Blog

At 10-32, Cleveland is the second-worst team in the NBA.

Furthermore, Boston should be motivated on the heels of Doc Rivers’ harsh comments following a disappointing loss to Detroit. They also host the Knicks in an anticipated rematch on Thursday. As the team looks to respond to their coach and gear up to play New York, seeing the Celtics win-handedly as opposed to playing down to the level of the lowly Cavaliers, would be a very encouraging sign.

The first key to tonight’s game is to play with energy. With the Celtics deep bench, there is no excuse for taking stretches of the game off. If the team plays with heart tonight and looks to impose their dominance at both ends, they will earn a victory.

The second key is defense. The five on the court must be a cohesive unit, communicating, rotating and working to make life as difficult as possible for a young Cavaliers team.

The third key is rebounding. The Celtics big men have to put a body on Tristan Thompson who had six offensive rebounds the last time these two teams met. Giving the likes of Kyrie Irving extra opportunities to burn you is a losing recipe.

Tonight’s final key is to build momentum. Boston must be able to walk the thin-line of using this game to ready themselves for New York without looking ahead to Thursday night’s game. By focusing on this game, executing Doc’s strategy and everyone doing their job’s, the team will likely get a win and gain confidence and momentum moving forward.