Celtics Visit Wizards Looking for First Win
at 
Boston Celtics (0-2) at Wizards (0-1)
Regular Season Game #3, Road Game #2
Saturday, November 3, 2012
7:00 PM ET
TV: CSN-NE, Comcast Sportsnet, NBA-LP 751(BOS)/752(WAS)
Radio: WEEI, WJFK
Verizon Center
Referees: Joey Crawford, David Guthrie, Derek Richardson
The Celtics will look to avoid an 0-3 start tonight as they take on the Washington Wizards. The Celtics main concern going into this game is their defense. Last year, the Celtics led the league in opponents' FG percentage allowing teams to shoot just 41.9 from the floor. This season they have allowed the Heat to shoot 54.4% (and score 120 points) and the Bucks to shoot 46.5%
The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games, after a rather listless loss in their home opener to the Bucks. The Wizards have had 3 days off and have spent practice studying the Celtics tendencies and feel that they are ready for the challenge. Even without their star guard John Wall, who is out with a knee injury, the Wizards are an improved team and will present a test for the Celtics. The Celtics will need to do more than just show up in order to avoid yet another loss.
KG spoke to the team after their loss last night and encouraged them to imitate a pack of hyenas with their play. That could be good advice for them. They have a lot of individual talent on this team but they have yet to put it together and play as a team, especially on the defensive end. They need to band together and develop chemistry on the court in order to right the ship. That should be just a matter of time and could happen with any game.
This is the first of a rare home and home set for these two teams and they will face each other again on Wednesday in Boston. With each game, this team should be learning more about themselves and building chemistry bit by bit. Look for the Celtics to come out more aggressively tonight and for the bench to step up a bit more than they have in the first two games. Both teams are looking for their first win. It is the Wizards home opener. Expect a dog fight from both teams. Or perhaps, for the Celtics, a hyena fight.
Probable Starters
PG
SG 
SF 
PF 
C 
Rajon Rondo...Courtney Lee...Paul Pierce...Brandon Bass...Kevin Garnett
Celtics Reserves
Jared Sullinger
Jason Collins
Jason Terry
Jeff Green
Kris Joseph
Fab Melo
Darko Milicic
Leandro Barbosa
Chris Wilcox
Injuries
Avery Bradley (shoulders) out
Probable Starters
PG
SG 
SF 
PF 
C 
AJ Price....Bradley Beal....Trevor Ariza....Trevor Booker.... Emeka Okafor
Wizards Reserves
Jan Vesely
Martell Webster
Jordan Crawford
Chris Singleton
Jannero Pargo
Earl Barron
Cartier Martin
Injured
Nene (foot) out
Kevin Seraphin (calf) out
John Wall (Patella) out
Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo vs AJ Price
As Rondo goes so go the Celtics. With former number 1 pick John Wall out, Rondo should have a much easier time against AJ Price and should have a big game.
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Emeka Okafor
KG has a couple of inches on Okafor and should be able to bully his way inside or get his shot off over Okafor,.
Honorable Mention
Courtney Lee vs Bradley Beal
CLee should be able to use his veteran wiles to get the best of the Rookie. Beal's family will be there to watch his home opener and he'll be excited to show the home crowd what he can do. He's been studying the Celtics wings over the past 3 days of practice and feels he's ready to take them on. Lee needs to relax and just play his game.
Keys to the Game
Defense Defense always wins games. The Celtics have to make defense their priority and shut down the paint as well as staying on their outside shooters.
Rebound The Celtics must crash the boards and keep the Wizards from getting second chance points, fast break opportunities and extra possessions. As I have said before, when the Celtics put out the effort necessary to win the battle of the boards, that effort seems to pick up every area of their game as well.
Be Aggressive The Celtics need to play aggressively. They need to take the ball to the hoop and try to get to the line early and often. Make the officials call the fouls. They also have to go for every loose ball and battle for all the rebounds. If they play passively, they could be facing a loss to a team that is hungry for their first win.
Limit Turnovers - The Celtics have turned the ball over too much this season so far. They tend to make lazy passes and lose focus from time to time and give their opponents easy scoring opportunities because of it. They have to take better care of the ball.
