Game Thread: Washington Wizards @ Boston Celtics

Ming637 · Oct 31, 2007

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Date: 11/2/07

Time: 8:00 pm

TV: CSN, ESPN

Projected Starters

Wizards Starting Lineup

(G. Arenas, D. Stevenson, C. Butler, A. Jamison, B. Haywood)</div>

2007-08 Wizards Stats
Leading Scorer: Gilbert Arenas - 34.0 PPG
Leading Rebounder: Antawn Jamison - 16.0 RPG
Leading Assist Man: Gilbert Arenas - 3.0 APG

Points Per Game: 110
Field Goal Percentage: 36.4%
3-Point Field Goal Percentage: 71.1%
Rebounds Per Game: 56
Assists Per Game: 15

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PG - Gilbert Arenas - PPG: 34, APG: 3, RPG: 8

SG - Deshawn Stevenson - PPG: 3, APG: 1, RPG: 1

SF - Caron Butler - PPG: 19, RPG: 11, APG: 0

PF - Antawn Jamison - PPG: 27, RPG: 16, APG: 3

C - Brendan Haywood - PPG: 10, RPG: 13, APG: 1

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Celtics Starting Lineup

(R. Rondo, R. Allen, P. Pierce, K. Garnett, K. Perkins)</div>

2007-08 Pre-season Celtics Stats
Leading Scorer: Paul Pierce - 18.4 PPG
Leading Rebounder: Kevin Garnett - 10.6 RPG
Leading Assist Man: Paul Pierce - 4.2 APG

Points Per Game: 90.3
Field Goal Percentage: 45.3%
3-Point Field Goal Percentage: 29.0%
Rebounds Per Game: 40.3
Assists Per Game: 21.6

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PG - Rajon Rondo - PPG: 6.7, APG: 4.1, RPG: 4.3

SG - Ray Allen - PPG: 16.7, RPG: 3.00, APG: 2.5

SF - Paul Pierce - PPG: 18.4 PPG, RPG: 5.2, APG: 4.2

PF - Kevin Garnett - PPG: 15.8, RPG: 10.6, APG: 3.8

C - Kendrick Perkins - PPG: 8.5, RPG: 4.5, APG: 2.0

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Keys to the Game

Make Free Throws, Especially When They Count - The frequent free-throw misses could not have been any more noticeable in the game against the Pacers. Most notable would happen to be where Caron missed 2 straight free-throws to tie the game with less than 20 seconds to go. Many other instances where Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, two of the Wizards' top free-throw shooters just happened to miss and the team ended up on 32-45 from the line.

Give some, to get some? - The Wizards showed weaknesses yet again with its front court depth, when it came to rebounding and limiting second chance points for the Pacers. Kevin Garnett will easily have a field day, if Jamison and Haywood who combined for 29 points on Wednesday, if they do not play extremely physical under the basket. With Kevin Garnett attracting attention, it will be hard to wander away from Ray Allen and that's where the defensive adjustments will be challenging.

Establish 3rd scorer and Bench Production - Caron Butler got off to a rocky start against the Pacers and his woes continued throughout the night with repeated missed free-throws. Deshawn Stevenson himself could not have been anymore quiet with 1-4 shooting for only 3 points. It's won't be too long until the defense will focus to stop Arenas and Jamison from scoring, so the Wizards need to make sure they have Stevenson or Butler step up as the 3rd man.

Night on the (down)Town - It's probably a godsend for Ray Allen to be facing the Washington Wizards on his team's home opener. The Wizards continued to show struggles on defending the perimeter, after giving up 13-29 3 pointers and letting open 3 go by to end the game. Rondo, Pierce and Allen need to know they can quickly hurt this team by establishing range in the perimeter.

Rebound and Make Some Sound- The Wizards' frontcourt in Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood combined for 29 total rebounds against the Pacers and they both showed signs of what to expect as the season goes by. The Celtics have one of the toughest players the NBA has ever seen in KG and an emerging center in Kendrick Perkins. Expect the Wizards to get frustrated easily in keeping KG out of the paint and letting second chance points soar.

Can the Celtics Finish? - Gilbert 'The Hibachi' Arenas has already picked up where he left off last season with a game-tying 3 at the end of the 4th quarter and that is most likely where Eddie Jordan will go to in close situations. The Celtics? 3 guys more than capable of taking the last shot, but who will take it? Can he take it? It's been one of the hot topics when questioning the new Big 3 and it will be interesting on how that takes place during the 4th quarter.</div>

GArenas · Nov 1, 2007

I'm hoping the Wizards use their loss in Indiana as motivation when taking on this very tough Celtics squad on their opening night. The myth that the Wizards defense has improved was false but at least Arenas and Jamison look good. Butler will hopefully find his stroke and help us get a W on the road. Gilbert assured a win for this game because the Celtics big three hasn't played a game together yet. We'll see what happens.

