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Cleveland Cavaliers (3-0) at Boston Celtics (0-3)
Sunday, April 26, 2015
1:00 PM ET
Round 1 Game #4
TV: ABC, TSN2
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WTAM 1100
TD Garden
Probable Starters 
PG: Evan Turner................... SG: Avery Bradley
C: Tyler Zeller
SF: Jae Crowder........... PF: Jonas Jerebko
Celtics ReservesGerald Wallace
Jae Crowder
Phil Pressey
Jared Sullinger
Kelly Olynyk
Isaiah Thomas
Jonas Jerebko
Gigi Datome
James Young
Chris Babb
InjuriesJonas Jerebko (calf) probable
Jared Sullinger (tailbone) probable
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Probable Starters 
PG: Kyrie Irving................ SG: J.R.Smith
C: Timofey Mozgov
SF: LeBron James................. PF: Kevin Love
Cavs ReservesMike Miller
Tristan Thompson
Joe Harris
Matthew Dellavedova
Iman Shumpert
James Jones
Brendan Haywood
Shawn Marion
Kendrick Perkins
Iman Shumpert
InjuriesAnderson Varejao (Achilles) out
Head CoachDavid Blatt
Game Notes The Celtics will try to avoid being eliminated in their first round series as they host the Cavaliers in game 4. The Celtics have challenged the Cavs in the first three game but have come up short in all three, although they have come closer to a win with each game.
The talk after the Celtics Saturday practice was that there would be a change in the starting lineup as Brad Stevens tries to get more rebounding and energy into the starting lineup. Although the coach wouldn't confirm the changes, Evan Turner, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Jonas Jerebko, and Tyler Zeller were wearing the green practice jerseys that usually signify the starters while Marcus Smart and Brandon Bass were wearing white jerseys.
The Turner, Bradley, Crowder, Jerebko, Zeller lineup was the Celtics' most effective lineup in Thursday's Game 3 loss. They recorded a collective plus 10 rating in 15 minutes together. That was the lineup that Brad Stevens started the second half with and they played very well together.
In Game 2, Jonas Jerebko was limited by a sore calf muscle but he played well in game 3 and practiced with the starters on Saturday. Jared Sullinger sat out Saturday's practice with an injury to his tailbone that he sustained in game 3. Although he struggled on Saturday, he is listed as probable for game 4. Sullinger finally seemed to be getting his timing back in game 3 and hopefully this won't be a setback for him.
The Cavs are holding the Celtics to .431 shooting in the series, while shooting .450 themselves. The Celtics will need to shoot better and if their jumpers aren't falling, find a way to get into the paint. The Celtics improved on the boards in game 3, but they are going to need an even better effort in this game, especially down the stretch.
No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in the playoffs and not many have hopes that these Celtics will be the first to do so. But, even one win in the series would be a big boost for this young team. Hopefully the Celtics can put it all together in this game to keep the Cavs from celebrating in the Garden.
Key Matchups vs
Avery Bradley vs Kyrie Irving
Although Evan Turner is expected to start at the point and Avery Bradley at the two, expect Bradley to get the task of guarding Irving and Turner will be on JR Smith. Irving wasn't quite as effective in game 3 as he was in games 1 and 2 and hopefully, they will be able to slow him down again in this game.
vs
Jae Crowder vs LeBron James
Although it's next to impossible to stop LeBron, Jae has been pretty good in slowing him down somewhat and making him work for everything he gets. It will be key once again to slow him down and make him work on both ends of the court.
Honorable Mention Jonas Jerebko vs Kevin Love
Love had his first big game in Game 3 and it will be important for the Celtics to slow him down and keep him from getting comfortable. Jonas will also have to go at him on the offensive end and make him work harder on defense.
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 both in the paint and beyond the arc. The Cavs have won 30 of their last 31 games when they reach 100 points. The Celtics have to find a way to play tougher defense and to slow them down.
Rebound - The Celtics 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 47-39 in Game 2. They tied the Cavs with 45 rebounds a piece in game 3. They allowed the Cavs to get key offensive rebounds in down the stretch in all 3 games. 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 are young and deep and should be able to run the entire game. When the game slows down, it plays to the Cavs strengths. The Celtics need to try to keep that from happening.
Play with Effort and Be Aggressive- The Celtics 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. Hopefully the change in the starting unit will allow them to be more aggressive from the start. 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. The Celtics have 40 turnovers in the 3 games and they need to cut that number down.
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 shot just 27% from beyond the arc in game 2 and just 30% from beyond the arc for the series and that isn't good enough. They 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.
X-Factors Officiating and Poise The officiating is always an X-Factor, especially when playing the Cavs. The first two games were called in Cleveland's favor but game 3 was called fairly even, letting both teams play. Hopefully this game will once again be called fairly.
Brad Stevens called the Celtics out for lack of poise after game 3. The effort was there but, being a young team lacking experience, they could use a bit more poise, especially down the stretch. They can't let themselves get rattled and just have to keep working and playing hard.
Topic: Cavaliers (3-0) at Celtics (0-3) Round 1 Game #4 4/26/15 (Read 87281 times)