Celtics (35-10) at Suns (20-24) 1/28

[FLCeltsFan]

 at  
Boston Celtics (35-10) at Phoenix Suns (20-24)
Friday, January 28
10:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #46, Road Game #21
TV:  ESPN, CSNNE, FSA, SNET1
Radio:  WEEI, KTAR
US Airways Center
Although the Phoenix Suns home is nearly 20 years old, it looks as if it is one of the newest arenas in the NBA.   On November 3, 1992, the Phoenix Suns played their first game at America West Arena winning against the Los Angeles Clippers. In November 2005, America West Arena was renamed US Airways Center after US Airways bought America West.  The arena has a seating capacity of over 19,000 that includes 2,270 clubs seats and 88 luxury suites.



Probable Starting Lineup
 
PG: Rajon Rondo  10.5 PPG,  12.9 APG  2.5 SPG
SG:  Ray Allen  17.3 PPG,  3.1 APG, .453 3P%

C: Shaquille O'Neal  9.9  PPG 4.9 RPG 1.1 BPG
 
SF:   Paul Pierce   19.1 PPG,  5.2 RPG, 3.3 APG
PF:   Kevin Garnett   15.1 PPG,  8.9 RPG, 0.7 BPG  

Boston Bench Mob
KENDRICK PERKINS (YAHOO!!)
Marquis Daniels
Glen Davis
Luke Harangody
Nate Robinson
Von Wafer

Injured
Jermaine O'Neal (knee)  out
Delonte West (wrist)  out
Shaquille O'Neal (hip) day to day
Paul Pierce (knee/ankle/something)  probable

D-League
Avery Bradley





Probable Starting Lineup
 
PG:  Steve Nash  17.3 PPG  11.0 APG  0.6 SPG    
SG: Vince Carter   15.4 PPG  2.5 APG  .417 3P%

C: Robin Lopez   7.3 PPG  3.5 RPG  0.7 BPG
 
SF: Grant Hill  14.5 PPG  4.9  RPG 2.4 APG    
PF: Channing Frye  11.5 PPG 6.0 RPG  1.0 BPG  

Suns Reserves
Jared Dudley
Marcin Gortat
Goran Dragic
Hakim Warrick
Josh Childress
Mickael Pietrus
Garrett Siler

Injuries
Ganai Lawal (knee)  out  

Team Connections
Grant Hill played for Doc Rivers in Orlando from 2000-04
Steve Nash and Marquis Daniels were teammates in Dallas during the 2003-04 season
Von Wafer and Channing Frye were teammates in Portland during the 2007-08 season
Shaquille O’Neal played for Phoenix during the 2008-09 season and part of the 2007-08 season

Game Notes
After playing in Portland the previous night, the Celtics continue their road trip in Phoenix.  The Celtics are the more talented and the deeper team, but they are at a disadvantage because of the travel and playing in back to back games.  

Last season, the Suns won the series over the Celtics 2-0.  Kevin Garnett scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds in his only game against the Suns last season.  Ray Allen averaged 15.5 points per game while Rajon Rondo added 13.5 points and 9.5 assists per game. Amar’e Stoudemire led the Suns with an average of 24.0 points per game last season against the Celtics while Steve Nash added 13.5 points and 10.0 assists in the two contests.  

The Celtics are 7-3 in their last 10 games and 13-7 on the road while the Suns are 6-4 in their last 10 and 11-10 at home.  The Suns have lost 3 in a row and you know that they will be motivated to end their losing streak there.  The Celtics are coming off a win in their first game on the road trip and would love to continue the trip with another win in this one to go into Sunday's game vs the Lakers on a winning note.  

Key Matchups
 vs
Rajon Rondo vs Steve Nash
Rondo usually gets up for battles with the top PG's and now he gets a chance to show what he can do against  the 2 time MVP Steve Nash.  He should have a speed advantage over Nash, but he will have to work on the defensive end as Nash can burn you from anywhere on the floor if you give him a step.  Rondo needs to be aggressive and set the tempo for the game.  

vs
Ray Allen vs Vince Carter
Ray has been shooting the ball very well and is quickly closing in on Reggie Miller's 3 point record.   Vince Carter has never been known for his defense and unless he has been invigorated by the trade to Phoenix and their weather, Ray should get more than his share of open shots in this game.  

Honorable Mention
Shaquille O'Neal vs Robin Lopez
Lopez is a good young center but Shaq can still teach him a few things.  And when Shaq is done, Perk can teach him a few more.  