CelticKing · Nov 1, 2007

Great job AZ.

And the Big Three have played a couple games together already. (granted it was preseason, but still) lol

I say the Celtics win.

Boston 103-99 Washington

Garnett 18pts 11rbs 3bls
Arenas 25pts 5rbs 8assts

CelticKing · Nov 2, 2007

Must watch game. Tried finding tickets, but came up with nothing.

Shapecity · Nov 2, 2007

Gilbert Arenas guaranteed a victory tonight. The Wizards are going to be 0-2 after this game is over with. The fact David Harrison had a career night against the Wizards in the opener doesn't give me much confidence in KG posting 20/20 tonight.

Celtics have the chemistry already and their lack of a bench is being overexaggerated. A fired up Boston Nation in the home opener is going to have Gilbert eating his words.

CelticBalla32 · Nov 2, 2007

Here it is, Celtics fans – the night we’ve all been waiting for. After a lengthy preseason that surprisingly bored most fans in the Boston area, the Celtics are finally set to open up the 2007-2008 regular season, as they host the Washington Wizards at the TD BankNorth Garden. <st1:city><st1lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:city>’s brand spankin’ new illustrious trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen will match up against <st1:state><st1lace>Washington</st1lace></st1:state>’s sometimes underestimated trio of Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison. If you like offense, make sure you don’t blink tonight.
The Celtics also have some extra motivation tonight, as Wizards star Gilbert Arenas guaranteed a victory over the C’s tonight. Arenas has always had somewhat of a vendetta going against the Celtics, after they passed on him in the 2001 NBA Draft even though they verbally guaranteed him a selection with one of their three first round draft picks. Because of that, Arenas has always tried to make it a point to light us up. Though he has succeeded on a few occasions, we’re a much different basketball team now. We’ll see if “Agent Zero” can put his money where his mouth is this time.


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November 2, 2007 @ 8:00pm ET
TD BankNorth Garden (Boston, MA)
Game aired on ESPN and CSN

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<td class="center">


Washington Wizards
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Boston Celtics
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<td colspan="2">
<h4 align="center">Projected Starters</h4>
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<tr class="roster">
<td>


PG Arenas SG Stevenson

SF Butler PF Jamison C Haywood


</td>
<td>
 

PG Rondo SG Allen

SF Pierce PF Garnett C Perkins

 
</td>
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<tr class="sectHeader">
<td colspan="2">
<h4>Team Stats</h4>
</td>
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<tr class="seasonStats">
<td>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="strong">Scoring</td>
<td>110.0 PPG (4th)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="strong">Field Goal %</td>
<td>36.4% (24th)
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<td class="strong">3-Point %</td>
<td>30.0% (19th)
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<td class="strong">Rebounds</td>
<td>56.0 RPG (2nd)
</td>
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<td class="strong">Assists</td>
<td>15.0 APG (23rd)
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</tbody>
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</td>
<td>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="strong">Scoring</td>
<td>90.3 PPG (pre)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="strong">Field Goal %</td>
<td>45.3% (pre)
</td>
</tr>
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<td class="strong">3-Point %</td>
<td>29.0% (pre)
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<td class="strong">Rebounds</td>
<td>40.3 RPG (pre)
</td>
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<td class="strong">Assists</td>
<td>21.6 APG (pre)
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<td colspan="2">
<h4>Preseason Team Leaders</h4>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="seasonStats">
<td>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="strong">Scoring</td>
<td>Gilbert Arenas (34.0 PPG)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="strong">Rebounding</td>
<td>Antawn Jamison (16.0 RPG)</td>
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<td class="strong">Assists</td>
<td>3 Tied (3.0 APG)</td>
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</td>
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<table>
<tbody>
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<td class="strong">Scoring</td>
<td>Paul Pierce (18.4 PPG)</td>
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<td class="strong">Rebounding</td>
<td>Kevin Garnett (10.6 RPG)</td>
</tr>
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<td class="strong">Assists</td>
<td>Paul Pierce (4.2 APG)</td>
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<td colspan="2">
<h4>Key Matchup
</h4>
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<div align="center">

Caron Butler vs. Paul Pierce

</div>

Pierce may be a bit more talented and established, but Caron Butler is not to be underestimated. In fact, he's very similar to Pierce in many ways. Both are big swingmen, both are slashers, both can score inside as well as outside, they both attack the basket, they may be the top two rebounding swingmen in the league, and both are much bigger/stronger than they look on TV from a distance. Caron and The Truth have their work cut out for them, on both ends of the floor.

