Boston at New Jersey
7:30 P.M.
IZOD ARENA
CSNE
Opposing viewpoint: Nets Are Scorching
Boston: 110.5 points/100 possessions (5th);
New Jersey: 96.3 points/100 (27th)
Defensive Efficiency
Boston: 94.3 points allowed/100 possessions (3rd)
New Jersey: 109.3 points/100 (22nd)
Probable Nets starters: per rotoworld.com
“If Courtney Lee (groin) and Chris Douglas-Roberts (flu) can’t play, the Nets starting lineup will likely be: Trenton Hassell, Eduardo Najera, Brook Lopez, Terrence Williams and Rafer Alston.”‘
Injury Report:
Celtics: OUT: Bill Walker, Tony Allen, Glen Davis QUESTIONABLE: Brian Scalabrine
Nets: OUT: Devin Harris, Yi Jianlian, Jarvis Hayes, Tony Battie, Keyon Dooling QUESTIONABLE: Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts
WHAT THE NETS DO WELL/DID WELL LAST YEAR
With all the injuries and the lack of talent the Nets have, I had to do way too much research to answer this question. Upon investigation, I can safely say they are a solid team on the offensive boards and are in the top 10 in the league shooting from the charity stripe. They also arrive at the court on time and hit a high percentage of their layups during warmups. Lawrence Frank also has shown the ability not to age in 5 years. I’m going to stop there before I start reaching.
WHAT THE NETS DO POORLY/DID POORLY LAST SEASON
(Deep breath)
Score points, shoot the 3 ball, turnovers, defend the 3 ball, and I’m just scratching the surface here. The Nets rank in the bottom fifth of the league in all of these categories. They don’t have the talent to put the ball in the hoop or play strong defense. They also aren’t good at staying healthy with nearly half of their roster on the shelf right now.
• PLAYER/S WHO MAKE ME WORRY:
Brook Lopez. The guy is the one bright spot for the Nets during a dismal season so far. Averaging 17 points and 8 rebounds a game, the 21 year old center has established himself as a building block for this young team along with the injured Devin Harris. With a nice set of low post moves, look for him to be the focus of the C’s defensive scheme tonight with a depleted supporting cast around him. Honorable mention to Chris Douglas-Roberts who looked very solid in both preseason matchups with Boston
• PLAYER/S WHO DO NOT MAKE ME WORRY
The rest of the active roster. Besides Lee, the Celtics should have a major edge at every position on the floor.
What to look for and a prediction, after the jump
WHAT TO LOOK FOR TONIGHT:
The C’s will be coming off their first loss of the year and The Nets should be just what the doctor ordered to cure what ails them. The winless Nets will be coming off a loss Friday night themselves and with injuries to many key players, they will be just as exhausted as the C’s coming off a close loss in Philly when they were down to seven active players at one point. Look for the C’s to jump on the Nets early and crush any hope the underdog Nets have of stealing this one.
• PREDICTION: The Nets hang around in the early going, but the Celtics weapons and depth let them pull away in the 2nd half. 102-83 Boston.
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