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Boston Celtics (1-0) at Cleveland Cavaliers (0-0)
Wednesday, October 27
7:00 PM ET
Game #2, Away Game #1
TV: CSNNE, FSO, LP 751/752
Radio: WTAM, WEEI
Quicken Loans Arena Probable Starters PGSGSFPFCRajon Rondo.......Ray Allen.......Paul Pierce.......Kevin Garnett...... Shaquille O'NealBoston Bench MobMarquis Daniels
Glen Davis
Luke Harangody
Nate Robinson
Von Wafer
Jermaine O'Neal
Delonte West (Suspended)
InjuredKendrick Perkins (knee) out
Avery Bradley (ankle) out
Semih Erden (shoulder) questionable
Probable StartersPGSGSFPFCMo Williams.....Anthony Parker.....Jamario Moon.....JJ Hickson..... Anderson VarejaoCavaliers BenchDaniel Gibson
Ryan Hollins
Antawn Jamison
Manny Harris
Jawad Williams
Christian Eyenga
Joey Graham
Leon Powe
Samardo Samuels
Ramon Sessions
InjuriesDaniel Gibson (neck) probable
Joey Graham (quad) probable
Team ConnectionsDelonte West played for the Cavaliers from 2008‐10.
Shaquille O’Neal played for the Cavaliers during the 2009‐10 season
Leon Powe played for the Celtics from 2006‐09
Joey Graham, Jamario Moon, Anthony Parker and Jermaine O’Neal
were teammates in Toronto during the 2008‐09 season
Cavs Coach Byron Scott and Shaquille O’Neal were teammates on the 1996‐97 Los Angeles Lakers
Daniel Gibson and Avery Bradley both attended the University of Texas
Cavaliers Assistant Coach Paul Pressey was an assistant with Boston from 2004‐06
Key Matchups vs
Rajon Rondo vs Mo Williams
This will be a good matchup between 2 all star point guards, one on the way up and the other on the way down. With LeBron gone, it will be up to Mo to up his scoring and it will be up to Rondo to be sure he doesn't.
vs
Shaquille O'Neal vs Anderson Varejao
Varejao plays with a lot of energy and could be a very tough matchup for the bug guy. But Shaq also knows his game from playing against him in practice and that could give Shaq a slight advantage mentally.
Game NotesLast Season: Celtics split series 2‐2…The Celtics were lead by Paul Pierce and his 22.5 points and 57.7% shooting from beyond the arc while Kevin Garnett added 15.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.25 blocks per game…Rajon Rondo averaged a double‐double with 14.8 points and 10.3 assists per game…The Cavaliers were led by LeBron James and his 36.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game while Mo Williams added 15.5 points and shot 54.5% from beyond the arc.
When last these two teams met, the Celtics were eliminating the Cavs from the playoffs. But that was a much different Cavs team than we will see in this game. That team was built around LeBron James and expected him to carry the team. This current team will have to depend on teamwork in order to win.
This is the Cavs home opener, so they will likely come out ready to prove to their fans that they can win without LeBron. The Celtics on the other hand will be playing in the second of back to back games after an emotional win in their home opener against the Miami Heat. The Celtics will need to depend on their bench to give the starters a break in their second game in as many nights.
The center in the starting lineup is especially up in the air. It remains to be seen whether Doc will start Shaq in back to back games. But he played just 18 minutes against the Heat and so he may once again get the start. One question that won't be answered until closer to game time is whether Pierce's back will tighten up after the hard hit (read offensive foul) that he took from LeBron in the Heat game.
X-Factor - Let Down
The Celtics played a very big game last night and it would be easy to let down and take the Cavs for granted. But the Cavs are going to be very motivated and they have a lot to prove this season to the King with No Rings. So the Celtics need to come out strong and not take this team for granted.