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Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« on: February 09, 2011, 12:06:21 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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Los Angeles Lakers (35-16) at Boston Celtics (38-13)
Thursday, February 10
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #52, Home Game #29
TV:  TNT, TSN2
Radio:  WEEI, KSPN
TD Garden




Probable Starters
Point Guard:  Rajon Rondo   ----------------   Shooting Guard:  Ray Allen


Center:  Kendrick Perkins  


Small Forward:  Paul Pierce  ------------------ Power Forward: Kevin Garnett


Celtics Reserves
Glen Davis
Nate Robinson
Luke Harangody
Avery Bradley
Von Wafer

Injuries:
Marquis Daniels (Spine)  out
Delonte West (wrist)  out
Jermaine O'Neal (knee)  out
Shaquille O'Neal (Achilles)  day to day
Semih Erden (abductor)  questionable



Probable Starters
Point Guard:  Derek Fisher -------------------- Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant


Center: Andrew Bynum  


Small Forward: Ron Artest -------------------- Power Forward: Pau Gasol


Lakers Reserves
Lamar Odom
Steve Blake
Shannon Brown
Luke Walton
Derrick Character
Devin Eubanks
Joe Smith

Injuries
Matt Barnes (knee)  out
Theo Ratliff  (knee)  out  

Key Matchups
Let's face it, every matchup is crucial in this game.  But I think some may benefit the Celtics the most if we can get the upper hand in them.  

 vs  
Rajon Rondo vs Derek Fisher
We know that Rondo sets the tone and the pace for the Celtics.  As Rondo goes so go the Celtics.  When Rondo is aggressive on both ends of the court the Celtics are a much better team.  The Celtics need Rondo to be aggressive in driving to the hoop and in finding the open man.  He needs to set the pace of the game and keep the ball moving on offense.  Kobe will probably be guarding him most of the time rather than Fisher and the more active and aggressive he is, the more tired Kobe will be down the stretch.  If Fisher guards him, he should be able to get past him at will.  

 vs  
Kevin Garnett vs Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol is the Lakers 2nd option on offense.  More often than not, Pau has played tentatively and lets KG get into his head.   KG has to keep the upper hand and keep Pau on his heels and off his game.  The Celtics will need KG's defense especially but they will also need him to hit those midrange shots that seem so automatic for him at times.  

Honorable Mention
Kendrick Perkins vs Andrew Bynum
Perk needs to be aggressive in boxing out Bynum and in  going after rebounds.   He also needs to keep Bynum from getting to the basket on offense.   If Perk and KG can keep the Lakers' big men from their spots and from getting into a rhythm, the Celtics have a good chance of pulling out the win.  

Paul Pierce vs Ron Artest
Pierce went off for 32 points in the first meeting between these two teams.  It would be great if Pierce could go off again in this game but if Artest suddenly finds his defense, Pierce needs to become the facilitator and find his teammates for open shots rather than try to force things.  

Ray Allen vs Kobe Bryant
Ray did a good job of covering Kobe in the last game and will have to put out another good defensive showing in this game along with running his defender off of a bazillion screens to get open.  An added wrinkle in this game will be Ray's quest for the record.  He needs just 2 more 3's to take the all time 3 point record from Reggie Miller.  It should be a very emotional moment if and when he gets that record.  Hopefully it won't distract the Celtics but will rattle the Lakers.  

Big Baby Davis vs Lamar Odom
Big Baby needs to have a huge game in this one.  With all of the injuries and the short bench,  Big Baby must come up big.  It isn't clear whether Lamar wears his new perfume or not, but regardless, he is a big part of the Lakers rotation and along with scoring,  Big Baby must defend Odom and keep him from having a big game.  

Game Notes
Just 11 days after the Celtics beat the Lakers in LA, these two rivals meet once again, this time in Boston.   In their first meeting, Perk was just coming back and came off the bench while Shaq started.  Shaq failed to score, picked up five fouls and recorded two turnovers in 12:42 of action but he did pull down 6 rebounds.  Shaq is doubtful for this one and Perk is back in the starting lineup and with 8 games under his belt, hopefully is ready to man the middle in this game because the Celtics are very thin at center with Shaq, JO, and Semih all sidelined with various injuries.  

