Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 24, 2008 20:10:54 GMT -5
at 
Boston Celtics (2-0) at Atlanta Hawks (0-2)
Saturday, April 26
8:00 PM ET
Round 1, Game #3, Away Game #1
ESPN, CSN HD
Philips Arena
Probable Starters
Rajon Rondo/Ray Allen/Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett/ Kendrick Perkins
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
Paul Pierce, bruised lower back, will play
Probable Starters
Mike Bibby/Joe Johnson/Marvin Williams/Josh Smith/Al Horford
Off the Bench:
Josh Childress, Zaza Pachulia, Salim Stoudamire, Mario West, Jeremy Richardson, Solomon Jones, Acie Law
Injuries
Speedy Claxton, knee, out
Key Matchups
Rajon Rondo 13.5 PPG (60%), 6.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, 3.9 SPG, .5 TO
Mike Bibby 8.5 PPG (24%), 3.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.0 SPG, 1.5 TO
Bibby will once again try to redeem himself after talking a lot of trash and then disappearing in the games. Although there will be Celtics fans in Philips Arena, the crowd will overall be hostile and hopefully that won't distract Rondo from the excellent play that we have seen from him in the first two games.
vs 
Kevin Garnett 17.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG
Josh Smith 9.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 3.5 BPG
Josh Smith has had 2 sub-par games for him and will look to get back on track with the energy of the crowd behind him. KG has not played as well as he can and if Smith ups his game, chances are KG will up his. KG settled for too many jumpers in game 2 and will need to get back to taking the ball inside.
Honorable Mention
Kendrick Perkins 5.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.0 BPG
Al Horford 14.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG, .5 BPG
Perk will need to try to keep Horford off the boards and from getting to the hoop for easy baskets. His defense will be critical in this game.
Keys to the Game
Focus The Celtics will be on the road and in a hostile arena and will need to focus on their game and not allow the crowd to take them out of it. The Celtics have been a very good road team this season and hopefully that will continue and the Celtics will be just as dominant in Atlanta as they were in Boston.
Defense In the playoffs, defense becomes even more important than in the regular season. The Celtics have built their identity around defense and need to be sure that they stay with that mindset and not go away from it. Defense is the key to not only this series, but also the championship.
Play Aggressively The Celtics need to come out strong and try to get a lead early as it is not easy to come back on the road. They have to be aggressive in taking the ball to the hoop, in fighting for rebounds and in going after loose balls. They can't let up on their intensity, especially on the road.
X-Factor
The X-Factor in this series continues to be the play of the bench. So far the Celtics bench has outscored the Hawks bench 64-37 in the first 2 games. The bench needs to continue to play strong and to play defense when they are in.
