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Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« on: April 01, 2011, 12:48:05 AM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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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 Bench
Marvin 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 Notes
This 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 Mention
Rajon 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 Game
Defense - 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-Factor
Back 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.  

« Last Edit: April 01, 2011, 03:27:28 PM by FLCeltsFan »

Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2011, 01:43:47 AM »

Offline dlpin

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Got tickets for this game, hopefully no back-to-back letdown.

Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2011, 01:47:32 AM »

Offline barefacedmonk

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TP FL.

I know it'll be a tough game since its a back-to-back...but I really hope we beat them..even if its an ugly win. I can't stand the Hawks since they put that stupid "Now Boston knows what it feels like" message on their official website.
"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching." - M.K. Gandhi


Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2011, 01:51:05 AM »

Offline Megatron

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This game will probably be the complete opposite of tonight.

Im not getting my hopes up. Hope they show up but i would rather have doc start benching the starters on the second night of back to backs or play them no more then 20 minutes each.

Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2011, 02:07:31 AM »

Offline Tai

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This game will probably be the complete opposite of tonight.

Im not getting my hopes up. Hope they show up but i would rather have doc start benching the starters on the second night of back to backs or play them no more then 20 minutes each.

Do you ever get your hopes up?  ::)

Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #5 on: April 01, 2011, 02:28:49 AM »

Offline Rondo9dunx

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My hopes are up, this is gonna be another big win. They are gonna send another message that tonight wasn't just a fluke, go celtics!
Andy Bernard doesnt lose constests. He wins them, or he quits them because they're unfair.

Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #6 on: April 01, 2011, 02:39:44 AM »

Offline j804

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My hopes are up, this is gonna be another big win. They are gonna send another message that tonight wasn't just a fluke, go celtics!
I get this feeling as well just having JO back seems huge for the guys hopefully we carry this momentum and end the season on a positive note.
"7ft PG. Rondo leaves and GUESS WHAT? We got a BIGGER point guard!"-Tommy on Olynyk


Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #7 on: April 01, 2011, 08:16:40 AM »

Online Who

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Tough matchups defensively on the wing (J.Smith + J.Johnson).

Lot of size and power. Tough post scorers. Tough matchups for Paul and Ray respectively.

Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #8 on: April 01, 2011, 12:31:22 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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Official Report
Monty McCutchen
McCutchen has been officiating games since 1993 and wears number 13. McCutchen missed the 1998-99 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. He is a former elementary and middle school teacher and is fondly remembered by his students as a really nice guy. In searching for information on him, I found a Cavs' blog that blamed their April 4 loss to the Celtics last season on the officiating of Monty McCutchen. That was the game where Mike Brown was ejected and the Cavs made a furious comeback but fell short. Other than that, there's not a lot of controversy about McCutchen. The Celtics are 3-0 this season and 8-2 in their last 10 games with McCutchen on the court. The Hawks are 1-2 this season and 5-5 in their last 10. In the win over Indiana, the free throws were even but in the win over Miami, McCutchen and company gave the Heat 41 free throws to just 25 for the Celtics. In the win at NY, the free throws were again even. He is not a big homer ref and doesn't appear to be influenced by the home crowd. His home W/L record this season is 32-27.

Tony Brown
This is Brown's 8th season in the NBA. He has officiated over 220+ regular season games and is one of only 3 active officials to have worked in all 3 leagues associated with the NBA family. Before starting his career in the NBA he worked for the NBDL, the CBA and the WNBA. He also officiated games at the college level. This is the just the second Celtics game for Brown this season. The first game was the loss in Boston to the Grizzlies where the calls were fairly even but the Celtics didn't come to play. The Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 games with Brown and the Hawks are 7-3 in their last 10. His home W/L record is 34-25.

Jason Phillips
Phillips has been in the league for 8 years. He has officiated 380+ regular season games. Before landing in the NBA he worked for the CBA 6 seasons, the WNBA 3 seasons, 2 years in the Dallas Pro-Am, and 5 seasons in high school level in Texas. The Celtics are 1-1 this season and they are 7-3 over their last 10 games with Phillips as a ref. It was Phillips and crew that got Tommy to swear on the air about the refs falling for all the blank blank flops. Atlanta is 4-6 with Phillips over their last 10. His home W/L record this season is 38-22.

Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #9 on: April 01, 2011, 12:43:18 PM »

Offline fairweatherfan

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I don't really have a specific comment, I just happened across this earlier and wanted to share it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eg53K5Sc24&feature=player_embedded

 :D   Ah the early 90s...a more innocent time.

Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #10 on: April 01, 2011, 03:08:44 PM »

Offline mgent

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  Baby starting!!!  Why does Murphy have to be hurt??
Philly:

Anderson Varejao    Tiago Splitter    Matt Bonner
David West    Kenyon Martin    Brad Miller
Andre Iguodala    Josh Childress    Marquis Daniels
Dwyane Wade    Leandro Barbosa
Kirk Hinrich    Toney Douglas   + the legendary Kevin McHale

Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #11 on: April 01, 2011, 03:14:42 PM »

Offline Rondo2287

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Is Jason Collins averaging 18 and 9 an april fools joke?
CB Draft LA Lakers: Lamarcus Aldridge, Carmelo Anthony,Jrue Holiday, Wes Matthews  6.11, 7.16, 8.14, 8.15, 9.16, 11.5, 11.16

Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #12 on: April 01, 2011, 03:15:26 PM »

Offline angryguy77

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they win this game-book it
Still don't believe in Joe.

Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #13 on: April 01, 2011, 03:17:55 PM »

Offline celticinorlando

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i would love to see a win tonight..i detest the hawks and josh smith

Re: Celtics (52-22) at Hawks (43-32) 4/1
« Reply #14 on: April 01, 2011, 03:29:03 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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Is Jason Collins averaging 18 and 9 an april fools joke?
Not an April Fools joke.  Just the result of doing the game thread late at night after the Spurs game.  Sorry.  Fixed now.