Pacers (1-4) at Celtics (1-3) Game #5 11/7/14

[FLCeltsFan]

at
Indiana Pacers (1-4) at Boston Celtics (1-3)
Friday, November 7, 2014
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #5, Home Game #3
TV: CSNNE, FSI, NBA-LP 757(DTV)/754(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 1070 The Fan
TD Garden


Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard 
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Donald Sloan

Shooting Guard
vs
Avery Bradley vs CJ Miles

Small Forward
  vs 
Jeff Green vs Solomon Hill

Power Forward
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Luis Scola 

Center
vs
Kelly Olynyk vs Roy Hibbert


Celtics Reserves
Phil Pressey
Marcus Smart
Evan Turner
Marcus Thornton
Brandon Bass
Dwight Powell
Tyler Zeller
James Young
Gerald Wallace

Injuries
Vitor Faverani (knee) out
Avery Bradley (elbow) probable





Pacers Reserves
Chris Copeland
Ian Mahinmi
Damjan Rudez
Lavoy Allen
Shayne Whittington

Injuries
Rodney Stuckey (foot) out
CJ Watson (foot) out
David West (ankle) out
Paul George (leg) out
George Hill (knee) out

Game Notes
The Pacers visit TD Garden for the first of 4 meetings between these two teams this season.  The Pacers swept the series last season, winning all 4 games by an average of 14.5 points per game.  The Pacers are 0-2 on the road so far and 23-50 all time in Boston. 

The Pacers are coming off a tough loss to the Wizards where they rallied from being down double digits to force overtime only to lose the game in OT.   They are playing somewhat short handed with starters Paul George, George Hill, and David West out with injures.  They are also missing Rodney Stuckey and CJ Watson who are also out with injuries. 

Unlike their last 3 opponents, the Pacers aren't a high scoring team.  They are ranked 27th in scoring , averaging 91.8 points per game.   The Celtics on the other hand are ranked 3rd, averaging 107.8 points per game.  The Pacers lead the league in blocks with 7.8 per game.  In spite of the injuries, they are still a pretty tough defensive team, allowing only 94.6 points per game on 42% shooting. 

Avery Bradley suffered a mild strain in his elbow in Wednesday's game vs the Raptors.  After sitting out practice Thursday, he is considered to be probable for this meeting with the Pacers Indiana Pacers.

Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Donald Sloan 
Rondo is playing very well, racking up some impressive statistics.  Donald Sloan has been playing well for the Pacers, averaging 15.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.6 assists.  He is also shooting 34.6% from beyond the arc.    In his last game he scored 31 points, pulled down 6 rebounds and dished out 7 assists. 

vs
Kelly Olynyk vs Roy Hibbert
Kelly is coming off one of his best games so far with 18 points on 7-11 shooting along with 13 rebounds.  He is being encouraged to be more aggressive and to shoot more by both his coach and his teammates.  He will have his hands full going up against Roy Hibbert, who is leading the league in blocks with 4.2 per game.  He is averaging 12.4 points and 8.8 rebounds to go along with those 4.2 blocks. 

Keys to the Game
Take Care of the Ball The Celtics simply must take better care of the ball.  They are averaging 17.3 turnovers per game and are coming off a 28 turnover game.  They have to do a better job of focusing on their passes as well as being more aware of the defense.  They won't win many games turning the ball over 28 times.

Defense -  Even though the Pacers aren't necessarily a high scoring team,  the Celtics still need to play tough team and individual defense as they have players who are capable of having big offensive nights.   Also, since the Pacers are a good defensive team,  playing good defense themselves will be their best bet to beat them. 

Rebound - The Pacers are 2nd in the league in rebounding.   The Celtics will need to put out extra effort to crash the boards as a team in order to prevent second chance points for the Pacers.  The Celtics can't score without the ball and so they need to grab rebounds to give themselves more scoring opportunities. 

Push the Pace -  The Celtics are most effective when they run and move the ball.  They struggle when they slow the pace of the game down.  However, when they push the pace they have to focus more to avoid the turnovers that can derail their game. 

X-Factors 
Injuries
The Pacers have several key injuries and that could make them vulnerable or it could make them more dangerous.  It wouldn't be the first time that the Celtics would underestimate a team due to injuries.  Also, Avery Bradley is probable and hopefully can play.  If not, it may affect the Celtics play as well. 

[Humble G]

TP for the thread! Definitely think we can win this game! GO CELTICS!!!!

[FLCeltsFan]

Thanks and TP back at ya Humble G for being the first to post in the game thread!  I agree, this is a very winnable game.  Go Celtics!! 

[ACF]

TP. Go Celtics!

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

It feels like this is exactly the kind of game the Cs roster is primed for. My BOLD PREDICTIONS are. Jeff Green hits 40 points, the team shoots 50% from down town, and gets at least 3 players into double doubles. 

[BudweiserCeltic]

We win tonight an we're on pace to make the playoffs...

[slamtheking]

TP FL - sterling job as always.  can't get over the Indy line-up.  team practically unrecognizable from just a year ago

[SHAQATTACK]

Go Celtics ....

Win the LAST QUARTER .....

Win the game. 

[Boston3334356]

Let's hope Olynyk doesn't get 4 fouls like he has the past 3 games.

[2short]

thinking rondo, green and sully post some big numbers!

[hwangjini_1]

wow. hard to even know this is the pacers when i looked at their starting line up. they are really suffering from injuries....good!!!!

goooooooo celtics!!

and thanks flc.

[KeepRondo]

I feel like it's a must win game. I hope the players come out with sense of urgency. Tomorrow is gonna be a lot easier of a game with a win tonight.

[crownsy]

Looking forward to it, and a TP for you FLC, long time no post on my part.

[bello_man09]

I will be on the road probably....I want a Win badly...

[Evantime34]

The first team we are playing that at least on paper is worse than us. I think Hibbert could be a problem for us, but at every other position we should be able to dominate them, especially if we run.