Keys to the Game
Defense - This is the key to every win this season and to a championship as well.   If they try to play defense in spurts in this game they will probably lose because the Suns can put points up in a hurry if you let down your guard.  The Celtics need to especially guard the perimeter as the Suns are a dangerous 3 point shooting team.  
  
Ball Movement -  The Celtics need to move the ball and find the open man in order to stretch the Suns weak defenses.  They also need to try to get the ball into the paint and not just settle for jumpers.  If they get the ball into the post they will be able to score, draw the foul or kick out for an open jumper.  Hero ball doesn't win games, team ball does.  

Crash the Boards - The Celtics must make an effort to grab rebounds, especially on the offensive end, in this game.   By grabbing offensive rebounds it will prevent the Suns from getting out on the break.     Rebounding is mostly desire and effort and the team that wants it most will win the rebounding battle.  They allowed the Blazers to get way too many offensive rebounds and tip ins and second chance points.  

Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics must play hard for 48 minutes.   They can't let up if they get a lead and they can't come out flat and play catch up the rest of the game.  The Celtics have to be the more aggressive team and attack from start to finish.  

Focus
It would be easy to overlook the Suns in anticipation of their big rematch vs the Lakers on Sunday.  But every game counts and the Celtics must focus on winning this game.  They have to come in focused on this game and do what it takes to win this one.  They can't afford to overlook a team with Nash at the point.  

X-Factors
Fatigue and Jet Lag  
The Celtics played the previous night with Rondo playing 40 minutes and the other starters other than Semih in the upper 30's.   They also had to fly from Portland to Phoenix after the game, losing an hour by going backwards across a time zone.  They have to overcome the fatigue and travel lag with focus on getting the win.  

[Fafnir]

The Suns just had a disastrous road trip where they blew a lot of games to bad teams. Hopefully they're still in the slump tonight.

[Tai]

I think if Shaq plays, we'll be fine this game. Honestly, Shaq/Perkins is hard to matchup against at the same time.

[Who]

The Suns are only competitive when the other team fails to take advantage of their inability to rebound and/or create additional possessions.

So long as the Celtics do a good job on the backboards and force some turnovers, they should be able to take care of the Suns comfortably.

If they don't do that, it'll likely be one of those high scoring teams that anyone could win and it'll come down to who makes their shots late in the game. Sort of like the recent matchups against the Houston Rockets.

[Greenbean]

Ill go with some fluffy reasoning here. I dont see the C's having 2 mediocre efforts in a row.

Blowout city tonight.

TPFL

[Tayo]

It will be interesting to see how the Celtics match up against the Phoenix Suns tonight. While Steve Nash has been the point-guard of the squad the Suns have always been notorious for being an offensive oriented team so defense will be key to slowing down their shooters.

Also, slowing down Nash is critical if we want to maximize our chances at winning because he shoots a high percentage from the field among guards in the league and is a phenomenal passer. I'm not saying that Rondo has his work cut out for him tonight, however Nash can easily light up the scoring column in the game's boxscore if he is allowed too much freedom on offense. Game two of the Celtics Western Conference road-trip will certainly be a challenge, even if both Shaq and Kendrick perkins are available to play.

[ACF]

TP for the GT. Go Celtics!

[Q_FBE]

The Celtics have had trouble with the Suns when they knock in 3 pointers and play at Phoenix's pace of 102 possessions a game. The Celtics average about 93 possessions a game by forcing opponents to use most of their shot clock and limiting their turnovers. If the SUns are forced to play a slow down game and get run off the 3 point line, that works to Boston's advantage.

Besides, this is our opportunity to lend a hand to Bill Walton's old team the Los Angelos Clippers gain ground on the Suns. A Clippers Lakers 1st round matchup would be a real hoot

[barefacedmonk]

TP FL.

Defend the 3 point line..and this game shouldn't be very hard. Atleast they don't have J-Rich anymore.

[CelticSooner]

If the C's are going to lose to one of the three mediocre teams on this road trip, this will be it.

[j804]

Any news on wether or not well have Shaq back in the lineup??

Like said above if we are to lose a game I wouldn't mind this be it as wrong as that sounds, usually after a loss we bounce back fired up and come out with lockdown D  what better game than the Lakers being the next one to do that....

[jarufu]

TP FL

Like said above if we are to lose a game I wouldn't mind this be it as wrong as that sounds, usually after a loss we bounce back fired up and come out with lockdown D  what better game than the Lakers being the next one to do that....

It does sound wrong but, yep, I agree .. if I had to choose one of the road-trip to lose, this would be it. 

[BASS_THUMPER]

Paul Pierce (knee/ankle/something)  probable

ha ha...tp playa!!

[celticinorlando]

less nate...more von

[BASS_THUMPER]

taste great less filling