Final: Celtics 121 , Grizzlies 103 - Brown & White in mid-season form

BOSTON CELTICS at MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Preseason game #1

FedExForum, 8 p.m. - NBCS Boston

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Pace: Okay, Celtics, we keep hearing about how this team is ready to run and play with good pace. So let’s see it. I want to see the ball inbounded and pushed off misses. I want to see the ball get side to side in halfcourt sets. I want to see the bigs set three, four, five screens a possession in search of openings. 

I’ll take it a step further. I want to see some possessions where the Celtics pass up the first good look just to get to the next option on offense. I want to see them run through the options against a live defense so they can work on all the offensive progressions. This might be a preseason “game” but I see it as 48 minutes of live drills against a new defense. 

Remember, pace isn’t always about transition baskets. It’s about doing everything with a purpose instead of standing and watching. So even if the ball is jogged up the floor, there still can be pace to the offense. 

2. The bigs stepping up: The biggest weakness of this Celtics team is in the frontcourt. I expect Neemias Queta to start, so right away I want to see how he’s positioned to defend the rim, I want to see him rebound, and I want to see how he sets screens in this offense. 

The same goes for all of the bigs, obviously. I keeping an eye on Xavier Tillman, especially, because he has sworn he’s healthier than he’s been in years. A healthy Tillman who contributes in a meaningful way changes a lot about this year’s team. 

On paper, this is a bad frontcourt. Let’s see what they look like in reality. 

3. Anfernee Simons playing defense: Pretty self-explanatory. He doesn’t have to be a fully-formed defender, but I need to see the effort. 

4. Josh Minott the wildcard: I wrote about him for a reason. I think he can be a factor this year. I think he’s going to be the guy who hits and sticks around for a few years on a good contract. I’d like to see the beginnings of that in this game. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.