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Dallas Mavericks (5-5) at Boston Celtics (4-4)
Wednesday, January 11
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #9 – Home Game #5
TV: ESPN, CSN-NE, FSSW-DAL, NBAC
Radio: WEEI, KESN
TD Garden Probable Starting Matchups Point Guard vs
Rajon Rondo vs Delonte West
Shooting Guard vs
Ray Allen vs Vince Carter
Small Forward vs
Paul Pierce vs Shawn Marion
Power Forward vs
Kevin Garnett vs Dirk Nowitski
Center vs
Jermaine O'Neal vs Brendan Haywood
Celtics ReservesBrandon Bass
Mickael Pietrus
Chris Wilcox
Keyon Dooling
Sasha Pavlovic
Greg Stiemsma
Avery Bradley
E'Twaun Moore
JaJuan Johnson
InjuredMarquis Daniels (illness) questionable
Dallas Reserves Rodrigue Beaubois
Brian Cardinal
Yi Jianlian
Dominique Jones
Ian Mahinmi
Lamar Odom
Jason Terry
Brandan Wright
Sean Williams
Injuries Jason Kidd (back) out
Team Connections Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle played for the Celtics from 1984‐87 and was a member of the 1985‐86 championship team
Marquis Daniels played for the Mavericks from 2003‐06
Jermaine O’Neal played for Rick Carlisle in Indiana from 2003‐07
E’Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson and Brian Cardinal all attended Purdue University
Delonte West was drafted by the Celtics with the 24th overall pick in the 2004 Draft and played for the Celtics from 2004‐07 and during the 2010‐11
season
Brandon Bass played for the Mavericks from 2007‐09
Bass, Mickael Pietrus and Vince Carter were teammates in Orlando
from 2009‐10
Keyon Dooling and Vince Carter were teammates in New Jersey 2008‐09 season
Lamar Odom and Keyon Dooling were teammates on the LA Clippers from 2000‐03
Chris Wilcox and Lamar Odom were teammates on the LA Clippers during the 2002‐03 season
Chris Wilcox and Delonte West were teammates in Seattle during the 2007‐08 season.
Game NotesThis is the first meeting between the Celtics and the reigning NBA Champs. The Mavs won the series last year 2-0, but both teams have undergone a considerable makeover since last season. The Celtics are 3-1 at home while the Mavs are 1-3 on the road.
The Mavericks are fresh off their visit to the White House and are playing in the second of back to back games, having beaten the Pistons in Detroit on Tuesday night. The Celtics are coming off a rare 4 day break after their embarrassing loss to the Pacers on Friday.
The Celtics should get a boost from the debut of Mickael Pietrus, who is finally ready to play after taking a couple of weeks to rehab from off season knee surgery. He is ready to play and Doc said that his practice on Tuesday was sensational. The Celtics can use his toughness and scoring off the bench. Marquis Daniels missed the last 2 practices and may miss this game so Pietrus' debut couldn't come at a better time.
The Celtics need a win in this game to erase the memory of the debacle against the Pacers. Both the Celtics and Mavs have struggled out of the gates this season. Hopefully the Celtics can get on track and get a win in this one.
Key Matchups vs
Rajon Rondo vs Delonte West
These two have gone up against each other many times as teammates. Now, they face each other on opposite sides. I'm sure Delonte will be intent on proving to the Celtics that they made a mistake by not signing him this season so Rondo will have a fight on his hands.
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Dirk Nowitski
This should be a great matchup. Dirk has the capability of taking over a game and KG will need to concentrate on his defense to keep him from having a big game. Both have been playing well and so this should be fun to watch. Hopefully KG comes to play and is able to keep Dirk from having a big night
Honorable Mention Ray Allen vs Vince Carter
Ray has been the most consistent Celtic so far this season and has been averaging a mind boggling 63.4% from beyond the arc. Vince Carter has never been known for his defense and even less for fighting through screens on defense. Hopefully Ray will continue his hot streak in this game as well.
Keys to the GameRebound - Rebounding is so crucial to getting a win. When the Celtics put out the effort to grab rebounds, more often than not, they are going to get the win. In their last game, the Celtics allowed the Pacers to out-rebound them 47-36. The Celtics have to give a better effort on the boards if they want to win this one.
Defense - Defense is always crucial to getting a win. Defense wins games is not just a cliche, it is the truth. The Celtics must play tough team defense in this and every game. Against the Mavs, defense is especially crucial because they can put points on the board very quickly.
Bench Play - The bench has been inconsistent so far this season and has struggled to score at times. They should get a boost from the debut of Mickael Pietrus. Doc described his performance in practice as sensational. After their performance against the Pacers, the Celtics could use some sensational.
Score the Ball - The Celtics scored just 25 points in the first half of their last game. They have to run the offense and hit their shots. They can't expect to win if they shoot 39% and score 25 points in a half.
X-FactorRest vs Rust
The Mavs are playing in the second of back to back games while the Celtics have had 4 days off. The 4 days of rest hopefully will result in a rested and sharp Celtics team that has worked out the kinks in the offense rather than a team that looks rusty because they haven't played in 4 days.