Pacers (29-38) at Celtics (47-18) 3/16

[FLCeltsFan]

at    
Indiana Pacers (29-38) at Boston Celtics (47-18)
Wednesday, March 16
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #66, Home Game #35
TV:  CSNNE, FSI, NBA-LP 753/754
Radio:  WEEI,  WFNI
TD Garden


Probable Starting Matchups
PointGuard
 vs  
Rajon Rondo  vs  Darren Collison    

Shooting Guard
 vs
Ray Allen   vs  Paul George  

Small Forward
 vs  
Paul Pierce  vs  Danny Granger    

Power Forward
 vs  
Kevin Garnett  vs  Tyler Hansbrough  

Center
 vs  
Nenad Krstic  vs  Roy Hibbert  





Boston Bench Mob  
Glen Davis
Avery Bradley
Sasha Pavlovic
Troy Murphy
Jeff Green
Delonte West
Carlos Arroyo

Injured
Jermaine O'Neal (knee) out
Delonte West (wrist) probable
Shaquille O'Neal (Achilles)  out
Rajon Rondo (ankle, knee, plantar fasciitis)  probable
Von Wafer (calf) out  



Pacers Bench
Solomon Jones
James Posey
Dahntay Jones
TJ Ford
Jeff Foster
AJ Price
Lance Stephenson
Brandon Rush
Josh McRoberts

Injured
Mike Dunleavy (thumb)  out

Team Connections
Avery Bradley and T.J. Ford both attended the University of Texas
Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert were teammates  at Georgetown from 2004‐07
James Posey played for the Celtics during the 2007‐08 season and was a member of the 2008 Championship team
Brandon Rush and Paul Pierce both attended the University of Kansas
Shaquille O’Neal and James Posey were teammates in Miami from 2005‐07
 Carlos Arroyo and James Posey were teammates in Denver during the 2001‐02 season
Jermaine O’Neal played for the Pacers from 2000‐08
Troy Murphy played for Indiana from 2006‐10
 Pacers Assistant Coaches Walter McCarty (1997‐2005) and Vitaly Potapenko (1998‐2002) both played for the Celtics
Frank Vogel was an assistant coach 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

Game Notes
This is the 3rd meeting between the Celtics and Pacers this season.  The Celtics won the first two games 99-88 and 95-83 and they have one more game coming up on March 28.  Since the last time these two teams met, the Pacers fired head coach Jim O'Brian and his assistant Frank Vogel took over the job.  Larry Bird also questioned the heart of his players recently.    Since that time the Pacers have won 2 in a row.  

The Celtics are coming off a loss to the Nets while the Pacers are coming off a big win over the Knicks.   The Celtics have had a day off while the Pacers are playing in the second of back to back games.  The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games and the Pacers are 3-7 in their last 10 games.   The Celtics are 28-6 at home while the Pacers are 11-23 on the road.  

There will be plenty of distractions as Wednesday is Mike and Tommy night at the Garden.  That should give the Celtics added incentive to get a win in this one.   The Celtics are now half a game back of the Bulls for the top seed and just 2 games ahead of Miami for the 3rd seed.  The Pacers are half a game in front of the Bobcats for the 8th seed so this game has playoff implications for both the Celtics and the Pacers and we should see a strong effort from  both teams.  However, lately the Celtics don't seem to have any sense of urgency and they have been losing on a regular basis to teams they should easily beat.  

If the Celtics come out strong and play as a team on both ends of the court they should win this one.   But lately, those are some big "ifs."  

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.    Pierce is coming off a sub-par shooting night and should be ready for a big game in this one.  

vs
Rajon Rondo vs Darren Collison
Rondo has been going through a kind of slump since the trade.  With the return of Delonte West and the play of Arroyo, Doc can maybe give Rondo some rest until he gets over what ails him.  As Rondo goes, so go the Celtics.  If he plays, the Celtics need him to snap out of his slump and be the leader of the team again.  When Rondo is aggressive, he makes the Celtics unbeatable.  When he plays like he has been, the team is more like a rudderless ship with no real direction.  

Honorable Mention
Kevin Garnett vs Tyler Hansbrough
In the Pacers win over the Knicks Hansbrough had 30 points but just 3 rebounds.  Of course he was playing against Shawne Williams on the Knicks and facing KG will be a whole other issue.  KG got off to a strong start vs the Nets but then the Celtics went away from getting him the ball.  Hopefully KG will have a strong game and the team will stick with what works.  

