:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57626787/usa_today_9686732.0.jpg)
Who: Golden State Warriors (11-3) vs. Boston Celtics (13-2)
When: Thursday, November 16 @ 5:00 p.m.
Where: TD Garden
WATCH: TNT, CSBA
RADIO: 95.7 The Game
The buddy blog with the least imaginative name: Celtics Blog
After a slow start to the season, the Golden State Warriors have returned to their league-terrorizing ways as they look to extend their 7 game win-streak. Their death march moves out East as the team kicks off a 4-game road trip beginning with the Boston Celtics tonight.
The Warriors
The good news for the team is that Stephen Curry is listed as probable to return to action for tonight’s game.
If there was any doubt as to whether or not he’d play, guard Quinn Cook who was called up for Monday’s match against the Magic was sent back down to the G League a few days ago.
Curry returns in what may potentially be the Warriors’ toughest game to date, which may also double as a great litmus test into whether or not...
Great offense always trumps great defense
Coming into this game, the Warriors are miles ahead of every other team in the league with an offensive rating of 116.2 and beating opponents by an average of 14.4 points per game. They are easily the cream of the crop on the offensive side of the ball.
Meanwhile, the Celtics have been the second best team in terms of point differential, winning their games by a margin of 7.8 points per game. However instead of getting it done on offense, they have been a juggernaut defensively, routinely holding opponents to under 100 points. Their defensive rating of 95.8 leads the league.
They’ve accomplished this by slowing down the game and soundly rebounding to minimize their opponents’ number of second chance and fast break points.
If the Warriors can keep the pace more to their liking, they should be able to come away with the win. However it will undoubtedly be a tough match that will require all of our guys to be on point from start to finish.
The Celtics
They are the hottest team in the East right now, reeling off 13 straight wins after losing their first 2 games as well as their marquee free agent Gordon Hayward.
Their rookie Jayson Tatum has filled in nicely for Hayward and truly looks like a star in the making. Meanwhile, Brad Stevens is making all the right tweaks and continues to demonstrate why he is generally accepted as one of the brightest coaches and strategists in the league today.
His game-plans have undoubtedly made the Celtics a tough matchup for the Warriors the past few years and that was without Kyrie Irving and Tatum giving them legitimate scoring threats.
It will be interesting to see how we fare against this new-look Celtics team. Perhaps this may even be a window into a potential June matchup.
Sources