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[FLCeltsFan]

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GoldenState Warriors (5-9) at Boston Celtics (13-2)
Wednesday, November 26
7:30 PM ET
Game #16, Home Game #9
TV:  CSNHD, CSN Bay, NBA LP  754
Radio:  WEEI 
TD Banknorth Garden


Probable Starters
  PG Rajon Rondo PPG 9.3 RPG 3.90 APG 6.5

  SG Ray Allen PPG 16.9 RPG 4.40 APG 2.9 

  SF  Paul Pierce PPG 19.0 RPG 7.20 APG 3.6

  PF Kevin Garnett  PPG 16.1 RPG 8.70 APG 2.2 

  C Kendrick Perkins PPG 6.4 RPG 7.30 BPG 1.9

Reserves
Reserves
Tony 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





Probable Starters
PG  Anthony Morrow  PPG 14.0 RPG 3.30 APG 0.9

  SG  Stephen Jackson  PPG 21.9 RPG 4.30 APG 6.5

SF  Corey Maggette   PPG 17.2 RPG 5.40 APG 2.3

  PF Kelenna Azubuike   PPG 15.8 RPG 4.50 APG 1.7

  C Andris Biedrins   PPG 16.8 RPG 13.50 APG 2.1

Reserves
CJ Watson
Ronny Turiaf
Anthony Randolph
Brandan Wright
Rob Kurz
Marco Belinelli
Marcus Williams
Jamal Crawford
Richard Hendrix
DeMarcus Nelson

Injured
Monta Ellis (Ankle) Also suspended

Probable Inactive
Jamal Crawford
Richard Hendrix
DeMarcus Nelson

KeyMatchups
vs
Paul Pierce PPG 19.0 RPG 7.20 APG 3.6
Corey Maggette   PPG 17.2 RPG 5.40 APG 2.3
Both of these players are capable of putting a lot of points on the board.   Pierce has the advantage on the defensive end, however. 

vs
Kevin Garnett  PPG 16.1 RPG 8.70 APG 2.2
Kelenna Azubuike   PPG 15.8 RPG 4.50 APG 1.7
Azubuike gives up 7 inches to KG and also 11 years of experience.  The Celtics should look to to go KG often to exploit this matchup. 

Honorable Mention
Kendrick Perkins vs Andris Biedrins
Biedrins has been playing on an all star level.   He is averaging a double double and is tied with Dwight Howard for first in the league in rebounding.  He had a string of 17 double doubles in a row that was stopped  on 11/18 when he came 1 rebound short of his 18th double double.  No one had recorded 17 or more double doubles since KG had 37 in a row from 2/2/06-11/6/06.  He is one of the most underrated centers in the league.  It will be up to Perk to stop him. 

Game Notes:
The Warriors are a high scoring team and look to run and put points up quickly.  They are 3rd in the league in points per game at 103.5.  This will be a case of top offense meeting top defense. 

The Celtics and the Warriors tied their series last season with each team winning on their home court.  They are 5-5 since the '03-04 season. 

The Warriors are second in the league in offensive rebounds at 14 per game and they are 2nd in the league in second chance points.  The Celtics need to crash the boards to prevent the Warriors from getting those second and third chances to score.  The Warriors are also first in the league in points in the paint and third in blocks per game.  In spite of their sub .500 record, they aren't a pushover and the Celtics need to be ready for them. 

The Warriors are on the road and playing in the second of back to back games.  The Celtics have been off since Sunday and should be well rested.  With the Warriors' high speed offense, fatigue could be a factor.  However, with the Warriors being the youngest team in the league, they may not get quite as tired as a lot of teams would.  They have just 3 players who are over 26 and none older than 30.  They also have 7 players who are 22 or younger. 

Team Connections
Patrick O'Bryant was drafted by the Warriors with the 9th pick in the 2006 draft.
Clifford Ray played for the Warriors from 1975-81 and won a championship with them in 1975. 
Azubuike and Rondo are both former Kentucky Wildcats
Randolph and Big Baby are both former LSU Tigers
Corey Maggette played for Doc in Orlando
Stephen Jackson and Rajon Rondo both played for Oak Hill Academy
Marcus Williams and Ray Allen are both former UConn Huskies

[Fafnir]

We should win this game handily. Hopefully we keep up the strong play of the last few games.

I'm very interested to see how Biedrins looks this year. I've heard a lot of good things about him. I want to see how he measures up against a great defensive team.

[Amager Celtic Fan]

TP4FL!

[Redz]

Unleash Patty on his ol' mates!

Will we have a Jamal Crawford sighting?

The former Knicks in the Clippers deal weren't allowed to play last night because New York had been dragging their rear ends on getting physicals done.

[Donoghus]

Good defense always beats good offense.

[crownsy]

First game of the season i can get to, hopefully not the last.

Nosebleeds, here i come

[Redz]

First game of the season i can get to, hopefully not the last.

Nosebleeds, here i come

Not a bad seat in the house Crownsy.  Have fun.

[Celtic]

C's should win, but the Warriors are always fun to watch, I see them losing bad in this one though.

[butterbeanlove]

First game of the season i can get to, hopefully not the last.

Nosebleeds, here i come

Ditto here (went to the pre-season game against the Nix, though). C's snack on the Warriors the night before Thanksgiving. Should be festive.

[cordobes]

Thanks for the game thread, FLCeltsFan, very nice as usual. I always like to read the team connections. In this one, there's a very notorious connection missing, something related with number 19;).

Also, Jackson has been running the point for the Warriors, and Maggette has been playing at the 4, with Randolph and Wright getting minutes. I think that once Crawford and Ellis are available, Nelson will go with them, Jackson, Mags and Biedrins. It's the kind of line-up - 3 hybrid guards, none of them being a clear pg, an athletic forward who plays from the outside and a classic center - which has been en vogue over Europe for the past 2 years. I'm curious to see how successful can it be in the NBA.

Azubuike once again fails to show any improvements after the Summer, I'm disappointed.

[Cman]

I am looking forward to watching this game.  Living out here in the Bay Area I don't get many opptys to watch the Cs (thankfully more this year than two years ago!).  Can't wait!

[Cman]

Homer Bay Area announcers "Celtics are in 2nd gear".
Then they rip on PP for averaging 10 ppg over the last three games.... um, yeah, but they neglect to mention that those games were blowouts and PP sat most of the 4th in those games.

[thecaptain34]

Homer Bay Area announcers "Celtics are in 2nd gear".
Then they rip on PP for averaging 10 ppg over the last three games.... um, yeah, but they neglect to mention that those games were blowouts and PP sat most of the 4th in those games.

wow, what morons...ripping on a guy for only averaging 10 in the last 3 blowouts?   seems ridicoulous....He deserves credit for not trying "to get his" when he doesnt have to.

[Cman]

I worry this could be a bit of a trap game for the Cs.  They should win this one easily, but they shouldn't expect to win it -- they should play hard for the W.

[Cman]

Homer alert 2:
"The Warriors have sucked the air out of the building"