Scouting Report: Game 1 vs. Nets
This recurring segment will provide a brief (sometimes very brief) analysis of the opponent, look at ways how the game can go, predict a winner and dive into Vegas spreads and then some throughout the season.
NBA is back! Unfortunately, the Celtics' first game is against presumably the least exciting opponent we're gonna play against the whole year. Well, the good news is we're only going to play them 4 times. Wait, that's not good news. OK well the good news is we have their picks for the next 53 years (ballpark figure) so there's always gonna be some excitement in those games. What a sales pitch, right? I'm on fire!
Before further ado, here are the questions that need to be answered:
Who is the favorite tonight and why?: Boston Celtics because you cannot name any Nets players in this picture.
(Well you might be able to name Chase Budinger and no, the guy in the middle is not a computer-generated NBA2k17 dude.)
How can the Nets beat us?: I would have liked to answer this question by saying "Haha. Next." but unfortunately the Nets did beat us last year. Twice. Both in Brooklyn, and at TD Garden. In the 10 point loss in Brooklyn they dominated us on the boards, and the home game was a close one but the Celtics decided to shoot 21.9% from behind the arc that night. Can history repeat itself?!? Lopez can still prove to be a nightmare for us, yet the Nets have lost both Thaddeus Young and Joe Johnson and the only stat that they might be able to rank outside the bottom 10 this year is Points in the Paint so I'm assuming we'll be ready for that.
Who will be the player of the game for the Celtics?: Well, here is a bold choice. Avery Bradley? The safe bet always is Isaiah Thomas of course, but I have a feeling that Bradley will defensively wreak havoc on the Nets and have fun shooting the three-ball.
Who wins against the spread?: The Celtics are currently favored by 12.5 points. (Biggest favorite for the opening games!) Now, the spread for an opening game cannot be higher than that because the public doesn't have enough information (in fact the line opened at -14), so I'd like to think that the Celtics will outperform the spread by coming out strong and making this a blowout game. So, the Celtics.
If you disagree with my analysis and think I'm stupid or would like to read more of my scorching hot takes, you can find me on Twitter. You can read my other CelticsLife posts here.
Photo credit: Anthony Gruppuso - USA Today Sports
NBA is back! Unfortunately, the Celtics' first game is against presumably the least exciting opponent we're gonna play against the whole year. Well, the good news is we're only going to play them 4 times. Wait, that's not good news. OK well the good news is we have their picks for the next 53 years (ballpark figure) so there's always gonna be some excitement in those games. What a sales pitch, right? I'm on fire!
Before further ado, here are the questions that need to be answered:
Who is the favorite tonight and why?: Boston Celtics because you cannot name any Nets players in this picture.
Name this band pic.twitter.com/EllhIhc4CB— LizzLocker (@Lizzs_Lockeroom) September 27, 2016
(Well you might be able to name Chase Budinger and no, the guy in the middle is not a computer-generated NBA2k17 dude.)
How can the Nets beat us?: I would have liked to answer this question by saying "Haha. Next." but unfortunately the Nets did beat us last year. Twice. Both in Brooklyn, and at TD Garden. In the 10 point loss in Brooklyn they dominated us on the boards, and the home game was a close one but the Celtics decided to shoot 21.9% from behind the arc that night. Can history repeat itself?!? Lopez can still prove to be a nightmare for us, yet the Nets have lost both Thaddeus Young and Joe Johnson and the only stat that they might be able to rank outside the bottom 10 this year is Points in the Paint so I'm assuming we'll be ready for that.
Who will be the player of the game for the Celtics?: Well, here is a bold choice. Avery Bradley? The safe bet always is Isaiah Thomas of course, but I have a feeling that Bradley will defensively wreak havoc on the Nets and have fun shooting the three-ball.
Who wins against the spread?: The Celtics are currently favored by 12.5 points. (Biggest favorite for the opening games!) Now, the spread for an opening game cannot be higher than that because the public doesn't have enough information (in fact the line opened at -14), so I'd like to think that the Celtics will outperform the spread by coming out strong and making this a blowout game. So, the Celtics.
If you disagree with my analysis and think I'm stupid or would like to read more of my scorching hot takes, you can find me on Twitter. You can read my other CelticsLife posts here.
Photo credit: Anthony Gruppuso - USA Today Sports
