Boston Celtics vs Minnesota Timberwolves Preview

The Boston Celtics are getting ready to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves and this game may have a little more sentimental value than usual. This may be the final game Kevin Garnett ever plays in TD Garden and you can expect a whirlwind of applause awaiting him. Celtics fans will always have a place in their heart for Garnett and even as he is standing in their way of ending a losing streak, it will never feel right rooting against him.

The Celtics will need to make sure that focus stays on the game ahead of them because this is one that the Celtics absolutely cannot afford to lose. They have lost three straight tough games and after a few days of rest they are in a great position to get back on track. The Celtics are at risk of falling back to .500 for the first time in a while and that is something the Celtics desperately need to avoid.

While the Wolves should not be as challenging of some of the Celtics’ recent opponents, they are one of the most talented young teams in the NBA. The duo of Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns is getting ready to take over the league and even now they are a tremendous challenge for opponents.

This is a game where the Celtics need to take advantage of youth and inexperience on the defensive end. The Wolves rank 16th in the league with 14.4 turnovers per game and the Celtics should have no problem increasing that number. The Wolves’ assist to turnover ratio is 18th in the league and they do not play with the kind of ball movement that can overcome the Celtics’ defensive activity.

The Celtics have had tremendous issues with turnovers during their losing streak and it has been an issue on both ends. The Celtics should be able make a statement on the defensive end once again but they also have an opportunity to be much improved on the offensive end. The Wolves force just the 16th most turnovers in the league which should give the Celtics an advantage on the offensive end.

The Celtics have been doing a much better job of hitting their open shots and they should be able to generate plenty of them with their ball movement against the Wolves. The Wolves are not an imposing team on either end and that should put the Celtics in a great position to dictate the game. The Celtics need to come out with the kind of intensity that will suffocate the Wolves.

Dec 18, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; The Boston Celtics bench celebrate after scoring during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The Wolves are also right in the middle of the league in giving up offensive rebounds. The Wolves are not good enough in any one area to threaten the Celtics’ greatest strengths and that means this game will come down to their execution. If the Celtics have their normal defensive activity and they avoid terrible shooting slumps then they will be in a strong position to end their losing streak.

The Wolves continue their middle of the pack rankings when it comes to three point shooting. The Wolves allow their opponents to shoot 34.4% from three point range and this is all good news for the Celtics. There is very little about this matchup that the Celtics have to fear and if they play their normal game then they will jump back up to two games above .500.

The one area of concern for the Celtics will be the paint. Both Wiggins and Towns will have the ability to score on the inside against the Celtics. The Atlanta Hawks just finished up crushing the Celtics inside but it should be more difficult for the Wolves. The Hawks had such an easy time inside because they Celtics focused too much on stopping their great three point shooting. the Wolves rank 23rd in three point shooting and that means the Celtics will focus a lot more on the interior of their defense.

Unfortunately, the Celtics may have to be without their best interior defender in this one. Amir Johnson‘s status remains up in the air and they will surely miss his defensive impact if he is out of the game. That being said, the Celtics have the necessary depth to make up for that loss and a lot of responsibility could fall on the shoulders on Kelly Olynyk, who is much improved on the defensive end this year with one of the team’s best defensive ratings of 98.

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The Celtics are in a great position to have a great night. They get to be reminded of all the great memories of Kevin Garnett and they should be in a position to take advantage of a weaker opponent in order to get back on track in the eastern conference.

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