |
55.8 |
| 45.2 |
Opp. FG% |
43.4 |
| 57.0 |
Rebounds |
42.0 |
| 24.0 |
Assists |
30.0 |
| 17.0 |
Turnovers |
13.0 |
| 15.0 |
Steals |
7.0 |
| 11.0 |
Blocks |
7.0 |
| 0 |
Season Series |
0 |
Friday, November 4, 2005
At TD Banknorth Garden, 7:30 PM
TV: Fox Sports Net New England
Radio: WRKO 680 AM
The Celtics face their first big test of the season when the defending Eastern Conference
champion Detroit Pistons visit the TD Banknorth Garden on Friday night. The last time
these two teams met in Boston was a double overtime thriller that the Celtics won 115-113.
Look for Friday night to be another fiercely contested game. Both teams won in their
home openers and are looking to start the 2005-06 season 2-0. Detroit blew out Philadelphia
108-88 on Wednesday night while the Celtics defeated the New York Knicks 114-100 on Opening Night.
The Pistons did change coaches in the off-season, but new Head Coach Flip Saunders
inherits a team where the roster remains largely intact from the NBA Finals run last
season. Detroit wins with defense, rebounding and the talent of their starting five.
The Pistons have arguably the most experienced first unit in the NBA and they played
big-time minutes last season (Pistons starters averaged over 41 minutes per game vs.
the C’s last year). Detroit does have some quality reserves, but the Celtics have more
options off the bench. Look for the C’s to take advantage of their depth and try to wear
down Detroit late in the game. The Celtics will be in great shape if this contest remains
close heading into the fourth quarter.
| POINT GUARD |
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Delonte West was spectacular against the Knicks on Wednesday night
(14 pts, 9 rebs, 9 asts, 4 blks, 3 stls). The Celtics can’t expect West
to post near triple-double numbers every night, but the C’s will need
another strong performance from Delonte to keep pace with Detroit. West
did have some difficulties on Opening Night keeping Stephon Marbury from
penetrating and things won’t get any easier on Friday night against
Chauncey Billups. If West can keep Billups out of the paint, the Celtics
should be able to slow Detroit’s offensive attack and put themselves in a
position to win the game.
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| SHOOTING GUARD |
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This will be a great matchup to watch Friday night. Both Ricky
Davis and Richard Hamilton are prolific scorers who bring a lot of
energy to the basketball court. Davis dropped 27 points against the
Knicks on Opening Night while Hamilton scored 37 points on 67% shooting
against the Sixers. This matchup may come down to conditioning.
Hamilton moves without the ball as well as any player in the NBA,
meaning Ricky Davis will spend much of the night chasing him all over
the court. Hamilton will also exert a lot of energy trying to slow
Ricky. Whichever player is able to keep his legs in the fourth quarter
will give his team a big boost late in the game.
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| SMALL FORWARD |
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Tayshaun Prince is one of the best defensive forwards in the NBA and he will be
tasked with trying to stop Paul Pierce. Last season, Pierce came up big against
Prince and the Pistons. Pierce averaged over 26 PPG against Detroit in 2004-05,
highlighted by his game winning shot in the Celtics double overtime win. The Celtics
will need Pierce to step up again Friday night by scoring the ball and using his
rebounding talents to help keep Detroit off the boards. Look for the Celtics
captain to rise to the occasion and come up with another big game.
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| POWER FORWARD |
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The Celtics must do a better job on Rasheed Wallace to win Friday night. Wallace
averaged 22 PPG against the C’s last season (more than seven PPG higher than
his season average). Raef LaFrentz will start off guarding Wallace but look
for the C’s to rotate a lot of big men on the Pistons power forward. Guys
like Mark Blount, Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins and Brian Scalabrine will all
see time. Watch these matchups closely as the Celtics ability to stop Wallace
will go a long way in shaping the outcome of this game.
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| CENTER |
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Ben Wallace is one of the few players in the NBA who can win a game without
scoring the basketball. He is a disruptive force defensively and on the
boards. Mark Blount and the other Celtics big men must keep Wallace off
the glass Friday night. On offense, look for Blount to try to draw Wallace
out of the lane with his mid-range game. Also keep an eye on Kendrick Perkins
in this ballgame. Perkins has the toughness to matchup with Wallace on the
boards and Wallace’s limited offensive repertoire should allow ‘Perk’ to play
aggressively while staying out of foul trouble.
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| BENCH |
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Antonio McDyess, Carlos Arroyo and Lindsey Hunter were the only Pistons
reserves to see significant minutes last season. Detroit has taken steps to
strengthen its bench this season, but the Celtics should still have an opportunity
to gain ground against the Pistons second unit. Look for Al Jefferson
attack Detroit’s interior defense whenever the Wallaces are out of the lineup.
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Compiled by Matthew Griffin
