Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 21, 2008 16:26:56 GMT -5
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Atlanta Hawks (0-1) at Boston Celtics (1-0)
Postseason Game #2 – Home Game #2
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
8:00 PM ET
TNT, CSN HD
TD Banknorth Garden
Probable Starting Lineup
PG
Rajon Rondo PPG 10.6 RPG 4.20 APG 5.1 EFF + 14.21 SG
Ray Allen PPG 17.4 RPG 3.70 APG 3.1 EFF + 15.77 SF
Paul Pierce PPG 19.6 RPG 5.10 APG 4.5 EFF + 19.94 PF
Kevin Garnett PPG 18.8 RPG 9.20 APG 3.4 EFF + 24.85C
Kendrick Perkins PPG 6.9 RPG 6.10 APG 1.1 EFF + 11.76 Off the Bench
Eddie House, James Posey, Leon Powe, Big Baby Davis, Tony Allen, PJ Brown, Sam Cassell, Brian Scalabrine, Gabe Pruitt
Injury Report
Scot Pollard, ankle, out
Probable Starting Lineup
PG
Mike Bibby PPG 13.9 RPG 3.30 APG 6.0 EFF + 14.15 SG
Joe Johnson PPG 21.7 RPG 4.50 APG 5.8 EFF + 19.34SF
Marvin Williams PPG 14.8 RPG 5.70 APG 1.7 EFF + 14.99 PF
Josh Smith PPG 17.2 RPG 8.20 APG 3.4 EFF + 20.83 C
Al Horford PPG 10.1 RPG 9.70 APG 1.5 EFF + 16.51 Off the Bench:
Josh Childress, Zaza Pachulia, Salim Stoudamire, Mario West, Jeremy Richardson, Solomon Jones, Acie Law
Injuries
Speedy Claxton, knee, out
Key Matchups
This is still going to be a key matchup. Rondo clearly came out on top in the first game and out-played Bibby on both ends of the court in his very first playoff game. Bibby is a veteran, though and will come back determined to play better and Rondo will need to elevate his game up as well.
vs 
Al Horford had a very strong game and is one of the reasons that the Hawks were able to stay in the game as long as they did. Hopefully Perk can stay out of foul trouble and keep Horford off the boards.
Honorable Mention
Kevin Garnett vs Josh Smith
Smith is one of the Hawks best players but he had an off game due to foul trouble and allergy problems in game 1. He is a very athletic player and can block shots and affect shots in the paint along with grabbing rebounds and scoring inside. KG needs to make him work on both ends of the court and maybe get him in foul trouble again.
Keys to the game:
Rebound The Celtics were out rebounded 41-40 in the first game and allowed the Hawks to get second and third chance baskets. The Celtics need to be more aggressive on the boards. There is an old adage that says, "Offense sells tickets, defense wins games and rebounding wins championships." I think this is because much of rebounding is effort and the team that wins the rebounding war has put out the most effort.
Don't Overlook the Hawks The Celtics had an easy time beating the Hawks in game one but they can't take them for granted. They have to take a lesson from their last playoff appearance where they won the first game against the Pacers and then lost the series. The Hawks will make adjustments and the Celtics have to be ready for that.
Be Aggressive The Celtics need to come out and be aggressive from start to finish. Even with a big lead, they can't let up. The Pistons had a big lead on the Sixers and let up and ended up losing the game. The Celtics need to come out strong and play hard for 48 minutes.
Defense Defense becomes more important in the playoffs and even though the Celtics have won with defense all season, they need to take that defense to another level now that the playoffs are here. They can't allow second chance points and they need to limit easy baskets.
X-Factor
Bench Play
The Celtics bench out scored the Hawks bench 36-22 in the first game. If the Celtics bench continues to produce, they will be hard to beat.
