Boston Celtics: Can The C’s End The Golden State Warriors’ Streak?

The Golden State Warriors are looking to keep the streak going, but a win over the Boston Celtics is not going to be easy.

The Boston Celtics are welcoming the undefeated Golden State Warriors to town in their next contest. There is a lot on the line in this game because the Warriors are still trying to add to their unbelievable winning streak of 27 regular season games dating back to the end of last season.

The league’s reigning MVP Stephen Curry is playing even better than he was last season by averaging 32.2 PPG, 6.0 APG and 5.0 RPG, while also shooting an absurd 46.5 percent from three (he is averaging five makes a game).

So the Warriors have looked unstoppable so far this season, and their next game is against the Celtics, who are coming off an impressive win over the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics have a top 10 offense by averaging 103.2 PPG and they have a top 10 defense by only allowing opponents to score 97.9 PPG.

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Boston has been playing some of their best basketball during the start of December, where they have won three games and lost one close contest on the road to the San Antonio Spurs. The team has also been without starting point guard Marcus Smart since Nov. 22, and without him Boston has gone 6-4.

The Celtics had a statement win on national television against the Bulls in their last game, but this win over the Warriors would really eliminate a lot of skepticism about the Celtics being one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. Below are some keys for the Boston’s matchup against the Warriors.

Will Klay Thompson play?

One huge key for this particular game is whether or not Klay Thompson will be playing or not for the Warriors. He injured his ankle in the Warriors last win over the Indiana Pacers, and for the game against Boston he will be a “game-time decision.” Thompson is replaceable because the Warriors have a lot of depth with players like Andre Iguodola, Shaun Livingston and Brandon Rush. The team has also been without Harrison Barnes for six games.

So if the second and third leading scorer in Thompson and Barnes on the undefeated Warriors are not playing, then the Dubsare going to to need a lot more out of guys like Iguodola, Livingston, and Rush.

If Thompson plays, the Celtics could put Jae Crowder on him and Avery Bradley on Curry, and since Golden State is without Barnes, the Celtics will not have to worry so much about a third option like Barnes. Although, Boston will have to worry about Draymond Green, who has been terrific for the Warriors this season.

Even if Thompson is not 100 percent just by having him on the floor, the Warriors are obviously much more lethal on both ends of the floor. He is also coming off his best game of the season by putting up 39 points and hitting 10 three-point shots.

David Lee revenge game?

Once upon a time, David Lee was one of the best players on the Warriors, but during the team’s championship season, he was not a major contributor. He came off the bench and averaged 18.4 MPG and 7.9 PPG, which were career-lows for Lee as a Warrior.

Lee was then traded to the Celtics for this season, and he has not been a major contributor for the Celtics so far, but he is starting to find a groove. In his last game, he gave the Celtics a great spark off the bench by adding 12 points and six rebounds.

Lee is going to play with a lot of emotion against his former squad, and he might be able to push the Celtics over the Warriors in the end because he knows his former squad very well.

Steph Curry cannot be stopped, but maybe other players can

Not much to say here other than that Curry is going to get his points, and the Celtics have to deal with that. A bad game for Curry so far this season is when he only scores 19 points, which he has done twice, but Curry has had six 40-point games, and one 50-point game.

Curry is going to get his, but the Celtics need to focus their defense on other players not having big games. If Thompson does not play, then they should dial in on slowing down Draymond Green, who does everything for the Warriors on both ends of the floor. Green is averaging 13.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 1.4 BPG. Green also averages 7.0 APG, which leads the team.

Green needs to be contained if the Celtics want to beat the Warriors because he does everything for the team.

Overall

The Boston Celtics are going to have their hands full no matter if Klay Thompson plays or not, and the Celtics know this. They have to go into this game with the same defensive poise and offensive efficiency that they have had in their recent games. Boston is playing really well right now, but the Warriors are a team that can make the Celtics take a few steps back as a team.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 7

The streak will not end in Boston even if Thompson is out; the Warriors are on another planet and the Celtics and most of the NBA are not even close to reaching that planet right now.