Also in that game, Rondo had a very quiet first half but came alive in the second half to bring the Celtics back from a 7 point deficit and to lead them to the 13 point win.  The Celtics will need Rondo to be aggressive from the beginning in this one because the Lakers can't be expected to fold down the stretch in both games.  So the Celtics need to get off to a good start.  

Kobe had 38 points in the first meeting between these two teams.  But, the key stat is that he didn't have a single assist as he tried to win the game on his own.  The Lakers as a team had just 10 assists while the Celtics as a team dished out 34 dimes.   A key in this game will be whether Kobe tries early to get his teammates involved and whether they respond.   It is always better for the Celtics when Kobe goes into hero mode.  

The Lakers have won their last 2 games while the Celtics are coming off a loss to the Bobcats.   When last they met, the Celtics were coming off an embarrassing loss to the Suns while the Lakers were coming off an equally embarrassing loss to the Kings.  Both teams have had 2 days off prior to this meeting.  The Lakers are 5-5 in their last 10 games and 16-8 on the road while the Celtics are 7-3 in their last 10 and 23-4 at home.

The Celtics bench is depleted with injuries to 3 of their centers, Delonte and now Quisy.   The remaining reserves must step up in this one to give the starters enough rest to be able to execute down the stretch.  Adding drama to this game (as if it needed any more) will be Ray needing just 2 3's to take the all time 3 point record.  Hopefully that won't distract Ray or the Celtics and they will use it as incentive to  come out and take control and use the home crowd to carry them to a sweep of the hated Fakers.  

Keys to the Game
Defense -  Defense is the key to winning this game and to winning Banner 18.    Perk and KG must be active and vocal on defense and they have to set the tone for the rest of the team.   If the Celtics want to win this game they must clamp down on defense.  

Rebound
- Rebounding is second only to defense as a key to winning.  The Celtics allowed the Bobcats to out rebound them 50-37.  On the other hand, in the first game between these two teams, the Celtics out rebounded the Lakers 43-30 and it showed in the final score.  Rebounding is effort and desire and the Celtics must put out the effort on the boards and it will carry over in other areas of their game.  

Run the Offense -  The Celtics must move the ball and run their offense.  When players try to do too much on their own and play hero ball,  they will rarely win.  When they move the ball and find the open man, they are very hard to beat.   The Celtics had 34 assists in the first meeting between these two teams while the Lakers had just 10.  Team beats the individual every time.  

Bench Play - The Celtics bench must come through for them in this game.  Even though the bench is depleted, the players who are left have got to do their part.  The Celtics bench was outscored 44-15 by the Bobcats bench, which isn't even that strong of a bench.  They have to give more in this game because the Lakers bench certainly will.  

Effort and Focus - Neither has been a problem for the Celtics in the big games so far.  They seem to lack both against the sub-.500 teams that they should beat but against the contenders, so far they have always come to play.   They have to give an extra effort in this one to make up for all the injured players.  

X-Factors
Home Court, Records,  and the Officials
The Celtics beat the Lakers on their floor and now the Celtics have the home court advantage.  They have to let the crowd give them a boost.  Also, the hoopla surrounding Ray's record 3's may go either way.  That kind of thing can sometimes hurt the home team and can sometimes distract the opponent.   Hopefully in this one, the Celtics don't let it distract them from the goal and at the same time we can only hope it will be a distraction for the Lakers.   Finally, there is no doubt that referees can affect the outcome of a game.  If they let them play in this one, I like the Celtics chances, but that is a big IF!

« Last Edit: February 09, 2011, 02:41:01 PM by FLCeltsFan »

Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2011, 12:19:09 PM »

Offline angryguy77

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BRING IT ON!!!!!
Still don't believe in Joe.

Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2011, 12:25:50 PM »

Offline j804

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TP FLCeltsFan -  ;)

You are spot on, on the whole breakdown let's take it to these Fakers




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Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2011, 12:28:51 PM »

Offline JerseyKid.

