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Boston Celtics (52-22) at Atlanta Hawks (43-32)
Friday, April 1
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #75, Road Game #38
TV: ESPN, CSN-NE, NBAC
Radio: WEEI, WQXI, 99X FM
Philips Arena Probable Starters PG: Rajon Rondo 10.4 PPG 11.3 APG 2.3 SPG
SG: Ray Allen 17.0 PPG 2.7 APG .452 3P%
SF: Paul Pierce 18.7 PPG 5.1 RPG 3.3 APG
PF: Kevin Garnett 14.7 PPG 9.0 RPG 0.8 BPG
C: Glen Davis 11.8 PPG 5.6 RPG 0.4 BPG
Boston Bench Mob Jermaine O'Neal
Jeff Green
Delonte West
Sasha Pavlovic
Carlos Arroyo
Avery Bradley
Von Wafer
Injured Shaquille O'Neal (Achilles) out
Troy Murphy (ankle) questionable
Probable Starters PG Kirk Hinrich 10.7 PPG 4.1 APG 1.1 SPG
SG Joe Johnson 18.5 PPG 4.9 APG .304 3P%
SF Josh Smith 16.7 PPG 8.7 RPG 1.6 BPG
PF Al Horford 15.7 PPG 9.5 RPG 3.6 APG
C Jason Collins 2.0 PPG 2.0 RPG 0.2 BPG
Hawks BenchMarvin Williams
Jamal Crawford
Hilton Armstrong
Zaza Pachulia
Jeff Teague
Josh Powell
Etan Thomas
Damien Wilkins
Pape Sy
Injuries None
Team Connections Josh Smith and Rajon Rondo both attended Oak Hill Academy
Doc Rivers played for the Hawks from 1983‐91
Rivers also holds the Hawks record for most assists in a career as a Hawk (3,866)
Celtics Assistant Coach Armond Hill played for the Hawks from 1976‐80 and also during the 1983‐84 season
Joe Johnson was originally drafted by the Celtics with the 10th
pick in the 2001 draft…
Hawks Assistant Coach Lester Conner was an Assistant Coach with the Celtics from 1998‐2004
Paul Pierce and Kirk Hinrich both attended Kansas
Ray Allen and Hilton Armstrong both attended the University of Connecticut
Josh Powell and Jermaine O’Neal were teammates in Indiana during the 2006‐07 season
Jeff Green and Damien Wilkins were teammates in Seattle and Oklahoma City from 2007‐09
Nenad Krstic and Jason Collins were teammates in New Jersey from 2004‐08
Krstic and Wilkins were teammates in Oklahoma City during the 2008‐09 season
Sasha Pavlovic and Damien Wilkins played together on the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2009‐10
Game NotesThis is the 3rd and final meeting between these two teams. The Celtics have won both games so far, one in Boston and one in Atlanta. Last Season the Hawks won the season series 4-0. It marked the first time since 1998-99 season that the Celtics had been swept by the Hawks and only the fourth time since the 1960-61 season that the C’s had failed to win a game against Atlanta.
The Celtics finally got one of their big men back as Jermaine O'Neal played his first game against the Spurs but lost another as Krstic went out with a knee injury in that same game. Krstic is headed for an MRI but no word on how serious the injury is at this time. So just when the Celtics thought they were going to get some depth at center, they lose another center to injury.
These two teams don't like each other very much going back to the 2008 playoff series that got very heated. Paul Pierce and Al Horford had a few scuffles and heated exchanges as did KG and Zaza Pachulia. They always seem to play a little harder when they face the Celtics.
The Celtics are 23-14 on the road and 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Hawks are 23-15 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. The Hawks have won 3 in a row while the Celtics have won just 1 game and are 2-3 in their last 5. The Celtics are 2 games back of Chicago, who play the Pistons tonight, and they are back to half a game in front of the Heat, who play Minnesota. The Hawks are sitting comfortably in the 5th spot, 4 games behind Orlando for the 4th seed and 4 games in front of Philly for the 6th seed.
The Celtics are coming off a very emotional win over the Spurs while the Hawks were off on Thursday. The team wasn't expected to get to their hotel until 5 am and back to back games have been tough for them all season. It would be great if the Celtics could build on the win over the Spurs and get another win in this game. If they play like they did in San Antonio they have a very good chance.
Key Matchups vs
Ray Allen vs Joe Johnson
Joe Johnson is athletic and quick and can score in bunches. Ray Allen is capable of scoring in bunches also if he is given the ball early to get into his rhythm. If Ray runs off his multitude of screens, Johnson may be too tired to be effective on the offensive end.
vs
Paul Pierce vs Josh Smith
Josh Smith is strong and has a couple inches on Pierce. Smith usually plays the power forward spot but the Hawks have been playing with a big lineup with Smith at the 3 and Horford at the 4. Smith will be a handful for Pierce on both ends of the court.
Honorable MentionRajon Rondo vs Kirk Hinrich
As has been all season, as Rondo goes, so go the Celtics. Hopefully Rondo will be aggressive and get back to running the offense and distributing the ball.
Keys to the GameDefense - This is the key to every game and to winning the championship this year. The Hawks are a good 3 point shooting team as well as having the ability to get to the basket and so the Celtics must defend both the perimeter and the paint.
Rebound - The Celtics have been giving up too many rebounds. With Horford and Smith inside, if the Celtics don't box out and get the defensive boards, the Hawks will make them pay with second chance baskets. When the Celtics don't put out the effort on the boards, the effort isn't there in other parts of the game either.
Be Aggressive- The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team. They need to win the battle on the boards. They need to win the 50-50 battle and the battle for loose balls and hustle points. And they need to be more aggressive defensively. The more aggressive team usually gets the benefit of the calls and have the momentum.
Play as a Team - The Celtics must get back to playing team ball. They have to move the ball, make the extra pass and find the open man. They won't win playing hero ball. They also have to play as a team on defense, being sure to have each others backs on defense.
X-FactorBack to Back
This is the second back to back set in a row. The Celtics have struggled all season in back to back games. Every game is important if the Celtics want to avoid slipping to the 3rd seed. If the Celtics put out the effort, they can win this game but they have to want it more.