Celtics – Pelicans Preview: Boston’s Match-up From Hell

Today’s Celtics – Pelicans preview is not for the faint of heart.  The Boston Celtics face an opponent tonight who must give head coach Brad Stevens nightmares, since he represent’s Boston’s match-up from hell.

You’ve been warned!

 Fear The Brow

New Orleans power forward Anthony Davis is a player that no team in the NBA wants to see on the court, but if any team should truly fear the Brow, it is the Boston Celtics.  Simply put, there is no way the Celtics can neutralize Davis on either end of the court, save for paying a ball boy to take a crowbar to his knee during the pre-game shootaround.

Note: I do not actually endorse such drastic measures!  Maybe the Celtics can simply trade for him?

In his third year in the NBA, Davis is already putting up numbers that puts him among the league’s best big men of all time.  If you think I’m exaggerating, check out these numbers that the New Orleans Pelicans supplied in their media guide for tonight’s game:

[table id=14 /]

That’s some pretty good company to be in, wouldn’t you say?  AD is special, no doubt – and he absolutely feasts upon under-sized teams such as the Celtics.

Flashback to March 16, 2014: having already put up 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots against the Celtics on January 3, Davis absolutely destroys Boston to the tune of 41 points, 21 boards, 3 assists, and 3 blocks.   Did Boston make the big man work hard to earn those points?  Not exactly: Davis was 14-for-22 from the field (64%) and 12-for-12 from the charity stripe (I refuse to do that math for you!).   Davis scored at will, because Boston had no one to stop him in 2014.

Fast-forward to 2015 . . . and Boston still has no one to stop AD.  Who will the Celtics throw at him tonight?  Kelly Olynyk?  Brandon Bass?  I suppose they could try Brandan Wright . . . oh, wait.

Get ready for a lot of Anthony Davis highlights on NBA.com tonight.

Next: Where Will The Scoring Come From?