The Boston Celtics will be squaring off against the New Jersey Nets in about an hour at the TD Garden in their last warmup before their highly anticpated opener on October 26th. There's a lot of things to watch for during tonight's game, although when it comes down to it the end results are meaningless.
Here's five things to keep a close eye on tonight.
1. Can Von Wafer put the lock on the final roster spot?
There are fourteen guys in the Celtics locker room right now that can breathe safely. The other four, Stephen Lasme, Von Wafer, Mario West, and Tiny Gallon, may be packing up their stuff after the game tonight. Right now, many would say Von Wafer has the edge and is a solid effort away from locking up the spot. Can he do it, or will the cinderella story of Stephen Lasme continue?
2. The refs.
It's horrible that this is something I will be focusing on but sadly I will be. Horrible calls all preseason long have forced me to watch the tendancies of the refs in hopes of determining what exactly will be called technical foul this year in the NBA.
3. How long will Doc play the starters?
There's a lot of risks in playing the starters a lot of minutes in preseason games but at the same time you might want to see what they can do playing regular minutes before opening night. Reports say Doc will play them a lot during the first half, and not a lot in the second. We'll see how it all works out.
4. Interior Defense
Last time out against the Nets the Celtics struggled to contain the Nets frontline. This time Shaq will be in the lineup so it will be interesting to see if they can improve from last time they matched up against the Nets.
5. Can Semih Erden make his case for playing quality minutes during the regular season?
I think it's safe to say we all expected the worst from Semih, and right now we're getting close to the best. He's developed himself inside as a very smart player and a heck of a passer for a big guy. With Jermaine O'Neal's health still in question, Semih could make a case for taking some of his minutes during the regular season.
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