Spurs (32-16) at Celtics (38-9) 2/10

[FLCeltsFan]

vs
San Antonio Spurs (32-16) at Boston Celtics (38-9)
Sunday, February 10
1:00 PM ET
Game #48, Home Game #26
TV: ABC
Sirius 125
TD Banknorth Garden



Probable Starters

PG: Rajon Rondo PPG 10.3 | APG 4.6 | SPG 1.8
SG: Ray Allen PPG 18.4 | APG 3 | 3P% .379
SF: Paul Pierce PPG 20.1 | RPG 5.5 | APG 4.8
PF: Brian Scalabrine PPG 2 | RPG 1.4 | BPG 0.1
C: Leon Powe PPG 5.6 | RPG 3.1 | BPG 0.2 *

*Perk is listed as day to day with a shoulder strain. If he is out, Powe has earned the start at center. Expect Big Baby to come in early for Scal against Tim Duncan. I also expect Powe to be on Duncan if the other two can't hold him.

Off the Bench
James Posey, Eddie House, Big Baby Davis, Tony Allen, Gabe Pruitt

Injuries:
Kevin Garnett, ab strain, day to day
Scot Pollard, ankle, day to day
Kendrick Perkins, shoulder, day to day




Probable Starters

PG: Damon Stoudamire PPG 7.3 | APG 3.7 | SPG 0.6
SG: Manu Ginobili PPG 19.1 | APG 4.5 | 3P% .389
SF: Bruce Bowen PPG 5.6 | RPG 2.8 | APG 1.2
PF: Tim Duncan PPG 19.7 | RPG 11.3 | BPG 1.8
C: Fabricio Oberto PPG 5.2 | RPG 5.6 | BPG 0.3

Off the Bench
Michael Finley. Jacque Vaughn, Robert Horry, Ime Udoka, Francisco Elson, Matt Bonner

Injuries
Brent Barry, strained calf, out
Tony Parker, ankle, out

Key Matchups:
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Damon Stoudamire
Damon Stoudamire is now the starting PG for the Spurs with Tony Parker out. Expect him to try to show the Celtics what they missed out on. Rondo has been on a roll lately and expect him to continue his aggressive play on both ends of the court.

vs
Ray Allen vs Manu Ginobili
Ginobili is one of San Antonio's key scorers. Ray Allen is going to have to get it going on both ends of the court if the Celtics have any hopes of winning this. He his going to have to limit Ginobili's scoring while making him work on defense as well. This would be a good time for Ray to snap out of his shooting slump.

Honorable Mention
Scal vs Tim Duncan. This could be a very tough matchup for the Celtics. If Perk and KG don't play, Powe could have the best chance of covering him with his long arms. We are definitely undersized against the Spurs.

Keys to the Game
Hustle and Effort The Celtics are short handed and undersized. The only way they can win this is with hustle and effort. They are going to have to hustle for every loose ball and rebound and harrass the Spurs on every possession.

Composure The Spurs are a tough defensive team and in the past the Celtics have struggled against teams that have played them tough defensively. They need to keep their composure and not allow the defensive pressure to rattle them.

Move the Ball Against the Wolves, there was too much dribbling and too many iso's. They weren't moving the ball like they usually do and because of that they struggled. Against the Spurs defense, they will have to move the ball to find the open man, or they will be in big trouble.

Defense The Celtics will need to match the Spurs defensive intensity. They have to play tough defense and crash the boards. If they give the Spurs in inch they will take a mile. The Spurs rank 6th in 3 point field goal percentage and so the Celtics need to guard the perimeter as well as the inside, where Tim Duncan is a force.

Game Notes
The Spurs are the World Champions and in spite of having only the 5th best record in the Western Conference, they are still a very dangerous team and the team to beat. Tony Parker didn't make the trip but the recently signed Damon Stoudamire will be manning the point for them and we can expect him to try to show the Celtics what they missed out on.

Last season, the Celtics got their first win against the Spurs since they drafted Tim Duncan in 1997. It was Duncan's first loss to the Celtics and Pierce's first win against the Spurs. This is the 7th game on the Spurs current 9 game road trip. The Spurs are 12-11 on the road and have won 4 in a row on this trip. Both teams aer 7-3 in their last 10 games.

X-Factor
Perk, Pollard, and KG. All three are listed as day to day. I don't expect KG to play, but if Perk or Pollard can play, it will be a big plus for the Celtics. They are very much undersized without these three.

[DERRENMATTS]

A possible Finals matchup. If we can play competitively against the Spurs, without Garnett, I think it will go a long ways toward proving to the critics that we are a legitimate contending team.

[FLCeltsFan]

We may be able to compete without KG, but if we are without both KG and Perk, it will be tough. Powe and Baby would both have to have huge games.

[CelticsLoyalist]

I agree, we are at a major disadvantage without KG and Perk, not to mention Pollard. We've already seen what being without KG is doing to our team. Perk, while not an offensive impact, can put points up at any given time and is a big part of our inside defense. I still look forward to seeing the other matchups and its still possible to steal this one if Ray and Paul really step up and Baby and Powe give us that boost that they have been providing. And we definitely need more production from TAllen and Posey.

[eja117]

ABC! ABC! I can actually watch this at home

[FLCeltsFan]

Perk out till after the All Star Game. Powe getting the start at center. Vaughn is starting instead of Stoudamire for the Spurs

[The Eye of the Q is upon you!]

Hello, and welcome to the 1 pm Sunday afternoon peotry reading 1 week after Black Sunday in Boston. I'm Eddie Allen Powe and I will try to guide the Celtics to a confidence building victory over the World Championship Spurs.

This year is reminding me of 1986 when the Celtics had future NBA historian Bill Walton as their backup Center.

[FLCeltsFan]

Powe his second foul and Baby in.

[The Eye of the Q is upon you!]

EAP at the 6 minute mark 1st qtr:

Paul Pierce is simply carrying the scoring load for Boston, while Gnobli does it for SA. We will need other sources soon to stay in the contest.

[The Eye of the Q is upon you!]

Tommy Point for Paul Pierce on that hustle play.

This is a very nice start to the game as both teams have come to play. Paul Pierce is playing outstanding basketball. Scalabrine is carrying the defensive rebounding load.

I hope Baby can do something.

[The Eye of the Q is upon you!]

EAP at the Qtr -

Celtics are down 23 - 20 but are competing effectively at San Antonio's pace. There were some missed opportunities like BBD blown layup and PP missed 2 FT. Those can make a big difference in an 80's game like this.

[FLCeltsFan]

Eddie Allen Powe??? Now that one threw me. Powe is the best bet to guard Duncan. Those two quick fouls hurt. Not having Perk is really tough in this one.

[The Eye of the Q is upon you!]

Eddie for 3 twice!

TAllen nice D - thrice

Powe - 2 fouls guarding TD Doc rolling the dice!

[FLCeltsFan]

House hitting 3's is a good sign. Tony with some good defense.

[The Eye of the Q is upon you!]

FL - so nice of you to drop in for the poetry reading.