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<tr class="sectHeader">
<td colspan="2">
<h4>Keys to the Game</h4>
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<tr class="keyStrategy">
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<ul>[*]Defense: Washington isn't necessarily known as one of the better defensive teams in the leauge. With the trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen on the opposing end, they better make sure they bring it defensively. If they don't, the Celtics are going to be tough to beat. If not, they are in for a long night and Eddie Jordan will be pulling his hair out of his head.

[*]Rebound: With guys like Garnett, Perkins, Pierce, Rondo, and Posey on board, the Celtics could be one of the better rebounding teams this year. KG has won four straight rebounding titles, himself. Washington grabbed 56 rebounds against the perimeter oriented Pacers in their season opener, but this team plays with a different style than what Jim O'Brien puts out there. The Wiz need to make sure they pound the glass.

[*]Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: We all know that Gilbert Arenas is a cocky guy and loves attention. We know he likes to make guarantees. Sometimes, he follows through and makes us all say "wow." His last guarantee in 2006-2007, however, was a different story. He guaranteed 50 points on Portland, and ended up scoring under 20. His newest "guarantee" is a win in Boston tonight. Can he live up to his own hype?
[/list]
</td>
<td>
<ul>[*]Ball Movement: Perhaps the most intriguing anecdote we picked up about the Celtics during training camp and preseason is how quickly the chemistry is progressing and how unbelievably well the team is moving the ball on offense. Against a lackluster defensive team tonight, the C's must continue to move the ball well. If you move the ball well and limit mistakes, it's not hard to score on the Washington Wizards.

[*]D Up: The other thing the Celtics did so well during preseason was play good team defense and make crisp defensive rotations. Thanks to upgraded defensive talent and defensive guru Tom Thibodeau, the Celtics held the opposition to 84 points per game at a 38.8% shooting clip. If they can do that against a potent offensive team like Washington, they'll be in excellent shape.

[*]Soak In the atmosphere: This is the opening night of the "new era," consisting of the debut of the illustrious trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. This team has already gotten unwarranted publicity, the expectations are through the roof, and they should be. With that said, let's bring the house down tonight and start this wonderful journey off with a "W," eh?
[/list]
</td>
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<tr class="sectHeader">
<td colspan="2">
<h4 align="center">X-Factors</h4>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="x factor">
<td>

 DeShawn Stevenson

While Butler will be working his tail off covering Pierce, Stevenson will have his own problem to worry about: the most lethal sharpshooter in the league, Ray Allen. Allen can also slash to the basket and stick it from mid-range. Stevenson needs to keep him in check.

</td>
<td>

 Rajon Rondo

Gilbert Arenas is one of the most devastating offensive players in the league, and he has words to back up tonight. Rondo did a great job on Arenas last year in Washington, and he's going to have to duplicate that defensive performance tonight.

</td>
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<tr class="sectHeader">
<td colspan="2">
<h4 align="center">Injury Report
</h4>
</td>
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Etan Thomas: Recovering from open-heart surgery.

Oleksiy Pecherov: Sprained right ankle.
</td>
<td>

James Posey: Serving one-game suspension.

Scot Pollard: Sprained right ankle (questionable).
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<td colspan="2">
<h4>Prediction</h4>
</td>
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<tr class="prediction">
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I have a hard time believing that the Celtics are going to lose the opener, especially at home. The energy is going to be ridiculous at the Garden tonight, and I think the Celtics will feed off it. I've got my brand new Kevin Garnett swingman jersey on right now, and I'm ready for this game... I'm sure the team is, too.

Let's go Celtics!

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Detroit Madness · Nov 2, 2007

Lets see what the Fab 3 can do. [sarcasm]Its a tight race for 1st place and after Pistons pick up a W in Atlanta tonight there is going to be no room for error.[/sarcasm] As a huge Gilbert Arenas fan I'm goin to be pulling for the Wizards tonight. I'll throw out my prediction now and say..

Wizards win

105-98...The fab 3 will choke in their first game together. Gilbert will drop 35

CelticBalla32 · Nov 2, 2007

That was a great first half. I loved the smoke that made it feel like the old days, the crowd is electric, and we are playing outstanding defense. My only problem with that first half was that the Celtics played a little too much 1-on-1 ball. Luckily, Paul had it going. But there were not many sets, and the only guy really moving without the ball is Ray Allen. I'm not worried about the ball movement, but rather player movement. The second unit though, what a terrific job defensively.

Gilbert... come out come out wherever you are.

CelticKing · Nov 2, 2007

He threw an airball too. lol (arenas)

Our bench is playing fantastic. Even Pollard got some playing time. Can't wait till we see Big Baby in there.

Pierce being Pierce. (just like the manny saying haha)

LETS GO BOSTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CelticBalla32 · Nov 2, 2007

You guys can check out my game recap by clicking this link.

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Game Thread: Washington Wizards @ Boston Celtics

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Game Thread: Washington Wizards @ Boston Celtics

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