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Boston Celtics (15-13) at Chicago Bulls (24-7)
Thursday, February 16
8:00 PM ET
Game #29, Road Game #10
TV: TNT, TSN2
Radio: WEEI, WMVP
United Center
Probable Starters 
PG: Rajon Rondo..................................................SG Ray Allen 
C: Jermaine O'Neal 
SF: Paul Pierce ................................. ............PF Kevin Garnett Coach: Doc Rivers
Boston ReservesMickael Pietrus
Chris Wilcox
JaJuan Johnson
Greg Siemsma
E'Twaun Moore
Avery Bradley
Marquis Daniels
Keyon Dooling
InjuredSasha Pavlovic (wrist) day to day
Kevin Garnett (hip) day to day
Brandon Bass (knee) out
Probable Starters 
PG: Derrick Rose............................................. SG: Ronnie Brewer 
C: Joakim Noah 
SF: Luol Deng .................................................. PF: Carlos Boozer Coach: Tom Thibodeau
Bulls BenchJohn Lucas III
Omer Asik
Kyle Korver
Taj Gibson
Jimmy Butler
Brian Scalabrine
CJ Watson
Injuries Rip Hamilton (groin) day to day
Derrick Rose (back) day to day
Team Connections Bulls Head Coach Tom Thibodeau was a member of the Celtics coaching staff from 2007-10 and was a member of the 2008 NBA Championship coaching staff
Bulls Assistant Coaches Ed Pinckney (1988-94) and Adrian Griffin (1999-2001) played for the Celtics
Brian Scalabrine played for the Celtics from 2005-10 and was a member of the 2008 NBA championship team
Rip Hamilton and Ray Allen both attended the University of Connecticut
Jimmy Butler and Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers both attended Marquette University
C.J. Watson and Mickael Pietrus were teammates in Golden State during the 2007-08 season
Rip Hamilton and Chris Wilcox were teammates in Detroit from 2009-11
Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo 13.6 PPG, 9.6 APG, 4.6 RPG 1.7 SPG
Derrick Rose 22.0 PPG, 7.8 APG, 3.4 RPG 0.9 SPG
This is one of the premier point guard matchups in the league. There is a lot of discussion about whether Rondo or Rose is the better PG and in a head to head matchup, expect both players to do their best to make their case as the best. Rose has been sidelined with a bad back and may or may not be back for this game. But, after seeing Rondo school CJ Watson and come out with a triple double in Sunday's game, if there's any way he can get out on the court, I expect Rose to play.
vs
Jermaine O'Neal 5.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, .4 APG 1.5 BPG
Joakim Noah 8.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.2 BPG
Both of these centers have been struggling somewhat this season. Oneal has been struggling with injuries (as usual) while Noah has been inconsistent this season for whatever reason. JO has said that he expects to be able to play even though he is struggling with a sore shoulder and 2 creaky knees. Whether it's JO or Chris Wilcox again in the starting lineup, he MUST box out and keep Noah off the glass and out of the paint.
Honorable MentionPaul Pierce 18.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 5.7 APG, .421 FG%
Luol Deng 16.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, .439 FG%
In Sunday's game, Pierce scored just 9 points but he also held Deng to just 10 points. Their defense canceled each other out. Pierce needs to again be careful to take what the game gives him and not try to force things.
Game Notes After playing 20 of their first 29 games at home, the Celtics are about to venture out on the road for a 5 game road trip that starts in Chicago.
The Celtics face the Bulls for the second time this week and this time it's in their house. The Bulls are probably still stinging from the loss the Celtics handed them on Sunday and they will be looking for revenge in this one.
The Bulls had Wednesday night off and the Celtics lost at home to a Detroit team that had just 2 previous wins on the road. Hopefully that will stoke their competitive fires to come out strong in this game.
KG missed the game vs the Pistons and hopefully he will return for this one and be rested and healthy. The Celtics certainly need him. Both Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Jermaine O'Neal all played poorly against the Pistons and need to have a bounce back game in this one.
Winning at the United Center is a tall order as the Bulls have lost just once there all season so far. They are 10-1 at home while the Celtics are just 4-5 on the road. The Bulls are 7-3 in their last 10 games while the Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10. The Celtics will have to play a lot better than they did against the Pistons if they want to get a win in this one.
Keys to the Game Rondo/Rose Matchup - This is not only a key matchup, but one of the keys to the game. Both point guards control the tempo of their team and both are key to their team's success. If Rose's back injury keeps him out, CJ Watson may once again get the start. We saw in Sunday's game what a focused and aggressive Rondo can do. Whether Rose plays or not, Rondo needs to once again be aggressive and set the pace of the game.
Limit turnovers - The Celtics have been turning the ball over way too much. They have been making sloppy passes and not taking care of the ball when dribbling. Much of this is focus and the Celtics have it in some games and lack it in others. They had 18 turnovers in the last meeting between these two teams. And, although they won the game, that is too many turnovers. They must take better care of the ball.
Rebound - The Celtics have to do a better job of rebounding the ball. They were out-rebounded 47-34 by the Bulls in their first meeting. They were out-rebounded 42-34 by the Raptors and 55-45 by the Lakers. They won the battle of the boards in Sunday's game vs the Bulls. They were out rebounded by the Pistons on Wednesday 44-33 and once again lost the game. It isn't a coincidence that they win when they out rebound the other team and lose when they are out-rebounded. The Celtics have to concentrate on boxing out and grabbing the rebounds. Much of rebounding is desire and effort. When the Celtics show both on the boards, that translates to the rest of their game and they usually get the win.
Focus - The Celtics have got to focus on playing the team game. They have been sloppy and passive and lethargic at times in games. Their ball movement was almost non-existent against the Lakers and Raptors. Instead of moving the ball and finding the open man, they dribbled too much and tossed up shots that didn't go in. They found that focus against the Bulls on Sunday. They need to keep it in this game as well.
X-Factor Focus and Passion
They showed both focus and passion against the Bulls on Sunday. They showed that they wanted the game more and they got it. They have to want to win more than the Bulls in this game also and for that, they must look within. This will be especially important in this game as the Bulls still have a fresh memory of the recent loss and will be looking for payback.
Topic: Celtics (15-13) at Bulls (24-7) 2/16 (Read 62589 times)