Bobcats vs Celtics NBA Handicapping
You’d think that on a team piled high with veterans, coach Doc Rivers and front office boss Danny Ainge would know, by now, exactly what they have as the league steams toward the midpoint of the season.
Not quite.
Charlotte Bobcats (9-27) at Boston Celtics (19-17)
Monday, Jan. 14
TD Garden , Boston
7:30 p.m. EST
Spread – Celtics -11
O/U – 189.5 from SportsBettingOnline.ag
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Boston is either:
The team that sleepwalked through the first 31 games, seemingly uninterested in stepping up its defense even in home games and more than content to let the season play out, confident that on talent alone it would earn a decent berth in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The result of that effort was a 14-17 record.
Or…
The Celtics really are the team that has won its last five, including a brutal back-to-back set road set over the Hawks and Knicks (the latter was the Garnett/Anthony game).
Boston’s lackadaisical play over the first two months of the season spawned lots of trade talk, especially around a deal that would have brought problem child DeMarcus Cousins over from Sacramento. The win streak has dampened down those conversations, and now everyone seems to think that the return of Avery Bradley has been the key to the transformation.
Bradley plays on-the-ball defense like no other player in the league, and his presence in the lineup means that Rivers could stop flopping underperformers Jason Terry and Courtney Lee in and out of the starting lineup. Both are now coming off the bench, often paired with each other rather than PG Rajon Rondo.
With Bradley starting and able to ramp up defensive pressure on the perimeter, Rivers has been able to start PF Brandon Bass again. Jason Collins had been starting in his place when the Celtics were desperate to protect the rim. [ad-6571516]
There are still questions about whether the Celtics will have enough gas in the tank for another playoff run come April and May. Celtics watchers are keeping a close eye on Kevin Garnett’s health and minutes, knowing that very bad things will happen without him. And everyone knows that in the bizarro insulated world of Rajon Rondo, the next league suspension could be right around the corner.
But for now, five in a row is five in a row, and for the moment Boston has its act together.
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The best you can say about the Bobcats is that at 9-27 things are a lot better than last year (7-59).
They are thirsty for front court scoring, because their top four scorers (Kemba Walker, Ben Gordon, Ramon Sessions and Gerald Henderson) are all guards. It’ll be a long night for the Bobcats if those four can’t penetrate. Celtics should wear down Charlotte at home.
If the 11 is too much to give, take a hard look at the under.
Celtics games have been trending low since Rivers read the team the riot act about its lack of defensive commitment a few weeks ago.
