Celtics (4-7) vs. Blazers (9-3) Preview: Will Blazers Rip Cs Apart?
By Jeromy Smith
After getting beaten soundly Friday night be the Memphis Grizzlies, the Boston Celtics hope to avoid another punishing loss to a Western Conference power when the Cs host a 9-3 Blazers squad, playing their best basketball of the season. While Boston struggled against the Grizz, Portland cruised to a 18-point victory against a Bulls team playing without Rose, Hinrich, and newly-acquired Pau Gasol.
Rajon Rondo will have a prime opportunity to prove his value is that of a max player by being matched up against Damian Lillard. Dame’s been playing killer lately, notching five straight 20-point games. Friday, Dame went 7-9 from the floor, 4-4 from 3-pt, and contributed six boards and nine boards. Lillard has averaged over 8 assists in the last five to bring his season average to 6.8. His combination of scoring and passing abilities will require strong defensive focus from the Celtics backcourt. I hope to see increased pressure on the ball and exhausting the fouls and endurance of both Rondo along Avery Bradley and Paul Pressey.
Lillard’s counterpart in LaMarcus Aldridge is no picnic either. A steady diet of LMA jumpers can often result getting the big guy into a groove where his shot requires extra attention. The flow offense implemented by Terry Stotts allows for different kinds of motion to complement LMA’s interior skills, resulting in a lot of passing and some pretty basketball that can leave opponents simply not being able to stop possessions.
Today’s key may be to push the pace to the point where interior play becomes secondary. Boston’s bigs are athletic enough to run but Portland can impose its will on both ends of the court with physical interior defensive (but with a lack of rim protection). Portland’s bench, while still thin, has been improved this season with the additions of Steve Blake and Chris Kaman and after some early struggles, better play from Meyers Leonard and Joel Freeland. Portland’s starting five has no glaring holes with shooting and defense from Wes Matthews, versatility provided by Nic Batum, and PnR defense and heavy picks being provided by Robin Lopez.
Today’s game will be a tough test for the young Boston squad. Small victories may be those to treasure. However, I expect Boston to please the fans who will be enjoying the afterglow of a Pats win (up 29-7 at time of publish) with at least good effort and entertaining ball. As a lifelong Celtics fan and a person who lived in Portland for a handful of years, this is one of my favorite games to watch of the year. I have to think about how to root, because I have no Portland hatred (their Lakers playoff loss still haunts me) and the fans I have watched games with at the Rose Center were insightful and incredibly friendly (visit if you haven’t).
I fear, however, I won’t enjoy today’s result since I never root against green. I will be satisfied if the team doesn’t roll over, plays hard, and the squad learns a few things about their offensive capabilities.