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Boston Celtics (1-2,5-5) at Orlando Magic (2-1,6-3)
Round 2, Game4
Postseason game 11 Road Game #5
Sunday, May 10
8:00 PM ET
TV: TNT
Pre/Post Game: CSN HD 7:00 PM ET, After the Game
Amway Arena
Probable Starters PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
C: Kendrick Perkins
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Glen Davis
ReservesStephon Marbury
Mikki Moore
Eddie House
Gabe Pruitt
Bill Walker
JR Giddens
Brian Scalabrine
Tony Allen
InjuredKevin Garnett (knee) out
Leon Powe (knee) out
Probable Starters PG: Rafer Alston
SG: Courtney Lee
C: Dwight Howard
SF: Hedo Turkoglu
PF: Rashard Lewis
ReservesJJ Reddick
Tony Battie
Marcin Gortat
Adonal Foyle
Jeremy Richardson
Anthony Johnson
Mickael Pietrus
Tyronn Lue
Anthony Johnson
InjuredJameer Nelson (labrum) out
Courtney Lee (fractured sinus) probable
Key Matchups 
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Rajon Rondo vs Rafer Alston
Rondo had another tentative game in game 3 and he must come out with the mindset to be aggressive in this game if the Celtics have a shot to win it. He must take the ball all the way to the hoop instead of settling for runners and tear drops that he hopes will fall. Rondo also must up his defensive pressure. He didn't show up on defense in game 3.
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Kendrick Perkins vs Dwight Howard
Howard blocked 5 shots, but still only scored 17 points which is below his average. He sat on the bench for a couple of stretches in foul trouble. Perk had some foul trouble of his own and ended the game with 5 of them. One of those fouls was a Flagrant 1 foul that I am sure will be reviewed by the league. Perk only had 10 points and 7 rebounds and the Celtics will need more, especially on the boards from Perk for them to win.
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Paul Pierce vs Hedo Turkoglu
Paul Pierce just hasn't had a Paul Pierce-like game in these playoffs. After sitting on the bench all but 15 minutes in game 2, I expected a big game out of him in game 3, He had 27 points but it was on just 6-15 shooting and he struggled and seemed almost disinterested in the first half. Pierce has got to lead this team by example and play on both ends. Turkoglu had a big game for the Magic as he shot 8-12 for 24 points and seemed to get any shot he wanted. The Celtics need Paul Pierce to step up.
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Ray Allen vs Courtney Lee
Courtney Lee looked very good in his first game back from injury. I expect that he will probably start in game 4 because he played so well. Ray Allen on the other hand was just 3-13 in game 3 and struggled to come up with 8 points. The Celtics need a big game out of Ray. The Celtics struggled on offense and Ray has to find his shot once again for the Celtics to stay in this series. He also has to find a way to slow Lee down.
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Big Baby Davis vs Rashard Lewis
Rashard Lewis got whatever shot he wanted in game 3 and hit most of them. The Celtics must find a way to slow Lewis down. Either Big Baby or Scal has to find a way to guard him. After some good offensive games, Big Baby struggled in game 3, scoring only 7 points on 2-6 shooting. He can't seem to make a layup these days. The Celtics need more out of Big Baby on both ends of the court in this game.
Bench vs Bench
The Benches played each other pretty evenly in game 3. Eddie House continued to be hot for the Celtics and Courtney Lee was hot off the bench for the Magic. The Celtics will need more solid play from the bench to get a win on the road.
Keys the the Game FocusThe Celtics came out in game 3 and didn't seem to have any focus or intensity. They allowed the Magic to beat them to rebounds and loose balls and to out hustle them on just about every play. They were taking quick shots and settling for mostly jumpers, which just weren't falling. The biggest lapse of focus was on the defensive end, however.
DEFENSE!!!! It is amazing how a team like the Celtics can play such good defense in game 2 and then play little to no defense in game 3. The Magic shot 59% and that is absolutely unacceptable. The Celtics must re-gain their defensive edge and intensity. They can't allow the Magic to shoot almost 60% from the floor and expect to win the game. Defense wins championships and if the Celtics expect to get out of the second round, they have to re-commit to playing the kind of team defense that they played in game 2.
Take the Ball to the Basket The Magic outscored the Celtics in the paint 48-40 in game 3 after the Celtics had a huge advantage in the paint in game 2. The team that is more aggressive in going to the basket has won every game in this series so far. The Celtics must be aggressive and stop settling for contested jumpers.
ReboundThe team that wants the game the most will win the battle of the boards. In game 3 Orlando out-rebounded Boston 36 to 29. The Celtics have to be aggressive in going after rebounds. On one play in game 3, three different Celtics stood and watched a rebound bounce past them without moving a muscle to go after it. That can't happen again if the Celtics want to win this series.
Move the Ball Too many times the Celtics settled for a quick shot instead of moving the ball and finding the open man. They must get back to playing team ball and working their offense in this game. They also have to get the ball up the court quickly instead of getting in the habit of walking the ball up the court.
Stay Out of Foul TroubleGranted this will take a little help from the refs. In game 3, there were a lot of fouls called on the Celtics early that took players out of their games and kept them from being aggressive as they tried to stay out of further foul trouble. Even the Magic boards were buzzing about how favorable the refs were to the Magic early. Even if fouls even up in the second half, it is the early fouls that shapes the game. Hopefully the Celtics can stay out of foul trouble early in this game.
X-FactorWhich Celtics Team Shows Up?It seems like there are 2 different Celtics teams and we never know which one will come to play. There is one team that plays in your face defense, moves the ball on offense, is aggressive in taking the ball to the basket, and plays with energy and focus. Then, there is the other team that allows a team to shoot 60% and forgets how to play defense, settles for quick shots, takes mostly jumpers and seems to have no energy or focus at all. The X -Factor has to be which of these teams shows up for game 4.
Topic: Celtics (1-2) at Magic (2-1) Game 4 5/10 (Read 129220 times)