Philadelphia 76ers (4-3, 0-1) at Boston Celtics (5-2,1-0)
Eastern Conference Semi-Finals Game 2
Monday May 14, 2012
7:00 PM ET
Playoff Game #8, Home Game #5
TV: TNT
Radio: WEEI, 97.5 The Fanatic
TD Garden
Probable Starters 
PG: Rajon Rondo 16.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 11.8 APG, + 24.6 EFF *
SG: Avery Bradley 7.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.7 APG, +5.17 EFF
SF: Paul Pierce 21.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.8 APG, + 19.67 EFF
PF: Brandon Bass 9.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.5 APG, +11.00 EFF
C: Kevin Garnett 20.1 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, +26.57 EFF
Coach: Doc Rivers
Celtics ReservesGreg Stiemsma
JaJuan Johnson
E'Twaun Moore
Marquis Daniels
Sasha Pavlovic
Ray Allen
Keyon Dooling
Ryan Hollins
Mickael Pietrus
InjuredPaul Pierce (knee) probable
Mickael Pietrus (hamstring) probable
Avery Bradley (shoulder) probable
Ray Allen (ankle) day to day
Greg Stiemsma (feet) probable
Probable Starters 
PG: Jrue Holiday 18.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG, +18.33 EFF
SG: Evan Turner 11.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, +11.83 EFF
SF: Andre Iguodala 12.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, +14.33 EFF
PF: Elton Brand 8.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.7 APG, +11.33
C:Spencer Hawes 11.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, +16.17 EFF
Sixers Reserves Thaddeus Young
Sam Young
Nikola Vucevic
Lou Williams
Tony Battie
Craig Brackins
Lavoy Allen
Jodie Meeks
Craig Brackens
Injuries Thaddeus Young (ankle) probable
Elton Brand (neck) probable
Key Matchups 
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Spencer Hawes
KG has been the Celtics best player on the court by far. His +/- numbers are off the chart. In the Atlanta series the team was 51.5 points better with him on the court. No one else was even close. Hawes has not been a lock down defender and so the Celtics will continue to look to KG to lead the team.
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Jrue Holiday
As has been the case so many times, as Rondo goes, so go the Celtics. In game 1, Rondo was a bit laid back in the first half and so were the Celtics. In the second half, he decided to play and so did the Celtics. The Celtics need Rondo to come out strong from the start and set the tone for the team and for the game.
Honorable Mention Paul Pierce vs Andre Iguodala
Pierce is clearly not 100% and is short on many of his jumpers, shooting just 3-11 from the field. That didn't stop him from helping the team in other ways in game 1. He got to the free throw line and was 8-8 from the line. He also contributed 6 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Hopefully the knee can improve with rest between games as the Celtics need all the things that Pierce contributes to the game. Iguodala led the Sixers with 19 points and the Celtics need to find a way to limit his effectiveness in this game.
Key Off the Bench
Ray Allen has been playing through pain and was a game time decision for game 1 and will likely be a game time decision for this game as well. He pretty much has been the Celtics only offense off the bench and so the Celtics need him. He only shot 3-10 from the field and 2-7 from beyond the arc, which can be attributed to the ankle acting up. The Celtics need Ray's scoring and so hopefully the ankle will let him play in this one.
With Stiemsma all but disappearing in the playoffs, Hollins play has been crucial for the Celtics. KG needs rest and they need someone to come in and give him a rest. Doc said that Hollins and KG on the floor is the team's best defensive lineup. The Celtics need Hollins to continue to come in and make smart decisions and allow both KG and Bass to get some rest.
Lou Williams gives the Sixers a boost off the bench scoring almost 13 points per game. He came up with a big shot in game 6 to help them advance and he can be a dangerous scorer if left open. He was just 4-11 in game 1 and many of the Sixer fans blamed his shot selection for the loss. Just as the Celtics need Ray's scoring off the bench, the Sixers need Williams' scoring.
Lavoy Allen give the Sixers a big boost off the bench with some tough inside play and rebounding. They will need him to play big once again in game 2 for the Sixers to have a chance. He's a big body and can give the Celtics some problems.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is the key to a win in every game. The Sixers are going to want to run and get easy shots in transition and the Celtics must make an effort to get back on defense. They have to defend the 3 point line and not allow them open looks. They have to play tough lock down defense and not allow them anything easy. The Sixers shot 44% from the field in game 1 and the Celtics have to do a better job of disrupting their offense and lower that percentage.
Rebound - The Sixers are a good rebounding team, ranking 7th in the league at 43.2 rebounds per game in the regular season. The Celtics finished the season ranked 30th at 38.8 rpg. However, both teams are dead even in the playoffs at 41.17 rebounds per game. The Celtics out-rebounded the Sixers in game 1 45-41. They will need to once again crash the boards in this game. Much of rebounding is effort and the Celtics have got to continue to crash the boards as a team since the team that wins the rebounding battle will more than likely win the war.
Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics tend to turn the ball over way too much. In the regular season, the Celtics averaged 14.8 TO per game while Philly averaged 12.8. In the playoffs, the Celtics have cut their turnovers to 12.8 per game and committed 13 TO's in game 1 while the Sixers have cut theirs down even more to 9.8 and committed just 11 in game 1. The Celtics must move the ball and find the open man without making sloppy passes and turning the ball over. Doc has singled out limiting turnovers as the most important thing they have to do. Rondo committed 7 turnovers as he was a bit sloppy in the first half and that is very un-Rondo like. They can't make sloppy and casual passes because the Sixers will make them pay for it.
Bench Play - The Celtics need to get quality minutes from their bench. With the injuries and fatigue becoming a factor as they move further into the playoffs, they have to find a way to rest their starters without giving up a lead or digging a hole. Pietrus, Dooling and others must step up to give the Celtics some scoring off the bench and some preservation of the starters. Pietrus has been struggling offensively, but has been playing great defense. Dooling has been hitting some key shots in his time and playing good defense as well. It would be great to get both Stiemsma and Hollins playing well and hopefully Ray will be able to once again play some quality minutes off the bench.
Game Notes The Celtics have to feel lucky that they pulled out the win in game 1. Philly led for most of the game and the Celtics struggled for much of the game. They were very sluggish to start the game and didn't look like they were actually trying until the second half. Injuries could influence their play, but since they were able to turn it on in the second half, it seems to be more of an effort thing.
They have to know that it would be very dangerous to come out slow and allow the Sixers to hang around for a second game in a row. One of these times that strategy will come back to bite them. The Celtics need to come out strong from the beginning and establish the pace of the game.
Pierce and Allen will still struggle with the injuries and hopefully they can also continue to play through them and be effective in their minutes on the court. Rondo needs to give an effort from the start. It didn't seem as though he took the game seriously until after the half in game 1. Bass and Pietrus have struggled in the playoffs so far and it would be great to see them get on track finally.
Hopefully the Celtics decide to come out and play from the start in this game and not tempt fate two games in a row. It's great they pulled out the win in game 1 but they are capable of so much more in this game if they only put forth the effort.
X-FactorInjuries, Officiating, and Home Court
Injuries are affecting the Celtics but so far they have played through them enough to keep winning. Can they continue to play through the injuries? We have to hope so. The officiating is always an x-factor. The officiating has been pretty good so far other than Marc Davis. Will that continue in this game? Home court has to be good for at least a few points a game. Hopefully the team can feed off the energy from the crowd.
Topic: Sixers ( 0-1) at Celtics (1-0) ECSF Game 2 (Read 104965 times)