Celtics (24-5) at Pistons (10-21) 12/29

[FLCeltsFan]

 at  
Boston Celtics (24-5) at Detroit Pistons (10-21)
Wednesday, December 29
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #30, Road Game #16
TV:  CSNNE, FSD, SNET1, LP 757/758
Radio:  WEEI,  WWJ
Palace of Auburn Hills  



Probable Starters
PGSGSFPFC
PG: Nate Robinson 8.3 PPG, 2.5 APG, 0.3 SPG
SG:  Ray Allen  16.9 PPG, 3.4 APG,  .415 3P%
SF:  Paul Pierce  18.2 PPG,  5.1 RPG, 3.4 APG
PF:  Kevin Garnett 15.6 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 0.8 BPG
C:  Shaquille O'Neal  10.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 0.8 BPG  

Boston Bench Mob
Marquis Daniels
Glen Davis
Luke Harangody
Von Wafer
Jermaine O'Neal
Avery Bradley

Injured
Kendrick Perkins (knee) out
Delonte West (wrist) out  
Rajon Rondo (ankle) day to day
Semih Erden (groin, flu) day to day





PG SG SF PF C
PG:  Rodney Stuckey  16.7 PPG,  5.4 APG, 1.1 SPG
SG:  Ben Gordon  11.9 PPG, 2.3 APG, .391 3P%
SF:  Tayshaun Prince  13.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.6 APG
PF:  Charlie Villanueva  13.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 0.9 BPG
C:  Ben Wallace  3.5 PPG,  7.2 RPG,  1.1 BPG  

Pistons Bench
Austin Daye
Tracy McGrady
Jason Maxiell
Rip Hamilton
DaJuan Summers
Greg Monroe
Will Bynum
Chris Wilcox

Injuries
Jonas Jerebko (Achilles)  out
Terrico White (foot)  out

Team Connections:
Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Richard Hamilton and Ray Allen all attended the University of Connecticut
Tayshaun Prince and Rajon Rondo both attended the University of Kentucky
Chris Wilcox and Ray Allen were teammates in Seattle from 2005-07
Delonte West and Chris Wilcox were teammates in Seattle during the 2007-08 season
Delonte West and Ben Wallace were teammates in Cleveland at the end of the 2007-08 season and all of the 2008-09 season
Pistons Head Coach John Keuster was an assistant coach with the Celtics from 1995-97
Tracy McGrady and Von Wafer were teammates in Houston during the 2008-09 season
Tracy McGrady played for Doc Rivers in Orlando from 2000-04

Key Matchups  
 vs  
Nate Robinson vs Rodney Stuckey
Stuckey is a scoring PG and Nate is not known as a defensive stopper but Nate.   Stuckey also has a height advantage on Nate so this could be a tough matchup for Nate.  

  vs  
Kevin Garnett vs Charlie Villanueva  
This should be an interesting matchup after the controversy that emerged after the last game.  Villanueva accused KG of calling him a cancer patient while KG responded that he called Villanueva a cancer to his team and the league.  Doc backed up KG's version.  Expect the refs to keep a very close eye on this matchup and don't be surprised to see KG in foul trouble early and often.  

GameNotes  
This is the second meeting between these two teams.  The first game ended in Celtics 109-86 victory.  KG led 5 Celtics in double figures with 22 points while Stuckey led 5 Pistons in double figures with 17 points.  Rondo added 17 assists for the Celtics.  

The Celtics are playing in back to back road games while the Pistons were off on Tuesday after a back to back set on Sunday and Monday.  The Pistons are 3-7 in their last 10 games while the Celtics are 9-1.  The Celtics are 10-4 on the road while the Pistons are 7-8 at home. The Celtics are coming off a win over the Pistons after having their 14 game win streak ended on Christmas day.  The Pistons have lost 2 in a row.  

The Celtics are still dealing with injuries but are slowly getting back to health.  They can't afford to take teams for granted or take games off with the Heat just 2 games behind them in the standings.  They have to play as hard against the Pistons as they do against the top teams because in spite of their record, the Pistons can be dangerous if taken lightly.  

