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Los Angeles Clippers (48-25) at Boston Celtics (32-40)
Sunday, March 29, 2015
6:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #73, Home Game #37
TV: CSNNE, PrimeTicket, NBA-LP 756(DTV), 755/756(xfinity)
Radio: 100.7 WZLX, The Beast 980
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard 
vs
Marcus Smart vs Chris Paul
Shooting Guard 
vs
Avery Bradley vs JJ Redick
Small Forward 
vs
Evan Turner vs Matt Barnes
Power Forward 
vs
Brandon Bass vs Blake Griffin
Center 
vs
Tyler Zeller vs DeAndre Jordan
Celtics ReservesGerald Wallace
Jae Crowder
James Young
Phil Pressey
Shavlik Randolph
Isaiah Thomas
Jonas Jerebko
Gigi Datome
Kelly Olynyk
InjuriesJared Sullinger (foot) out
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Clippers ReservesGlen Davis
Spender Hawes
Dahntay Jones
Austin Rivers
Hedo Turkoglu
Ekpe Udoh
CJ Wilcox
Jordan Hamilton
InjuriesJamal Crawford (calf) out
Head CoachDoc Rivers
Game Notes Doc Rivers and the Clippers complete a 3 game road trip with a visit to the Celtics. This is the second and final meeting between these two teams this season. The Celtics lost the first game in LA 93-102 back in January. The Clippers have beaten the Knicks and Sixers in their first two games on the trip.
The Celtics are hot in the playoff race and every game is a must win if they want to remain in the playoffs. The Nets, who are coming off a win over the Cavs and who are just 1/2 game behind the Celtics host the Lakers. The Nets are likely to win that one and if the Celtics lose, they will drop to 9th, with the Nets moving into 8th. Indiana is hosting Dallas and Miami is hosting Detroit and both teams may very well win as well.
The Clippers, on the other hand, have clinched their playoff spot in the West. They are the 5th seed and can not move up any since the top 4 spots are occupied by the division leaders. Golden State leads the Clippers by 11.5 games in the Pacific division and so the Clippers won't be moving into the top 5. The Spurs are 1.5 games behind the Clippers in the 6th spot and so the Clippers should be motivated to keep winning so as to keep home court in their opening round.
The Celtics are 18-18 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They have won just 2 of their last 6 games. The Clippers are 21-15 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They bring a 6 game win streak into this game with the Celtics. The Celtics ended the Pacers 7 game win streak and maybe they can do the same for the Clippers 6 game streak.
The Clippers are without former 6th man of the year, Jamal Crawford with a calf injury, but other than that, they are at full strength. The Celtics are missing Jared Sullinger who remains out with the foot injury. They were happy to see Isaiah Thomas approaching his former self against the Knicks and he will be needed in this one.
Key Matchups vs
Brandon Bass vs Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin can be a one man wrecking crew if the Celtics don't play tough defense and slow him down. He is averaging 21.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. In the first meeting between these teams, Griffin had 22 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. The Celtics must find a way to limit his production.
vs
Tyler Zeller vs DeAndre Jordan
Jordan is one of those old style centers who can do a lot of damage around the basket on both ends of the court. He is averaging 11.3 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks. In the first game, Jordan finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks. The Celtics have got to find a way to keep him from getting comfortable in the paint.
Honorable MentionMarcus Smart vs Chris Paul
Paul is one of the best point guards in the game today. He is averaging 18.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 10.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He will definitely present a challenge to the Celtics back court along with JJ Redick. If ever a strong defensive effort was needed by both Smart and Bradley, it is in this game.
Brad Stevens vs Doc Rivers
The new coach vs the previous coach. Doc won the first three meetings with his former team. Can Brad get the upper hand in this one?
Keys to the Game Energy and Effort - The Celtics have to come out with energy and have to play harder than the Clippers. Anything less than 100% effort from every Celtic will be needed to get a win in this one. They are capable of playing well enough to beat the Clippers, but they can't come out with less than their best. If they play like they did against the Heat or even the Knicks, they will get blown out.
Defense - The Clippers are a high scoring team, averaging 106.4 points per game, good for 2nd in the league. The Celtics have played excellent defense in spurts but to slow down the Clippers, they have to play tough team defense from start to finish. They can't allow the Clippers to get easy baskets.
Rebound - The Celtics can't score if they don't have the ball. Rebounding will be tough against the Clippers big front line, but much of rebounding is effort and desire and so the Celtics must put out the extra effort on the boards to give themselves extra possessions as well as to limit the Clippers fast break opportunities and second chance points. The Clippers will easily turn rebounds into points. If the Celtics can defend well and force the Clippers to miss shots, they will have a good shot at getting the rebounds if Doc still has his team head back on defense as soon as the shot goes up.
Set the Pace - The Celtics have got to run up the court on every opportunity and not walk it up. They also have to keep the ball moving and not over dribble. They have to make the extra pass to find the open man but also make smart passes and not turn the ball over.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics seem to play very well at times, sometimes starting off strong and sometimes finishing strong. But then at other times, they seem to fade away and can't seem to do anything right. They have to make an effort to play hard and keep their focus from the starting tip until the final buzzer. They have to keep their focus and make their shots and keep the ball moving.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be aggressive on both ends of the court. They have to be the more aggressive team going for loose balls, on defense, on the boards, and in going to the hoop. The Celtics will be aggressive at times and then be timid at other times. They have to be the more aggressive team throughout the game.
X-Factors
Focus and Home The Celtics must be focused on this game and keep their focus on the game. They tend to lose focus at times and miss free throws and open shots. They have to stay focused if they want to win this game and stay in the playoff race. They are playing at home and so they should get a boost from the home crowd as well as from the fact that the Clippers may be a bit road weary at the end of a road trip.
Topic: Clippers (48-25) at Celtics (32-40) Game #73 3/29/15 (Read 34902 times)