Celtics put their improved rebound reputation on line against Philadelphia

By most accounts the Celtics are a better rebounding team right now.

In the process of winning five of their last six games, they have out-boarded opponents by an average of 45.3-to-41.8, with the best performance, boosted by a 51-30 edge over Golden State on Thursday night and a 48-36 margin against a big Lakers team on Jan. 20.

The low point, the red herring in this group, came during last Sunday’s meltdown in New Orleans, when the Celtics were outrebounded, 54-37. Other than in that game, though, the Celtics have generally controlled that part of the game. They have improved to ninth in the league in rebound percentage (50.8).

“Big time. You’ve got Grant Williams playing out of his mind down there,” said Marcus Smart. “You got Jayson (Tatum) finally rebounding, 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, get down there and rebound. It’s a full team effort. We take pride in that, even though some nights we get outrebounded and it hurts us. We know it, but each and every night, we try to come in and we try to battle five together rebounding.”

But now the team that has beat them three times — generally crushed them, really — returns to the Garden Saturday night for its fourth game against the Celtics this season.

On opening night the Sixers had it their way with the Celtics to the tune of a 62-41 edge in rebounding, including 12 offensive boards. Overall, in three games, Philadelphia has won the rebounding battle by an average of 51.7-to-37.3.

“Philly is just a challenge in general. They’re a great basketball team,” said Smart. “They’ve been playing great, they’ve got great individual players and you know they have found something that works for them and they’re clicking. It’s just a challenge, but there’s nothing we can’t do. We just have to go out there and do it.”

Enes Kanter was the Celtics’ leading rebounder in two of those games – indeed, the only one who could throw size inside at Joel Embiid – but the Celtics center has been listed as questionable with a bruised hip. He’s missed four straight games thus far due to the injury.

The challenge is to somehow neutralize Philadelphia without their best Embiid deterrent. The Celtics’ recent success, as noted by head coach Brad Stevens, has come from the ability of their wing players to crash the glass.

It’s also been made possible by their small ball center, Daniel Theis, who has increasingly become adept at guarding bigger opponents.

“I just have to use my speed, and start boxing out people earlier, because some people can jump over me,” said Theis. “You see it with Enes. He does his work so early, boxing out before the shot goes up. Even on the offensive board it’s the same. He’s the same size as I am, so I look at what he’s doing on rebounding especially.”

What Theis lacks in Kanter’s bulk, he makes up for in superior quickness and shot-blocking. But he’s admittedly learned a lot from guarding Kanter in practice every day.

“For sure. He’s been here nine or 10 years, and he’s one of the best offensive rebounders every time we played him,” said Theis. “He’s had a 20 and 20 game against us. So I know how hard it is to play against him. I find I can get extra possessions when I work on the offensive board as well.”

The result is another step in Theis’ improvement since joining the Celtics out of Germany’s Bundesliga, where he was a two-time defensive player of the year.

“A lot, a lot of experience. In the beginning I thought I could out-jump people, but that’s not the case here,” said Theis. “People are so athletic, you have to do your work early and box them out and then go for the ball. I don’t even care if I get the rebound. If I box out my man and someone else grabs it, I’m fine with it too.”

But Theis’ success wouldn’t be possible without help from the Celtics wings.

“Just a whole team rebounding thing,” said Theis. “We’ve got big wings, so they all have to start rebounding like they do now, and box out people. It makes it easier for us to just rebound and finish possessions. Even when Enes is there, it’s not about just one guy. We need all the guys in there like JT, Gordon, JB.”

Saturday night, though, the stakes increase. Embiid returned from a nine-game hand-related absence on Jan. 28 against Golden State to match Al Horford’s double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) with one of his own (24 points, 10 rebounds).

“They’re a big team with (Ben) Simmons, Al (Horford), Joel,” said Theis. “I hope Enes is back, but it’s the same thing. We have to do it as a team – not just me or JB or JT. Everyone rebounds. We have to work early.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/37QOBKE