Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 10, 2011 22:53:50 GMT -5
at 
Boston Celtics (55-25) at Wizards (22-58)
Monday, April 11
7:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #81, Home Game #41
TV: CSN-NE, Comcast Sportsnet, NBA-LP 755/756
Radio: WEEI, WJFK
TD Garden
Probable Starters
PG
SG 
SF 
PF 
C 
Rajon Rondo...Ray Allen...Paul Pierce...Kevin Garnett... Jermaine O'Neal
Boston Bench Mob
Glen Davis
Jeff Green
Delonte West
Nenad Krstic
Sasha Pavlovic
Carlos Arroyo
Troy Murphy
Von Wafer
Avery Bradley
Injured
Shaquille O'Neal (calf/old age) out
Probable Starters
PG
SG 
SF 
PF 
C 
John Wall...Jordan Crawford...Maurice Evans...Andre Blatche...JaVale McGee
Wizards Bench
Kevin Seraphin
Yi Jianlian
Othyus Jeffers
Mustafa Shakur
Larry Owens
Injured
Josh Howard (knee) out
Hamady N'Diaye (knee) out
Nick Young (knee) out
Trevor Booker (foot) out
Rashard Lewis (knee) out
Team Connections
Wizards Assistant Coach Sam Cassell played for the Celtics during the 2007‐08 season and was a member of the 2008 NBA Championship team
Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen were teammates in Seattle from 2003‐07
Kevin Garnett played for Wizards Head Coach Flip Saunders in Minnesota from 1995‐2005
He also played for Wizards Assitant Coach Randy Wittman in
Minnesota in 2007
Garnett and Cassell were teammates in Minnesota from 2003‐05
John Wall and Rajon Rondo both attended the University of Kentucky
Avery Bradley and Maurice Evans both attended the University of Texas
Von Wafer and Cassell were teammates on the Clippers during the 2006‐07 season
Carlos Arroyo and Maurice Evans were teammates on two separate
occasions (Detroit 2005‐06 and Orlando 2007‐08)
Arroyo and Rashard Lewis were teammates in Orlando during the 2007‐08 season.
Game Notes
This is the Celtics 4th and final meeting of the season. The Celtics are 2-1 against the Wizards, with the loss coming on the road. The Celtics have dropped to 3rd in the East but there is still a sliver of hope for the second seed if the Celtics win both of their remaining games (Wizards/Knicks) and if Miami loses one of their remaining games (Atlanta/Toronto). It's unlikely, but still a chance.
The Wizards have been terrible on the road, but have played fairly well at home with a 19-21 record. The Celtics are 23-17 on the road, including the earlier loss in Washington. Both teams are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Celtics are coming off the loss to the Heat while the Wizards are coming off a big win over the Hawks.
The Celtics have just 2 games to right what is wrong with the team. They have been lacking chemistry and focus. We have seen in spurts what they are capable of and then they lose their focus and play hero ball. They also stop being aggressive. Whether it is a mental problem, or a physical one, hopefully they can figure it out and remedy those problems in these last 2 games.
Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo vs John Wall
Wall has been playing very well and has averaged 18.6 points, 7.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds since the all star game. Rondo dominated this matchup in their last meeting but then played very passively against the Heat. Rondo needs to be aggressive and set the pace. As Rondo goes so go the Celtics.
vs
Jermaine O'Neal vs Javale McGee
Jermaine O'Neal has been a non-factor in the last two games. He has had 0 rebounds in his last 2 games and the Celtics have been out- rebounded in both games. The Celtics need more out of their center position and JO must step up and be more of a force on both ends of the court.
Honorable Mention
Kevin Garnett vs Andray Blatche
Kevin Garnett has played well, even as the Celtics have struggled as a team. Blatche has also been playing well and so KG needs to be aggressive both on offense and defense to win this matchup.
Keys to the Game
Focus Focus seems to be the biggest problem for this team lately. They lose focus and stop doing the things that make them successful. They fail to move the ball and be aggressive in going after loose balls and rebounds. They must come out focused and stay focused until the final buzzer.
Rebound The Celtics must crash the boards and keep the Wizards from getting second chance points, fast break opportunities and extra possessions. They were out rebounded by the Bulls and then they were out-rebounded by a large margin by the Heat. As I have said before, when the Celtics put out the effort necessary to win the battle of the boards, that effort seems to pick up every area of their game as well.
Defense Defense always wins games and it will win the championship as well. The Celtics have to make defense their priority and shut down the paint as well as staying on their outside shooters. Lately the Celtics have played defense in spurts but they have allowed way too many easy baskets and have allowed teams to outscore them in the paint. When the Celtics clamp down on defense the rest of their game picks up.
Be Aggressive The Celtics need to play aggressively. They need to take the ball to the hoop and try to get to the line early and often. They also have to go for every loose ball and battle for all the rebounds. They played passively against both the Bulls and the Heat and if they play that way in this game, they could be facing another loss.
Move the Ball When the Celtics move the ball and rack up assists they are very hard to beat. When the ball sticks and they try to do too much individually and forget the team game, that's when they are vulnerable. They had just 14 assists against the Bulls and just 16 against the Heat and that is not acceptable. They have to stick with what works and that is making the extra pass, finding the open man and not playing hero ball which we have seen all too much this season.
X-Factor
Back to Back and Focus
The Celtics are playing in yet another back to back set. The Celtics are 8-10 in the second of back to back games but they are just 2-5 when both games are on the road. If the Celtics focus on the things that make them successful, like moving the ball, being aggressive, crashing the boards, etc, they will beat this team. If they play with half effort again, this could be another loss.
