Thunder (20-52) at Celtics (55-19) 3/29

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Oklahoma City Thunder (20-52) at Boston Celtics (55-19)
Sunday, March 29
7:00 PM ET
Game #74,  Home Game #36
TV:  CSN HD, KSBI, NBA LP 755
TD Banknorth Garden



Probable Starters

Rajon Rondo/Ray Allen/Paul Pierce/Glen Davis*/Kendrick Perkins
*Doc said that he is doubtful that KG will play in this one.  He may surprise is and make a game time decision to play him, but we will probably see Big Baby in the starting lineup again.

Reserves
Glen Davis
Eddie House
Gabe Pruitt
Bill Walker
Stephon Marbury
Mikki Moore

Injuries:
Tony Allen (thumb) out
Brian Scalabrine (head) out
Leon Powe (knee) out




Probable Starters

Russell Westbrook/Kyle Weaver/Kevin Durant/Jeff Green/Nick Collison

Reserves
Thabo Sefolosha
Nenad Krstic
Chucky Atkins
Malik Rose
Robert Swift
Earl Watson
Damien Wilkins

Injuries
Desmond Mason (knee)  out
DJ White  (jaw)  out 

Connections
hese two teams are connected by several players and transactions.   Jeff Green, their starting small forward was picked by the Celtics in the draft and promptly traded to Seattle to bring Ray Allen to Boston.  Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak, the two players who came along with the draft pick are no longer with the team as they were traded to Cleveland in the middle of last season.

 Another connection has been Robert Swift.  There have been countless stories and rumors about Danny's infatuation with Swift.   It was said that Danny very much wanted Swift but had to settle for Big Al when Seattle grabbed Swift ahead of him.   Big Al was a key to bringing KG to Boston and is one of the most promising young big men in the league.  Meanwhile, Swift has been plagued with injuries and has not played in games so far this season. 

Key Matchups
  vs 
Paul Pierce   PPG 20.2 RPG 5.80 APG 3.7 EFF + 18.99
Kevin Durant     PPG 25.9 RPG 6.60 APG 2.9 EFF + 23.40
Last year's #2 overall draft pick has been a bright spot for the Thunder this season and can score from pretty much anywhere on the court.  Pierce will have a hard time trying to contain him, but on the other hand,  Durant stands little chance of stopping Pierce either. 

Honorable Mention
Bench vs Bench
With KG and Rondo still affected with injuries, the Celtics' bench players should see more playing time in this one. And Big Baby may be called on again to play big minutes.   Hopefully they will be up to the task. 

Game Notes
The Celtics won in Oklahoma City 96-83 and so should have no trouble beating them in Boston.   The Thunder are 6-28 on the road while the Celtics are 29-6 at home. 

Keys to the Game
Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics must take better care of the ball and reduce their turnovers.  This would be a good game to get that done. 

Rebound - The Celtics need to crash the boards and keep the Thunder from getting second chance points. 

Defense - The Celtics have yet to get back to their pre-All Star Break defense.  They have to concentrate on getting their defensive intensity back as defense wins championships.  We saw it in most of the Hawks game but they let the Hawks back in the game in the 4th quarter.  They have to get back to playing defense for 48 minutes. 

X-Factor
Focus and Effort
If the Celtics take this team seriously, they should be able to beat them, even without KG.  But, if they come in expecting this to be a cakewalk and don't put forth the effort, they could be surprised by a young Thunder team. 

[Hoyo de Monterrey]

TP!

YES! First in!

[celticinorlando]

home swet home...hopefully they will break the sunday jinx

[ACF]

TP once again 

[greenwise]

Let's get win #56!

[greenwise]

So, according to the front page maybe Rondo doesn't play either...

Will this be the starting 5?:

Marbury
Allen
Pierce
Davis
Perkins

[celticinorlando]

i actually don't mind sitting rondo...i think steph is getting close and might have a really good game tonight...i would sit KG and rondo until the hawks game friday

[Hoyo de Monterrey]

i actually don't mind sitting rondo...i think steph is getting close and might have a really good game tonight...i would sit KG and rondo until the hawks game friday

Agreed... You don't win titles against crappy teams in March. The number one priority is and should continue to be get people healthy for the games that really matter.

[Txusberg]

Today it's a great opportunity to see if Marbury is really back or Friday's game was only an illusion. As a Celtics fan I was really excited to see him hitting those 3's and passing well but we need him to be consistent, and playing extended minutes against the Thunder will be huge for him. OKC Thunder is playing good basketball lately and they are a young and talented team and i don't expect a blow out but we need this win more than they do. So let's put the effort and the win is ours!!
Go Celts!

[nickagneta]

As much as the 2 seed would be preferable for a series against the Magic, it really doesn't matter one iota if we win another game this year. We'll be playing one of three games depending on seeding Philly, Miami or Detroit. We will then be playing Orlando, barring an upset against Orlando. Then onto Cleveland with Clevelad having HCA.

We could win every game or lose every game and the only thing that is going to change in the above scenario is HCA against Orlando. Given that I don't feel that HCA matters versus that particular team in determining the likelihood of the outcome, I only care that the Celtics get healthy and in sync and that Doc gets his playoff roatations down and working well by the time of Game 1 in the first round. The last thing this team needs is another 7 game opening series.

[Rondo_is_better]

As much as the 2 seed would be preferable for a series against the Magic, it really doesn't matter one iota if we win another game this year. We'll be playing one of three games depending on seeding Philly, Miami or Detroit. We will then be playing Orlando, barring an upset against Orlando. Then onto Cleveland with Clevelad having HCA.

We could win every game or lose every game and the only thing that is going to change in the above scenario is HCA against Orlando. Given that I don't feel that HCA matters versus that particular team in determining the likelihood of the outcome, I only care that the Celtics get healthy and in sync and that Doc gets his playoff roatations down and working well by the time of Game 1 in the first round. The last thing this team needs is another 7 game opening series.

Well said. TP for FL and Nick.

All I'd like to see tonight is for Stephon to build on last night, and start solidifying his position as a very solid backup. This game, and this week in general, since the team is home the whole seven days, is just a nice little break in the action that we can use to get healthy and primed for playoff competion. Let's see if Glen Davis can continue to play the same outstanding basketball he has played for the last few weeks. Go Celtics.

[Rondo_is_better]

Also, does anyone have any information on Kyle Weaver? He was at one of the Washington schools, right? What's his game like? If he's who I'm thinking of he's a good defender...

[silvershamrocker]

After this game the C's have only 2 games in 9 nights. It'll be nice to get rested and healthy.

[celticinorlando]

and orlando is getting ready to play at miami tonight, toronto, cleveland, at houston at atlanta....cant see them winning all those games

[Drucci]

After this game the C's have only 2 games in 9 nights. It'll be nice to get rested and healthy.

That's some good news, the team will have plenty of time to rest and to practice with all the active players, I'm not sure they had the opportunity already to do that with Marbury, Moore and KG reunited.

I don't know what to expect of tonight's game. I'd say that the C's will win it considering that it's a night game (and not a sunday afternoon) and that they are playing at home but the Thunder can be tough, especially when KG and Rondo don't play. Anyway, TP for the preview and let's go C's!