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Boston Celtics (12-2) at Toronto Raptors (6-6)
Sunday, November 23
12:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #15, Road Game #7
TV: CSN HD, NBA LP 751 [/b]
Air Canada Center
Coach: Doc Rivers
Average Age: 26.7
Average Height: 6-6
Average Weight: 222 Probable Starters Rondo/ R Allen/ Pierce/ Garnett/ Perkins
ReservesTony Allen
Glen Davis
Eddie House
Leon Powe
Gabe Pruitt
Brian Scalabrine
Patrick O'Bryant
Sam Cassell
Injuries: None
Probable Inactive Sam Cassell
D-League JR Giddens
Bill Walker
Coach: Sam Mitchell
Average Age: 26.2
Average Height: 6-7
Average Weight: 224
Probable Starters Calderon/ Parker/ Bargnani/ Bosh/ O'Neal*
*O'Neal injured his knee in their last game and is day to day for this one.
Reserves Joey Graham
Will Solomon
Jason Kapono
Jamario Moon
Hassan Adams
Roko Ukic
Kris Humphreys
Nathan Jawai
InjuriesJermaine O'Neal injured his knee in the Raptors' game vs New Jersey on Friday. He is listed as day to day.
Probable InactiveNathan Jawai
Key Matchups vs
Rajon Rondo PPG 8.9 RPG 4.00 APG 6.6 EFF + 14.50
Jose Calderon PPG 14.2 RPG 2.80 APG 9.4 EFF + 20.20
Calderon will be looking for revenge after being taunted by KG in their last matchup and so Rondo will have his work cut out for him on the defensive end. Rondo has been aggressive and taking his shot when it is available and he will need to continue that in this game.
vs
Kevin Garnett PPG 16.2 RPG 8.90 APG 2.0 EFF + 19.38
Chris Bosh PPG 26.9 RPG 10.80 APG 2.3 EFF + 29.00
Chris Bosh is one of the best young power forwards in the game and is very dangerous on the offensive end. He scored 42 in his last game vs the Nets and KG's defense will be needed to help contain him.
Honorable MentionPaul Pierce PPG 19.6 RPG 7.40 APG 3.7 EFF + 19.86
Andrea Bargnani PPG 12.2 RPG 4.40 APG 0.9 EFF + 13.67
The Raptors are using an interesting lineup with a 7 footer at the small forward spot. Pierce gives up 5 inches but has the advantage in strength and experience.
Keys to the Game:Defend the Perimeter: The Raptors can kill you from beyond the arc as they have the green light to shoot the 3 and are very effective from that distance. They have 5 players shooting 53% or more from beyond the arc and the Celtics will need to stay with the Raptors defensively out on the perimeter.
Start Strong and Don't Let Up The Celtics need to come out strong from the start and not allow themselves to get into a hole. With the Raptors' potent offense, they can't afford to start slow and play catch up. They also can't let up if they get a lead because the Raptors can put points on the board very quickly.
Take Care of the Ball The Celtics have been turning the ball over too much and the Raptors will make them pay by converting them on the other end. They have to take better care of the ball.
Crash the Boards The Raptors are a strong rebounding team and the Celtics have to go after the rebounds and loose balls. They can't afford to allow the Raptors to rebound and get second chance baskets.
X-FactorRevengeThere has been bad blood between these two teams since Gerald Green slammed in a breakaway dunk to put an exclamation point on a blow out win. The games between these two division rivals are always chippy and it seems to be getting even chippier. In their last meeting on 11/10, the Raptors led most of the game and were up by 15 in the third quarter and led by 6 going into the 4th quarter, but Paul Pierce scored 22 of his game high 36 points in the 4th quarter to lead the Celtics to a 94-87 win. KG also aroused the anger of Jose Calderon by waving his finger at him while going down the court. The Raptors will be up for this game and will be out for blood. The Celtics need to match their intensity and energy if they want to beat the Raptors on their home court.
Game NotesThe Raptors lost a heart breaker against the Nets on Friday as Vince Carter converted a last second alley oop to win the game.
Chris Bosh is averaging a double double and is 3rd in the league in scoring and 6th in rebounding. With all the talk about the upcoming free agent class, Bosh is the one I would target if I was a GM. He is tough and KG will need to be on his game in order to try to contain him.
The Raptors can kill you from beyond the arc. They are the first team in NBA history to have hit a 3 pointer in over 700 consecutive games and the streak is now at 790 games with a 3 pointer. In their last game they hit 11-23 from beyond the arc. They aren't shy about shooting them and when they are making them, they are very hard to beat. But if the Celtics can get in their heads and make them start missing them, the three will sink them just as quickly as it will lift them.
Team Connections: Joey Graham and Tony Allen are former Oklahoma State
Cowboys…
Raptors Strength and Conditioning Coach Keith D’Amelio was an assistant to Ed Lacerte for three seasons.