Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics Preview
By bpaul
Travis is not available to do his normal game preview today so with that in mind I am going to try to give everyone a small list of things to watch for in tonight’s game. It will probably not compare to his great previews he does for pretty much every game but I’ll try my best.
Ok, on to the game. Tonight a very tough challenge awaits the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. At 8 PM EST the Celtics will welcome Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks into the Garden. As most of you probably know the Mavs are everything but a push over. They currently sit in second place in the Western Conference with a 26-14 record, while the Celtics come into the game second in the Eastern Conference with a 27-11 record.
Now let’s meet your starting lineup for the visiting Dallas Mavericks…
At guard from California University, standing in at 6 feet 4 inches tall, Jason Kidd.
At the other guard from Wake Forest, standing in at 6 feet 7 inches tall, Josh Howard.
At forward from UNLV, standing in at 6 feet 7 inches tall, Shawn Marion.
At the other forward from West Germany, standing in at 7 feet, Dirk Nowitzki.
And at center from Mississippi State, standing in at 6 feet 11 inches, Erick Dampier.
And now let’s meet the starting lineup for your Boston Celtics…
At guard from the University of Kentucky, standing in at 6 feet 1 inch tall, Rajon Rondo.
At the other guard from the University of Connecticut, standing in at 6 feet 3 inches tall, Ray Allen.
At forward from the University of Kansas, standing in at 6 feet 7 inches tall, the captain and THE TRUTH, Paul Pierce.
At the other forward from the University of North Carolina, standing in at 6 feet 11 inches tall, Rasheed Wallace
And at center from Clifton J. Ozen High School, standing in at 6 feet 10 inches, Kendrick Perkins.
Ladies and Gentlemen please stand for the playing of our National Anthem (Ok I’m kidding). What I’m not kidding about however is how much of a test this game is for a KG-less Celtics squad. I say that because of the defensive assignment that Rasheed Wallace will have tonight in Dirk Nowitzki. If this isn’t a test to see Sheed’s defensive skills I don’t know what is. Dirk is probably one of the most, if not the most, versatile player in the league. He can beat and bang inside with the best of them or set up shot behind the arc for a dagger three.
Did I mention this guy must have ice water in his veins? He is one of the best clutch shooter in the league and if this game is down to the wire Celtics fans have a good reason to be nervous. Besides the very good starting lineup the Mavs will roll out they also have a solidbench that the Celtics will have to limit. Jason Terry will be the man most likely to go off for the Mavs, his style of play is comparable to that of Jamal Crawford’s who has played extremely well against Boston.
What will the Celtics have to do to come out with a victory?
Energy, energy, and more energy. The Celtics need to come out with energy, and a lot of it. They can not come out like they did against the Bulls and expect to win. The team has had three days of rest so really there is no excuse that these guys are tired. The Mavs are not exactly a young team like the Hawks and Bulls, and they are coming off a loss against Toronto last night. It will be an embarrassing and stressful sight if the Mavs come into this game with more energy than the Celtics.
Key Matchup
Well there really isn’t one matchup that really sticks out to me tonight. One team or the other seems to have a somewhat clear advantage at each position. I am interested to see the matchup between Pierce and “The Matrix” (Shawn Marion). After seeing Pierce get dominated for the most part against Luol Deng it will be interesting to see how he rebounds against another good forward in Marion. Marion isn’t exactly what he used to be put I can see him possibly giving Pierce some problems on both ends. I hope I’m wrong but this matchup should be fun to watch.
This is a nationally televised game so all of you outside of the region and without league pass will be able to watch and tell me everything I predicted wrong in this preview. Again, the game is on TNT at 8PM EST, tune in it should be a good one. Make sure to stop back at Hardwood Houdini later tonight or early tomorrow morning for a recap, opinions, and thoughts from tonight’s game.