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Boston Celtics (0-1) at Cleveland Cavaliers (1-0)
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
7:00 PM ET
Playoffs Round 1, Game 2
TV: TNT, CSNNE, FSOH, NBA-TV Canada
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 1100 WTAM
Quicken Loans Arena
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard 
vs
Marcus Smart vs Kyrie Irving
Shooting Guard 
vs
Avery Bradley vs JR Smith
Small Forward 
vs
Evan Turner vs LeBron James
Power Forward
vs
Brandon Bass vs Kevin Love
Center
vs
Tyler Zeller vs Timofey Mozgov
Celtics ReservesGerald Wallace
Jae Crowder
Phil Pressey
Jared Sullinger
Kelly Olynyk
Isaiah Thomas
Jonas Jerebko
Gigi Datome
James Young
Chris Babb
InjuriesNone
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Cavs ReservesMike Miller
Tristan Thompson
Joe Harris
Matthew Dellavedova
Iman Shumpert
James Jones
Brendan Haywood
Shawn Marion
Kendrick Perkins
InjuriesAnderson Varejao (Achilles) out
Head CoachDavid Blatt
Game Notes The Celtics will try to bounce back from their game 1 loss as they play game 2 Cleveland. The Celtics had a 45 minute film session before Monday's practice and the players were confident after practice that they could make the adjustments to give them a chance to win in this one.
Avery Bradley is one Celtic who struggled with his shot in game 1. He shot just 3-of-10 from the field and 1-of-6 from beyond the arc to finish with 7 points. It was just the third time in his last 19 games that Bradley had failed to crack double figures. Bradley has shown in the past that he bounces back after bad games and has vowed to do just that in this game.
The two first year coaches will be tested as they both plot adjustments. The Celtics will need to play near perfect basketball and they need to play with energy the entire game. They will need to overcome the talent disparity by playing harder, especially on the defensive end. Their youth and depth should help in that area.
Isaiah Thomas, who played very well in the first game, may have some extra motivation since he was beaten for the Sixth Man of the Year award by Toronto's Lou Williams. I expect a big game from him just because.
In spite of the officiating going decidedly the Cavs way, JR Smith had the nerve to complain about the officiating, saying that Avery Bradley was on Kobe's level and that you can't touch him. The only problem with that is that Avery got ZERO free throws and that definitely isn't a guy that gets all the calls like Kobe.
Key Matchups 
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Marcus Smart vs Kyrie Irving
Irving is one of the top point guards in the league and had his way with the Celtics in the first game, scoring 30 points, including 5 of 9 from beyond the arc. Smart will need to adjust and play tough defense to try to slow him down.
vs
Evan Turner vs LeBron James
LeBron James is tough for any team to cover. In game 1, the Celtics concentrated on slowing him down and he chose to get his teammates more involved. He still scored 20 points on 8-18 shooting. Expect Jae Crowder and Brandon Bass to both share in covering James and slowing him down. They will also need to make James work harder on the defensive end.
Honorable MentionBrandon Bass vs Kevin Love
Love struggled at the beginning of game 1 but came on strong at the end. He is capable of hitting from beyond the arc and can stretch the floor as well as to rebound and take the ball inside. LeBron has said that he wants to keep Love involved and that means that the Celtics need to work harder to cover him.
Keys to the Game Defense Defense Defense!! The Celtics must play tough defense and concentrate on getting stops. They need to pick up their defensive intensity, especially beyond the arc where the Cavs excelled in game 1. The Cavs are 19-0 when they shoot over 40% from beyond the arc. They shot 41.9% on threes in game 1 and the Celtics will need to tighten up their defense on the perimeter. The Cavs are 24-0 at home when they score 100+ points. It will be very important for the Celtics to play tough defense on the Cavs and concentrate on getting stops.
Rebound - The Celtics can't score if they don't have the ball. They must crash the boards as a team to prevent the Cavs from getting second chance and fast break points. They also need to rebound to give themselves extra possessions and to fuel their running game. They were out-rebounded 46-34 in the first game and boxing out and crashing the boards must be a priority in this game.
Run! Run! Run! - The Celtics need to push the pace of the game and keep the Cavs running. If they do, they will have a chance to get some easy points before the Cavs defense sets up. The Celtics ran in the first half of game 1 and they were able to build a lead. Then when they slowed the game down, the Cavs were able to take over. The Celtics are young and deep and should be able to run the entire game. When the game slows down, it plays to the Cavs strengths.
Play with Effort - The Celtics have been winning games by putting out more effort than their opponents. They don't have the talent that the Cavs do, so they have to make up for it with effort and aggressiveness. They can't afford to come out with less than a full 100% effort. They have to be the first to get to loose balls and rebounds, and they have to be the team that works harder if they want to have a chance to win this game. There can be no let up!!
Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics need to move the ball and find the open man. But, in doing so, they have to keep their focus and avoid turning the ball over. When the Celtics turn the ball over, the Cavs get easy baskets. The Celtics must take care of the ball and avoid careless turnovers and at the same time, they have to keep it moving and not hold it or over dribble.
Go to the Hoop - The Celtics need to go to the hoop and get into the paint. 3-pointers are nice and all but when they aren't falling, they can take a team right out of a game. The Celtics need to drive more and not rely as much on shooting from beyond the arc, especially when they aren't falling. Of course, hopefully they will be hitting their 3's. Also, they can't expect to get calls when they drive because more often than not, the calls won't be made so they need to go strong to the hoop.
X-Factors
Cavs at Home and OfficiatingThe Cavs are 11-5 at home vs the Celtics all time in the playoffs. They have played very well there all season and even though their crowd isn't one of the greatest, they still give them an advantage. The Celtics need to use the hostile environment as motivation to play together and play better.
The officiating was definitely tilted toward the Cavs in the first game. Even the national TV announcers constantly mentioned the bad calls against the Celtics and the no calls on the Cavs, especially the fact that LeBron constantly got away with fouling with no calls. It may be too much to expect them to call the game fairly and call LeBron for his fouls. But we can only hope.
Topic: Celtics (0-1) at Cavaliers (1-0) Round 1 Game 2 4/21/15 (Read 82640 times)