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Boston Celtics (9-3) at Toronto Raptors (4-9)
Sunday, November 21
1:00 PM ET
Game #13 Away Game #7
TV: CSNNE, SNET, LP-751
Radio: WEEI, CJCL
Air Canada CentreProbable Starters PGSGSFPFCPG: Rajon Rondo 10.9 PPG, 14.9 APG .2.6 SPG
SG: Ray Allen 18.1 PPG, 2.6 APG, .445 3P%
SF: Paul Pierce 21.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.7 APG
PF: Kevin Garnett 15.6 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 0.5 BPG
C: Shaquille O'Neal 10.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 0.3 BPG
Boston Bench Mob Marquis Daniels
Glen Davis
Semih Erden
Luke Harangody
Delonte West
Nate Robinson
Von Wafer
Avery Bradley
Injured Kendrick Perkins (knee) out
Jermaine O'Neal (knee) out
Rajon Rondo (hamstring) questionable
Probable StartersPGSGSFPFCPG: Jarrett Jack 11.3 PPG, 4.3 APG, 1.2 SPG
SG: DeMar DeRozan 12.9 PPG, 1.7 APG, .125 3P%
SF: Sonny Weems 14.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.1 APG
PF: Reggie Evans 2.7 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 0.2 PPG
C: Andrea Bargnani 20.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 0.8 BPG
Raptors BenchSolomon Alabi
David Anderson
Marcus Banks
Joey Dorsey
Jose Calderon
Amir Johnson
Sonny Weems
Julian Wright
Injuries Ed Davis (knee) out
Leandro Barbosa (shoulder) probable
Team ConnectionsMarcus Banks was drafted by the Celtics and played for them from 2003-06
Reggie Evans and Ray Allen were teammates in Seattle from 2003-06
Jarrett Jack and Marquis Daniels were teammates in Indiana during the 2008-09 season
Julian Wright and Paul Piece both attended the University of Kansas
Leandro Barbosa and Shaquille O’Neal were teammates in Phoenix during the2008-09 season
Von Wafer and Linas Kleiza were teammates in Denver during the 2007-08 season
Kevin Garnett and Marcus Banks were teammates in Minnesota during the 2006-07 season
Jermaine O’Neal played in Toronto during the 2008-09 season
Key Matchups vs
Shaquille O'Neal vs Andrea Bargnani
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Reggie Evans
Bargnani doesn't venture inside very much and is more of a finesse center while Reggie Evans plays inside more. I expect KG to cover Bargnani, who is the Raptors' leading scorer and Shaq to cover Evans, who is their leading rebounder. Both of these matchups should favor the Celtics.
Honorable MentionRajon Rondo vs Jarrett Jack
Rondo injured his hamstring in the game against the Thunder so it's not even certain he will be playing in this game. If he does and if he is healthy, this matchup should favor the Celtics. If Rondo can't go, a Delonte West vs Jack matchup should also be in the Celtics favor.
Keys to the Game Rebound - The Celtics were out-rebounded by the Thunder 37-31. With their size, the Celtics should never be out-rebounded and so it comes down to effort and desire. The Celtics have got to crash the boards to prevent second chance points. Rebounding takes effort and when they aren't winning the battle of the boards, they aren't putting the effort out in other areas either.
Focus - The Celtics clearly lacked focus vs the Thunder and they must avoid these lapses against teams they should beat. It's a bad habit to get into to play up or down to the competition because by playing down to teams. This was a problem they had last season and hopefully won't become a problem again this season.
Defense - The Celtics must make defense their first priority. They won the championship with defense and if they win this season, it will be with defense. They have been playing defense in spurts but they must get back to playing lock down defense from start to finish. Half way just won't get it done.
Game NotesThe Celtics are coming off a very uninspired loss to the Thunder at home while the Raptors are coming off a victory over the Rockets. Both come into this game with one day of rest. The Celtics are 4-2 on the road while the Raptors are 2-3 at home.
This is the first of 4 meetings for these two teams this season. They won't have to wait long for a rematch as they will face off again on Friday in Boston. This should be an easy win for the Celtics but they are going to have to play better than they did against the Thunder or they could be in for another surprise.
Odd FactThey were named the Toronto Raptors following a contest. The name Raptors was popular after the dino-mania created by the movie Jurassic Park and won over all other submissions.
X-Factor Injuries and Effort
Rondo, Pierce and KG all suffered injuries of one form or another during the OKC game. KG (goose egg), and Pierce (leg) should both be available but a hamstring injury is something that needs to be taken serious and if Rondo isn't able to go, that is a big problem for the Celtics. Hopefully Delonte would be up to the task of running the offense. However, even if they are all healthy, if they don't give a better effort than they did in their last game, they may be in for an upset.