Preview: Boston Celtics Take on Surprise Mavs
By Jeremy Karll
The Boston Celtics travel to Dallas on Monday night to take on the Mavericks. They’re currently on a three game winning streak but the story of the year for the Celtics has been inconsistency. Before this winning streak they were on a four game losing streak. This is a big game for the Celtics as the Dallas Mavericks are one of the better teams in the NBA this season and it will be a good measuring stick game.
The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the most surprising teams of the season. New additions Deron Williams and Zaza Pachulia have been amazing in their new roles. Dirk Nowitzki is still leading the team in scoring, 17.4 points per game, even though he’s 37 years old.
Both teams come in with very similar records. The Celtics are currently 22-19 and the Mavericks are 23-19.
Unlike the past couple of games, the Celtics will be up against a very good and deep front court. Nowitzki has once again drank from the fountain of youth and is putting together a remarkable season. One of the most surprising players in the whole league however has been Zaza Pachulia. After missing out on DeAndre Jordan the Mavericks “settled” for Pachulia, although it has not been as daunting of a loss as first expected. Pachulia has averaged a double-double thus far, 10.6 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game.
Dwight Powell and Javale McGee have also come in big for the Mavericks this season. Powell is underrated and not known by many but has averaged an impressive 7.3 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game in 17.9 minutes. McGee is mostly known for starring on ‘Shaqtin’ a Fool‘ but is one of the most athletic seven-footers in the game. He is coming off a knee injury but has played well in the little action since returning, he could be a huge addition for the Mavericks late in the year.
Boston, like the Mavericks, are deep in their frontcourt, despite not having the star power. Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson and Kelly Olynyk have alternated great games as of late and one of them will need to step up, especially defensively on Nowitzki. The biggest key however is out-rebounding Dallas because both teams are very similar in that category.
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The matchup to watch tonight is between Jae Crowder and Chandler Parsons. Crowder has become known as one of the better wing defenders in the league this season. Parsons is still recovering from an injury, and has yet to hit full stride this season. He has been wildly inconsistent this season, averaging only 9.6 points per game. Parsons is still a solid defender but will have his hands full tonight against Crowder, who has scored at least 20 points in three of the past four games.
The X-Factor for the Celtics tonight is Marcus Smart. At this point Boston knows what to expect from Isaiah Thomas, however, Smart has looked better as of late, including being very aggressive against Washington. He will most likely guard Wesley Matthews when in, who is also coming off an injury. Smart needs to keep being aggressive on offense and not turn the ball over when asked to play point guard. He has been inconsistent, like most of the team, this season but this is his chance to show why the Celtics drafted him sixth overall last season.
Dallas has had a lot of players coming off of injuries early in the season, but are healthy now. They still aren’t 100 percent into the swing of things but are still one of the more dangerous teams in the NBA.
Boston needs to continue to prove their consistency, and they have a good three-game stretch to prove it. The Celtics have Dallas, the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls coming up, so taking at least two of three would be ideal.
The Celtics and Mavericks are very similar teams and this should be a great matchup. Both teams are somewhat inconsistent so it will be interesting to see how both teams come out. If someone like Parsons, McGee or Matthews has a great game then Boston could be in trouble.
The more consistent rotation for the Celtics has proven to be very helpful as they have won three straight and players are starting to play better now knowing what their role is. Brad Stevens should continue to use the same rotation tonight, but someone down low has to step up for the Celtics to win this game.