at Indiana Pacers (12-13) at Boston Celtics (21-4)
Sunday, December 19
1:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game # 26, Home Game #13
TV: CSNNE, NBA-LP 751
Radio: WEEI, WFNI
TD GardenProbable Starting Matchups PointGuard vs
Nate Robinson vs Darren Collison
Shooting Guard vs
Ray Allen vs Brandon Rush
Small Forward vs
Paul Pierce vs Danny Granger
Power Forward vs
Kevin Garnett vs Josh McRoberts
Center vs
Semih Erden vs Roy Hibbert
Boston Bench Mob Marquis Daniels
Glen Davis
Luke Harangody
Nate Robinson
Von Wafer
Avery Bradley
InjuredKendrick Perkins (knee) out
Jermaine O'Neal (knee) day to day
Delonte West (wrist) out
Shaquille O'Neal (knee,calf) game time decision
Rajon Rondo (ankle, hamstring, feet) out
Semih Erden (groin) questionable
Pacers BenchMike Dunleavy
Solomon Jones
James Posey
Dahntay Jones
TJ Ford
Jeff Foster
Tyler Hansbrough
Paul George
AJ Price
Lance Stephenson
Injuries None
Team ConnectionsAvery Bradley and T.J. Ford both attended the University of Texas
James Posey played for the Celtics during the 2007‐08 season and was a member of the 2008 Championship team
A.J. Price and Rajon Rondo both attended the University of Kentucky
Brandon Rush and Paul Pierce both attended the University of Kansas
Shaquille O’Neal and James Posey were teammates in Miami from 2005‐07
Jermaine O’Neal played for the Pacers from 2000‐08
Pacers Assistant Coaches Walter McCarty (1997‐2005) and Vitaly Potapenko (1998‐2002) both played previously for the Celtics
Pacers coach Jim O’Brien coached the Celtics from 2001‐04
Pacers assistant coach Frank Vogel was an assistant coach under O’Brien with the Celtics from 2001‐04
Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird won three championships with the Celtics and had his #33 retired on 2/4/93
Marquis Daniels played for the Pacers from 2006‐09.
Key Matchups vs
Paul Pierce vs Danny Granger
Danny Granger is a tough player who can hit from outside as well as take the ball to the basket. He always seems to play extra hard vs the Celtics since the time he lost a couple of teeth on the parquet. Pierce has been giving the team what they need on any given night and on this night they might need his defense most of all.
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Josh McRoberts
This matchup could give the Celtics an advantage. KG has been playing very well and McRoberts would need to bring his A+ game to be able to match up.
Honorable Mention Point Guards
Nate has been playing very well when filling in for Rondo and he is going to need to continue his strong play as well as giving the Celtics big minutes. The Pacers bring TJ Ford off the bench and Avery Bradley may matchup well against him.
Game NotesLast season, the Celtics won the series between these two teams 2‐1. Ray Allen led the Celtics with an average of 20.0 points per game. Perk added an average of 13.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.33 blocks in the three contests. In his only appearance against the Pacers for the Celtics, Nate Robinson finished with 15 points, five assists and four steals in just under 20 minutes. Danny Granger led the Pacers with an average of 22.5 points and shot 50.0% from three (7‐14). Roy Hibbert added 13.3 points per game.
After losing 3 straight, the Pacers came up with a win over Cleveland on Friday night. The Celtics are looking for their 13th straight win in spite of missing key players in every single game. The Celtics are 11-1 at home and hopefully will continue their home dominance in this game as well. The Pacers are 5-7 on the road.
Keys to the GameDefense - The Celtics have been winning with their defense and they must continue to make defense their priority.
Rebound - When the Celtics put out the effort needed to crash the boards, that effort transfers to the other areas of their game as well. Winning the rebounding battle also prevents second chance points for the Pacers as well as limits fast break opportunities.
Ubuntu - With all the injuries, the Celtics must band together and fill in for the players who are out. They need to help with ball handling and assists with Rondo out as well as on the boards with the Shaq, JO and Perk not playing.
X-Factor Afternoon Game
Sometimes the Celtics come into an afternoon game ready to play and focused and other times they look like they are sleepwalking through the game. Hopefully the team remains focused on the prize and comes in ready for this one.