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Boston Celtics (12-16) at Indiana Pacers (21-5)
Sunday, December 22, 2013
6:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #29, Road Game #14
TV: CSNNE, FSI, NBA-LP 751(DTV)/751,753(xfinity)
Radio: WBZ, 1070 The Fan
Bankers Life Fieldhouse Point Guard vs
Jordan Crawford vs George Hill
Shooting Guard at
Avery Bradley vs Lance Stephenson
Small Forward at
Jeff Green vs Paul George
Power Forward vs
Brandon Bass vs David West
Center vs
Jared Sullinger vs Roy Hibbert
Celtics ReservesMarShon Brooks
Kris Humphries
Vitor Faverani
Phil Pressey
Courtney Lee
Keith Bogans
Gerald Wallace
Kelly Olynyk
InjuriesRajon Rondo (ACL)out
Pacers ReservesLuis Scola
Orlando Johnson
Chris Copeland
Ian Mahinmi
CJ Watson
Rasual Butler
Solomon Hill
Donald Sloan
InjuriesDanny Granger (calf) probable
Game NotesThe Atlantic Division leading Celtics visit the Central Division leading Pacers. Even though each team leads their respective division, there is a big difference between their records. The Celtics are 4 games under .500 while the Pacers are 16 games over .500.
When these two teams met in November, the Pacers snapped a 4 game losing streak to the Celtics at TD Garden. Since that game, the Celtics have won 8 of 14. The Celtics lead the overall series 86-69 but Indiana leads 46-30 in Indiana.
This game is a part of a back to back set for both teams. The Celtics are playing on the back end of back to back games while the Pacers are playing in the front have of their back to back set.
The Pacers are looking for their second straight win while the Celtics are trying to bounce back after 2 straight losses. The Pacers are 6-4 in their last 10 games and an impressive 12-1 at home. The Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 games and 5-8 on the road.
The Chat Room will be rocking on game night so be sure to check it out and don't miss the CLNS Post Game Show immediately after the game. Links to both will be in the game thread on the front page.
Key Matchups vs
Jeff Green vs Paul George
Jeff Green vs Paul George
Paul George is playing very well this season, averaging 24.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.08 steals. Jeff Green will need to work on the defensive end to try to contain him. It would be good for Jeff to have a big night offensively to make George work on the defensive end as well.
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Roy Hibbert
Roy Hibbert is a nightmare for pretty much anyone to match up with and Jared Sullinger will have a distinct height disadvantage when guarding the 7'2" Hibbert who is averaging 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.
Keys to the GameStart Strong, Finish Stronger - In their past two games, the Celtics have gotten off to a very strong start, and a big lead. But then something happens and they seem to lose focus and they end up losing the lead and the game. The Celtics must focus on finishing strong.
Run on Every Possession - The only hope that the Celtics have of getting easy shots would be to run every time they have the ball. They can't win in a half court game with the Pacers.
Go to the Hoop - When the Celtics attack the basket, good things happen. When they lapse into shooting jumpers and stop trying to get the ball inside, they struggle. The Celtics have to try to get into the paint on every possession and either get a shot, a foul, or kick it out to the open man.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be the team that wants to win more. They have to attack and run and play with more energy than the Pacers if they want to win. This may be tough on the second night of back to backs, but they need to read way down and somehow find a way to be the more aggressive team.
Rebound - The Pacers are a big team and so if the Celtics want to stay in this, they must crash the boards as a team. Every Celtic must make it his job to try to grab every rebound.
X-FactorsOn the Road and Fatigue Young players tend to struggle more on the road but the Celtics young players are more mature than most. Can they keep their focus and turn off the distractions on the road? Also, fatigue may be a factor after playing a tough game the night before.