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Boston Celtics (60-20) at Philadelphia 76ers (40-40)
Tuesday, April 14
8:00 PM ET
Game #81 Road Game #41
TV: TNT, CSN HD
Wachovia CenterCoach: Doc Rivers
Average Age: 26.7
Average Height: 6-6
Average Weight: 222Probable Starters Rajon Rondo PPG 12.1 RPG 5.20 APG 8.4 EFF + 19.24
Ray Allen PPG 12.1 RPG 5.20 APG 8.4 EFF + 19.24
Paul Pierce PPG 18.8 RPG 5.70 APG 3.8 EFF + 18.55
Glen Davis PPG 6.7 RPG 3.90 APG 0.9 EFF + 7.72
Kendrick Perkins PPG 8.5 RPG 8.20 APG 1.2 EFF + 14.46
Reserves Tony Allen
Eddie House
Gabe Pruitt
Bill Walker
Stephon Marbury
Mikki Moore
Injuries:Brian Scalabrine (head) questionable
Kevin Garnett (knee) out
Leon Powe (knee) day to day
Coach: Tony DiLeo
Average Age: 26.8
Average Height: 6-7
Average Weight: 224 Probable Starters Andre Miller PPG 16.2 RPG 4.50 APG 6.5 EFF + 18.67
Willie Green PPG 8.5 RPG 1.60 APG 1.9 EFF + 7.14
Andre Iguodala PPG 18.7 RPG 5.70 APG 5.3 EFF + 19.88
Reggie Evans PPG 3.2 RPG 4.50 APG 0.3 EFF + 5.78
Samuel Dalembert PPG 6.4 RPG 8.60 APG 0.2 EFF + 12.89
The BenchRoyal Ivey
Donyell Marshall
Theo Ratliff
Kareem Rush
Marreese Speights
Louis Williams
InjuredJason Smith (knee) out
Thaddeus Young (ankle) out
Elton Brand (shoulder) out
Connections:Donyell Marshall and Ray Allen are former UConn Huskies
Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach for the Sixers from '94-96
Elton Brand and Eddie House were teammates on the Clippers
Reggie Evans and Ray Allen were teammates in Seattle.
Theo Ratliff was on the Celtics for the '06-07 season, but was injured for all but 2 games. His expiring contract was a key to the KG trade.
Key Matchups vs
Andre Miller is one of the more underrated point guards in the league. Teams have shown that when they can shut down Rondo, they have a good chance of beating the Celtics. Rondo has to be aggressive and beat the pressure and double teams in order for the Celtics to win.
vs
The matchup between Pierce and Iguodala has always been a good one. Iguodala has emerged as the go to guy for Philly and if Pierce can slow him down, it gives the Celtics a very good chance to win. With KG out, this matchup becomes even more important to the Celtics.
Honorable Mention Kendrick Perkins vs Samuel Dalembert
This should be a battle inside. Perk has played well against Dalembert in the past and will need to play well defensively in order to keep the Sixers from going inside.
Game NotesThe Celtics have won 8 of their last 10 games but are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Cavs and will be looking to bounce back in this game. The Celtics have clinched the second seed so this game will have no effect on their standings in the playoffs.
The Sixers have lost 5 games in a row and have slid from the 5th seed into the 6th seed. A loss will drop them into the 7th seed, making them the Celtics' opponent in the first round.
The Celtics are 26 and 14 on the road while the Sixers are 24-16 at home. The Celtics have nothing on the line in this game other than pride while the Sixers are still clawing for playoff position. The Celtics lead the series 3-0 and will be looking for the sweep with a win in this game.
X FactorFocus and Effort
The Celtics lost to the Cavs mostly because they put out zero effort and showed no focus whatsoever in that game. They need to get their focus back on both ends of the court and put a little more effort into this game, especially if they will face this team in the opening round of the playoffs.