Keys to the Game
Play 48 Minutes -  The Celtics have had several sluggish starts recently and they also have gotten back into the habit of letting up when they have a big lead.   They have to come out strong and keep their focus for all 48 minutes.  

Defense - The Celtics must continue to make defense their number one priority.  They built their 14 game win streak with defense and they have won in spite of all the injuries because of their defensive intensity.  

Rebound - The team that wins the rebounding battle usually will come out on top.  Rebounding takes effort and desire and when the Celtics put out both on the boards, it translates to all the other areas of their game also.  

X-Factors
Fatigue and Focus
Playing in back to back games and still being short handed could lead to fatigue down the stretch for the Celtics.  Hopefully Doc can get enough production from the bench to give the starters enough rest to carry them to the end of the game.  They also must focus for 48 minutes and not take the Pistons lightly.  
 

[Q_FBE]

This should be a win for the Celtics. But then again should be wins tend to get turned into losses because the favored team shows up to work flat (A la New England Patriots at the Cleveland Browns).

Or Tmac could have a throwback game and drop 50 on us. Some statistical anomaly (probably referee caused) needs to show up in favor of Detriot to pull off an improbable upset.

[ACF]

TP. Go Celtics!

[Atzar]

Start Quis and bring Nate off the bench.  At 6'5" Stuckey is too big for Nate, but Quis can handle him... And at the same time, Nate matches up very well with the 5'10" Will Bynum on Detroit's bench (if he's getting minutes these days... I haven't exactly been keeping abreast of the Pistons' rotation lately).

[thirstyboots18]

UBUNTU   Nate, if you can't spot the open man, don't hoist up a three early...pass the rock to someone who can see....like PP, or get "Quis" in early!

TP, FL

[Bankshot]

Ooh, KG v. Villanueva should be fun. This is the first meeting after the "Cancer" incident, I think.

[slamtheking]

The PG and PF matchups will be the key to the game. 

KG needs to keep it together tonight and not get into early foul trouble while trying to show Charlie V he's the boss.

Nate has got to produce on both ends tonight so that Quisy can back up PP and Ray without getting tired out having to cover the PG spot too.  The less Wafer and Bradley we see in meaningful minutes tonight, the better.  Wafer because he was just plain bad last night and Bradley because he's not showing he's ready for primetime.

[Tai]

Start Quis and bring Nate off the bench.  At 6'5" Stuckey is too big for Nate, but Quis can handle him... And at the same time, Nate matches up very well with the 5'10" Will Bynum on Detroit's bench (if he's getting minutes these days... I haven't exactly been keeping abreast of the Pistons' rotation lately).

Problem here is that Daniels can't spread the floor like Nate can. I know, I know, Nate's shot has been colder than last weekend's Northeaster. But the Pistons can just as easily clog up the paint and make Daniels put up shots he himself shouldn't be taking.

But Doc has been telling Nate that he's the starting PG and that he's gonna be riding Nate. I'd rather Nate find his shot, and having him come off the bench doesn't guarantee that he will.

[Who]

This should be a double digit win.

The Pistons are a train wreck at the moment and they matchup poorly against the Celtics. C's have a massive advantage with their big men.

[Fafnir]

The only match up I would be worried about is Stuckey's size against Nate.

[celticinorlando]

start daniels on stucky. this is going to be a nice easy win tonight

[Fafnir]

start daniels on stucky. this is going to be a nice easy win tonight

I don't like starting Daniels at PG, messes rotations up a lot.

I do think we could see the 3 wing lineup again in this game, but save it for later on if needed.

[celticinorlando]

start daniels on stucky. this is going to be a nice easy win tonight

I don't like starting Daniels at PG, messes rotations up a lot.

I do think we could see the 3 wing lineup again in this game, but save it for later on if needed.

gotta get something out of nate

[jarufu]

TP FL!

Semih out with groin flu again??  What the hell is groin flu?  I don't wanna catch that!!

[Tai]

TP FL!

Semih out with groin flu again??  What the hell is groin flu?  I don't wanna catch that!!

....Link? Where are you hearing this?