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This is a match thats going to show us all of strengths and weakness's. We are really going to show what we are missing with all these injuries. And as much as i hope to be wrong, i can't imagine Pierce playing as well as he did last time against them. He was flawless. Now with all the attention on Ray's record , ill bet my savings that they keep extra tabs on Ray all night long. Plus im sure Phil is telling Pau/Bynum/Kobe to drive and get fouled to get Perk off the floor. Pau/Bynum will have a field day with BBD at center.

This is going to be a scary game to say the least, and im hoping the C's rest has been filled lots of motivation since we are going to need every piece of heart this team has.

Best of luck C's, come out swinging. Start strong, end strong.


Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2011, 12:29:33 PM »

Offline celticinorlando

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Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2011, 12:32:41 PM »

Offline celticinorlando

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i am not sure the injuries will hurt us that much vs LA....shaq did zero in the first game and didn't play much. daniels minutes need to be figured out...but i think boston will be fine. not really afraid of anything this LA team brings. i expect gasol to shy away again...bynum will get 10-12 points...artest is just artest...which leaves kobe playing hero ball..and fisher will flop around like he does so well...

key to to control odom off the bench. other than him...there is nobody on the bench worth a crap....


lakers have nobody that can guard ray and rondo...if kobe takes ray...rondo will torch fisher...if kobe takes rondo...ray will run fisher ragged like he does everytime they play
« Last Edit: February 09, 2011, 12:40:22 PM by celticinorlando »

Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2011, 12:45:09 PM »

Offline Fafnir

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I worry without Shaq/Semih about going with a three man big rotation, not ideal. But given the rest before and after shouldn't be a huge deal.

The match up I want to watch is how well Ron Artest plays. Paul Pierce beat him up badly, does Artest bounce back?

Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #7 on: February 09, 2011, 12:47:13 PM »

Offline celticinorlando

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if rondo attacks like he did vs orlando...boston will win easily.

Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2011, 01:10:58 PM »

Offline Fafnir

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if rondo attacks like he did vs orlando...boston will win easily.
I think the key is how well the C's play defensively. You can't expect Kobe be so incredibly hot again, so does a second Laker do much offensively?

Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2011, 01:16:20 PM »

Offline GreenFaith1819

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TP to FLCeltsFan and thanks for post!

Broom in hand....getting anxious about tomorrow night!

Let's do it, C's!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhfDCs5hjsM

Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #10 on: February 09, 2011, 03:02:15 PM »

Offline celticinorlando

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shaq abd erden are out,,,Pierce didn't practice today b/c he isn't feeling good...will play tomorrow though...west is pushing to play ala perk

Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #11 on: February 09, 2011, 03:17:36 PM »

Offline Q_FBE

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My feeling on this is make Kobe be the hero and beat them with floor balance - much like what was shown down in the Forum a week ago Sunday.

This Ray Allen 3 point record thing is a distraction. Let us hope that the game is the focus instead of Ray Allen's record.

The LA Lakers will try like the dickens to win this one in Boston and deny the Celtics the satisfaction of a season series sweep. Boston will try like the dickens to win and reinforce their HCA and maintain the best record in the EC.

So I think we are set up for a Classic and the TNT execs have got to be licking their chops at the TV ratings this game will command. This game is way too close to call.
The beatings will continue until morale improves

Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #12 on: February 09, 2011, 03:19:17 PM »

Offline barefacedmonk

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Quote
Doc says no shaq or semih vs. #Lakers

BBD to back up KG and Perk. :-\ Don't want to see Luke going up against Gasol at all.

TP FL. Here's to a sweep.
"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching." - M.K. Gandhi


Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #13 on: February 09, 2011, 04:44:47 PM »

Offline CorruptWave

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It's nice how some sentiments are easier to share in the forums, isn't it? I'm starting to notice that.
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Re: Lakers (35-16) at Celtics (38-13) 2/10
« Reply #14 on: February 09, 2011, 04:50:28 PM »

Offline RebusRankin

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Two words: Beat LA!