Keys to the Game
Defense - The Celtics defense has been up and down.  Against the Bucks it was up and they pretty much shut them down.  Against 4 of the other last 5 teams they have faced, it was down and they came away with a loss.  The Celtics have to get back to defense first and play team defense from beginning to end and not allow teams to get open looks all game and then try to lock it down in the 4th quarter.   That gives teams confidence and it's a strategy that hasn't been working.  

Rebound -  Winning the rebounding battle prevents second chance points  and tip ins for the Pacers as well as limits fast break opportunities.   When the Celtics put out the effort on the boards, it often translates to other areas of the game as well.  

Ubuntu -  With all of the new players and injuries it's easy to forget about ubuntu.   But the Celtics must remember the principle that  led them to the 2008 title.  We not me.   Too often lately the team has lapsed into hero ball instead of playing as a team and making the extra trade and finding the open man and playing defense as a team.  They have to re-develop chemistry and get back to playing team ball.  

Hustle and Energy -  The Celtics need to bring some hustle and effort to the game.  They have to go after loose balls and chase down rebounds.  In their recent losses,  there were too many Celtics standing around while the other team dove for loose balls and chased down rebounds.

X-Factors
Home Game and Focus
The Celtics have taken care of their home court for the most part this season with just 6 losses on the parquet.  Hopefully having the crowd behind them will keep them focused on the game and give them the push they need to snap out of their slump.  It's also Mike and Tommy Night and they need to give them a win to remember on their night.  

[Megatron]

On paper this is a win, Pacers are coming off back to back wins vs the Knicks are are brewing with confidence trying to hold onto that 8th seed.

With the C's playing lethargic and Rondo slumping this is going to be a tough game, nothing comes easy for these Celtics these days thats for sure.

I think Hansborough and Hibbert are going to give the Celtics problems inside, they have been playing some good ball lately and if the C's come out the same way they have lately there are going to be problems, Im not quite confident the bench can bail us out if the starters dig a hole. Hoping for a win but wont be surprised with a loss, hope Delonte gets back into a groove and stays injury free.

[barefacedmonk]

TP FL.

Indiana's defense isn't good...we should be able to take advantage of that. Here's to a win...

[vinnie]

I see Rondo listed with knee and ankle injuries. Anyone have any idea what the knee problem is?

[FLCeltsFan]

I see Rondo listed with knee and ankle injuries. Anyone have any idea what the knee problem is?

I threw the knee in there with the ankle based on the video posted in the forums here showing him rubbing and holding his knee and limping while on the sidelines.   Nothing official but throwing it out there just in case. 

[P2]

OP, you forgot to mention Carlos Arroyo.

[dwlefty13]

Potential 1st round matchup for the Celtics here tonight. I see the men in green coming out with fire making a statement to the young Pacers team if we do meet in round 1. Celtics win big tonight.

[FLCeltsFan]

Just read that the plantar fasciitis is still bothering Rondo and he requires extensive foot massages before games and soaking them in ice water after games.  Most players sit out with plantar fasciitis because it is so painful.  That could explain a lot. 

[urlhttp://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2011/03/16/rondos_play_now_a_point_of_concern/[/url]

[RebusRankin]

Let's get a win.

[apc]

I see Rondo listed with knee and ankle injuries. Anyone have any idea what the knee problem is?

I threw the knee in there with the ankle based on the video posted in the forums here showing him rubbing and holding his knee and limping while on the sidelines.   Nothing official but throwing it out there just in case. 

you could throw in the slump to:
Rajon Rondo (ankle, knee, plantar fasciitis, slump)  probable
 

[GreenFaith1819]

Thanks for post, FLCeltsFan (TP).

Let's send a message, C's! Didn't Frank Vogel say a few weeks ago that no one would want to face his team in the first round?

Well, let's see what Indy is made of!

[celticinorlando]

this needs to be a win. period.

[Who]

It'll be interesting to see how Krstic handles Roy Hibbert in the post.

That is the matchup I'm looking forward to seeing.

[Who]

Also, Paul George, who is a very exciting young talent. Always fun to see him play.

Terrific athlete who competes in all phases of the game and has an impressive albeit developing (work in progress) scoring arsenal.

[vinnie]

Honestly, Rondo's plantar fasciitis could be what kills this season. Such a painful injury and I don't see how he is playing through it.