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Boston Celtics (41-23) at Cleveland Cavaliers (51-15)
Sunday, March 14
3:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #65, Road Game #34
TV: ABC
Radio: ESPNR, WTAM, WEEI
Quicken Loans Arena 
Probable Starting Matchups Point Guard
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Mo Williams
Shooting Guard 
vs
Ray Allen vs Anthony Parker
Small Forward 
vs
Paul Pierce vs LeBron James
Power Forward 
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Antawn Jamison
Center
vs
Kendrick Perkins vs JJ Hickson
ReservesRasheed Wallace
Marquis Daniels
Glen Davis
Nate Robinson
Shelden Williams
Michael Finley
Brian Scalabrine
Tony Allen
D League
Marcus Landry
Injuries None
ReservesDaniel Gibson
Daniel Green
Darnell Jackson
Jamario Moon
Jawad Williams
Delonte West
Leon Powe
InjuriesAntawn Jamison (knee) Day to Day
Shaquille O'Neal (thumb) out
Sebastian Telfair (groin) out
Key Matchups
vs
Paul Pierce vs LeBron James
This is one of the premiere matchups in the league. Playing LeBron seems to bring out the best in Pierce and he covers LeBron about as well as anyone in the league, when he is healthy, that is. Pierce seemed to shake off whatever had been bothering him with a good game against the Pacers. Let's hope that he continues his aggressive play in this game.
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Mo Williams
The Celtics success depends a great deal on Rondo. In the last meeting between these two, Rondo was aggressive in the first half, helping the Celtics to build a lead. In the second half, Rondo allowed Williams to get hot while cooling off himself, which led to a big loss for the Celtics. Rondo needs to keep Williams from getting hot, especially from beyond the arc. At the same time, he needs to be aggressive in running the Celtics offense.
Honorable MentionKevin Garnett vs Antawn Jamison
Jamison has been out with a cyst behind his knee and has targeted this game to return, but it will probably be a game time decision. Leon started in the last game and is listed as the starter in this game as well. KG is familiar with Leon's game and vice versa but KG would have a height advantage and should be able to get his shot off over Leon. Hopefully if Jamison does return, KG can take advantage of any rust he may have from the injury.
Team ConnectionsLeon Powe and Delonte West are former Celtics
West was drafted by the Celtics with the 24th overall pick in the 2004 Draft
Powe played for the Celtics from 2006-09
Paul Pierce and Darnell Jackson are former KansasJayhawks
Daniel Green, Jawad Williams and Rasheed Wallace are former North Carolina Tar Heels
Shaquille ONeal and Glen Davis both attended Louisiana State.
Game Notes The season series is currently tied, 1-1; Celtics and Cavaliers split season series 2-2 during 2008-09 season
Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 20.3 points per game
LeBron James averaged 27.5 points per game against the Celtics
Celtics are 7-12 against Cleveland since the 2004-05 season
The Celtics are leading the all-time series 110-66 with the Celtics 67-20 at home
On opening night, the Celtics got their first win in Cleveland since 2004. The Cavs returned the favor on the Celtics home court in February with a come from behind 20 point victory over the Celtics who were playing without Paul Pierce. Last season, the Cavs danced on the sidelines and taunted the Celtics in a win at the Q. The Celtics have to be motivated for this game if they have any pride at all.
The Cavs haven't faltered very much this season. They have the best record in the league and even with LeBron sitting out 3 games and with both Shaq and Jamison both out and Ilgauskas unable to return to the team yet they still have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Celtics, on the other hand, with everyone healthy, are 6-4 in their last 10 games. The Cavs are tough to beat on their home court with a 28-4 record While the Celtics are 28-11 on the road.
Antawn Jamison has been out with a knee injury and will be a game time decision. He has said that he is targeting this game to return to the lineup. If he is unable to go, Leon Powe will probably get the start once again. With Shaq still sidelined with the thumb injury, courtesy of Big Baby, JJ Hickson has been starting at center with Varejao coming off the bench.
In their last game against the Pacers, the Celtics finally blew out a team that they should have blown out. They were finally moving the ball, grabbing rebounds, playing as a team, and playing with energy. If they carry that mentality and focus over to this game, they have a good chance of winning. But if they go back to their lackluster play of the previous games, then it will be another long night.
Keys to the GameDefense -The Celtics are capable of playing lock down defense but they have rarely done so this season. If they hope to win this game, they have to commit to 48 minutes of tough defense.
Energy - The Celtics can't hope to sleepwalk through this game and pull out a win. They need to come out with energy and play with energy for 48 minutes.
Move the Ball - When the Celtics move the ball and find the open man, the offense hits on all cylinders. When the offense gets stagnant and players try to do too much on their own, then we lose to teams like the Nets and Grizzlies.
Rebound - The Celtics can rebound when they put out the effort to do so. They can't win if they allow teams to get twice as many rebounds as they do. Crashing the boards will prevent easy put backs and fast break points by the Cavs.
Topic: Celtics (41-23) at Cavs (51-15) 3/14 (Read 101402 times)