Home team Boston Celtics will try to prove that the two preseason wins against the Brooklyn Nets wasn't a coincidence. But both teams have a lot to prove this season
Boston Celtics look to improve from last season and move into the playoff picture, while the Brooklyn Nets, more or less, have this season to prove that they can be contenders with Deron Williams and Brook Lopez as their star players.
The teams are on each end of the NBA age spectrum. The Celtics have a quite young team, and will depend on the growth of some of these players, like Jared Sullinger, who was quite impressive in preseason play. The Nets are a veteran-based team with Kevin Garnett as the most seasoned and most heralded of their players. Some of the Nets' success will depend on whether he has more gas left in the tank than last season indicated.
These two players form a very interesting match-up in this game. Sullinger has shown his three-point range in preseason games, while still being a very effective rebounder even on the offensive end. Garnett didn't play in the two preseason games between the two teams because of stomach flu.
Two other players that could come back from injuries in this game are Boston's point guard Rajon Rondo and Brooklyn's center Brook Lopez.
Rondo yesterday called himself a "nap-time-decision", but the Celtics might take their precautions. It's only been four weeks since he fractured his hand.
Lopez was announced as "doubtful" by the Nets yesterday. His foot injury doesn't sound severe, but with his injury history, they are probably taking the more careful route.
Whether Rondo is ready or not, Marcus Smart will make his regular season debut in this game. His fellow rookie James Young might also get some minutes. For Brooklyn, Bojan Bogdanovic will play his first regular season game as the starting shooting guard.
If Brook Lopez isn't playing we might see some small ball lineups from the Nets, while the Celtics had more success in the preseason games against the Nets when they played inside out using Jared Sullinger to collapse the defense in the paint, as Kelly Olynyk stayed on the perimeter. That way they created space for their three-point shooting.
The Nets are two different teams depending on whether Brook Lopez plays or not. With him, they can play a lot in the post, without him they will depend on their outside shooting.
After this game the Celtics will leave town for two Texas road games against Houston on Saturday and Dallas on Monday. The Nets will move on to play in Detroit on Saturday and have their home opener on Monday against Oklahoma.
