Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets Preview: Battle of the Guards.
Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets: Battle of the Guards.
The Boston Celtics (43-19) will look to take on Kemba Walker and his Charlotte Hornets (27-33) this Wednesday at the TD Garden.
The Celtics, who are coming off three impressive wins after the All-Star Break, have been highly motivated and energized after some much needed rest.
Kyrie Irving, who has averaged 25 pts, 6 asts and 7 rbs in this three game stretch, will need to continue his excellent play vs one of the most underrated point guards in the Eastern Conference in Kemba Walker.
Coach Brad Stevens talked about what he expects from the team against the Hornets after Boston’s dominant win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
"“I think that we’ve been a little bit more consistent in our prep and our focus and just kind of getting ready to compete and all that stuff,” coach Stevens told reporters after the contest. “I think the game on Wednesday night, with the way Charlotte’s playing, will be a good test for us to see if we’re improving and if we’re getting better because I think they’re playing really well.”"
One of the main storylines of that game was the decision to sit Greg Monroe, who has struggled to get acclimated to the Celtics’ style of play. Monroe has failed to reach double digit scoring in all his contests with Boston so far, but he might get a chance to shine against a bigger Hornet team.
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Charlotte Hornets: Team play translating to Wins
The Hornets haven’t been the best team when it comes to record.
Bench scoring has been a great problem for the Hornets, as the second unit has put up little to no production early in the season. Jeremy Lamb is a good sparkplug, and Cody Zeller is a quality big, but coach Steve Clifford is unsure of how long he can trust the second unit before needing to turn back to his starters.
The tides have turned for Charlotte after the All-Star break, much like the Celtics. The team’s second unit has started to click and guys are looking to change the perception around the league that the second unit is a weakness.
Frank Kaminsky, who totaled 13 points and eight rebounds against the Pistons on Sunday, had this to say about the criticism the second unit has experienced so far in the season:
"“(The criticism) does get annoying, and you do start taking it personally, but that’s up to the five guys (in the second unit) to change it.”"
If the Celtics want to beat the Hornets, they must do so by playing through the strengths that have gotten them on this winning streak so far. Irving must continue his stellar play, we even talked about his ability to be an X-Factor moving forward on the year, and Greg Monroe must get it going against the second unit.
Prediction:
The Celtics get out and take it to the teeth of the defense early, and Kyrie continues to excel against teams with losing records. Like coach Stevens noted, this will be a great test to see if the Celtics have been rejuvenated by the All-Star Break.
The Celtics get the nod here due to the fact that Kyrie’s play has been stellar as of late, and Smart’s hustle has rejuvenated the Celtics’ defense.
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Charlotte is a tough team when the second unit gets going. Hopefully Smart and Rozier have something to say about that.