X-Factors
Attitude
The Celtics have played rather passively so far, especially on the defensive end. They haven't been aggressive and haven't shown much chemistry among the players. Hopefully KG's call to arms (or paws, as the case may be) will be enough to wake them up.
Official Report
Joey Crawford
Over more than three decades in the NBA, Joe Crawford has officiated
2,449 regular season and 293 playoff games, including 47 NBA Finals
games. Crawford’s playoff and NBA Finals totals are the most among active NBA officials. Over his
career, Crawford has officiated the 1986, 1992 and 2000 NBA All-Star Games, as well as the 1993
McDonald’s Championship in Munich, Germany.
Prior to joining the NBA, Crawford officiated in the Eastern League (CBA) from 1974-76. He graduated
from Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield, Pa. and is a member of the Cardinal O’Hara
High School Hall of Fame. In 2008, Crawford earned a degree in Liberal studies from Neumann College.
Officiating can be considered a Crawford “family affair,” as his brother is veteran Major League Baseball
umpire Jerry Crawford, and his father is retired Major League Baseball umpire Shag Crawford.
Crawford is also very active in his hometown community of Philadelphia.
There
is no shortage of controversy surrounding Joey Crawford, the biggest of
which was a suspension for tossing Tim Duncan for laughing on the bench
and then challenging him to a fight. He is known for his quickness to
call technical fouls but also doesn't tend to be influenced by the home
crowd as much as many younger refs seem to be. In the 2008 Playoffs,
Crawford was chosen to officiate Game 4 of the Western Conference final
between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers. In the closing
seconds of the game, there was a no-call where the Spurs' Brent Barry
was unquestionably fouled by Derek Fisher. Crawford was the closest
official to the call, and the NBA later apologized for the lack of a
call. Crawford was also one of the refs who was involved in the income
tax evasion convictions and was suspended at that time as well.
He
is widely viewed as one of the refs in the NBA who can officiate with
an agenda and shows his biases on the court, hence the controversy that
seems to follow him throughout his career. The Celtics played 9 games
with Crawford officiating last season the last of which was game 7 vs
Miami in the ECF. The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 with Crawford
while the Wizards are 3-7 in their last 10 with Crawford. This is
Joey's first game this season. How did the Celtics get so lucky.
David Guthrie
David Guthrie enters his eighth season after officiating 384 regular
season games and six playoff games. Prior to joining the NBA,
Guthrie was an official in the CBA, NBA Development League and the
New York City Pro Am. He participated in the D-League playoffs in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and the DLeague
championship games in 2004 and 2005. He officiated at the collegiate level in the ACC,
SEC, Colonial, Southern, OVC, ASUN, Big South and SWAC conferences and participated in the
2003 and 2004 NCAA tournaments.
Outside of his life in basketball, Guthrie was a member of the Cincinnati Reds organization playing
professionally with the team in Princeton, W. Va., Billings, Mont., Charleston, W.Va. and Chattanooga,
Tenn. He attended both Southern Union Community College in Wadley, Ala. and North Carolina State
University on baseball scholarships.
He played in the Cape Cod Wooden Bat College Summer League for the Falmouth Commodores in
1994 and played baseball and basketball at W.Va. Berry High School in Birmingham, Ala.
The
Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games with Guthrie and the Wizards are
4-6 in their last 10. He called just one game for the Celtics last
season, a 94-82 win over the Bobcats in which the Bobcats took 20 free
throws and the Celtics 17. The refs did a good job of staying out of
the way, which is what you want from an official. His home W/L record
this season is 0-1.
Derek Richardson
Derek Richardson has officiated 906 regular season games and one
playoff game, as well as the 2003 NBA Rookie Game in Atlanta, during
his 15 seasons as an NBA official. Prior to joining the NBA, Richardson spent eight years officiating in
the CBA, including the 1996 CBA All-Star game and two games of the 1996 CBA Finals.
Richardson played basketball at Los Angeles Southwest College and earned an Associate of Arts degree
in Criminal Justice. He went on to earn a degree in Administration of Justice from Los Angeles
Dominguez Hills.
Richardson has volunteered with the South Central Los Angeles YMCA, assisting with youth basketball
programs.
