Five things to watch for in Celtics-Nets Christmas showdown

A primer to get you ready for Friday night's showdown as the Celtics suit up for their 34th Christmas Day game in franchise history (15-18 record). 

1. Do the Celtics go back to small ball starting five? Brad Stevens went with a frontcourt of Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson in the opener against the Bucks largely in response to a lack of trust he had in other defensive options against the Bucks' formidable size. The equation changes on Christmas Day against a Brooklyn team who starts one of the best shooters in the world at power forward (Kevin Durant). Asking Theis or Thompson to guard Durant or one of the Nets’ other starting wings for extended stretches seems like a disaster waiting to happen, which makes it likely that one of those bigs joining the second unit today. Javonte Green started both preseason games and performed admirably against the Nets defensively last week so he looks like a strong candidate to get the nod today after receiving a DNP-CD in the regular-season opener. Stevens could also go with a more offensive-minded look but the guess here is the defense will be a focus after the C’s allowed 121 points in the opener.

That’s not to say the Celtics will be seeing the end of the Thompson/Theis duo this year as starters. Thompson spoke at length about how much he liked the pairing after making his debut on Wednesday.

“I think with me and D-T out there, we can work and play together,” Thompson said. “He’ll pop and I’ll pop as well, and if we hit the jumper, we’ll both take it. So it works. A lot of people sometimes get sucked into this whole small ball quote on quote ‘idea,’ but I think in the NBA, if you’re a basketball player and you can make plays whether it’s popping and shooting or popping back to a dribble-handoff to get downhill, it’s effective. Big men know how to adapt. Big men can make big plays. You guys always talk about the small ball, but you saw what happened to the Houston Rockets when they played against the Lakers. So the small-ball stuff is good, but when it comes down to the playoffs, you need real bigs to win games.”

With Stevens having a pair of young bigs that he’s probably going to try to get regular minutes most nights as well (Rob Williams, Grant Williams) coming off the bench, starting double bigs will be a good way to ensure the rotation allows for both of them to play against most opponents. Against the Nets firepower though, look for Theis or Thompson to serve as a primary backup center, leaving one of the Williamses out of the rotation for the night.

2. Can the Celtics put a target on Kyrie Irving’s back defensively? This is the main weak spot in the Nets' starting five after reviewing the team’s preseason matchup last week. Irving is rarely engaged defensively as we know from his Boston days and the Nets will likely put him on Marcus Smart again in this matchup and dare the point guard to shoot time and time again as they did in the preseason.

Smart and the Celtics must not take the bait in this circumstance with Irving going under on screens. Instead, they need to continually put Irving into tough spots to try to take advantage of his lackluster defensive effort. The C’s should constantly be running pick-and-roll at him in various spots on the floor, finding switches to attack off of that action. Joe Harris is another weak spot defensively for this group too against Boston’s wings but Irving is easily the weakest link. The Celtics taking too many jump shots will let him and Brooklyn off the hook, something the C’s learned the hard way against them at the Garden last week. Going right at Irving will lead to easier looks within the flow of the offense and also will help tire him out.

3. Which reserves can be trusted to try to contain Brooklyn’s firepower? Beyond Jeff Teague and some surprisingly strong minutes from Semi Ojeleye, opening night was not a great effort from this group. Grant Williams struggled from 3-point range and was burned by smaller players defensively. Robert Williams had his usual mix of defensive miscues. Payton Pritchard put himself in some tough spots defensively (trying to switch onto Giannis on multiple occasions is never a good idea), and he tried to do a little too much offensively on a couple of possessions as well, leading to bad misses. The Nets have arguably with the bench second unit in the Eastern Conference led by Caris LeVert so the C’s reserves will be tested far more in this matchup than they were by a lackluster group of Bucks reserves. Moving Thompson or Theis to the bench will help anchor this group defensively (likely keeping Timelord on the bench) but the C’s are going to need a reserve or two to rise to the occasion again with Teague (like Ojeleye did on Wednesday) to stay afloat in this matchup. Given Brooklyn’s athleticism coming off the bench, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Aaron Nesmith get a chance to help try to match up against the Nets’ length on the wing if Pritchard struggles.

4. Will Jeff Teague ever miss from 3? The point guard is now 9-of-9 from 3-point range over three games (including two preseason contests) in a Celtics uniform. He was one of the best offensive players on the floor in the opener against the Bucks after posting 19 points and 4 assists in just 25 minutes. That type of firepower will be needed again on Christmas in order to keep pace with Brooklyn’s weapons. With the focus on Brown and Tatum defensively, Teague will be required to make defenses pay when he’s given opportunities especially as he’s surrounded by a younger bench unit that’s full of question marks on the offensive end. He should get the added benefit of a strong pick-and-roll partner in this matchup out of Theis/Thompson (whoever ends up on the bench), which could lead to more easy points.

5. Can Tatum/Brown make a statement against the NBA’s best? The Bucks have the better top-3 talent but it’s going to be harder to find a more well-rounded roster in the NBA this season than these Nets as long as Kevin Durant and Irving are healthy. Tatum and Brown rose to the occasion with a pair of sensational performances in the opener and now they get a chance to do it again against the All-Star that opted to pass on spending his prime years with this young core. With the NBA casting this as the best matchup of the day (in the coveted 5 p.m. timeslot on Christmas) more people in the sports world will be watching this matchup than perhaps any other Celtics game this regular season. A win on Friday without Kemba Walker would send a pretty strong statement that this Boston team (with some midseason upgrades to the bench) belongs on equal footing with the East contenders on the strength of their youth.