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NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« on: June 11, 2008, 09:11:16 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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Boston Celtics (2-1, 14-9)  at  Los Angeles Lakers (1-2, 13-5)
NBA Finals Game 4
Thursday, June 12
9:00 PM ET
TV:  ABC
Staples Center



Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs 
Rajon Rondo vs Derek Fisher

Shooting Guard
  vs 
Ray Allen vs Kobe Bryant 

Small Forward
  vs 
Paul Pierce vs Lamar Odom

Power Forward
  vs 
Kevin Garnett vs Vladimir Radmanovic

Center
  vs 
Kendrick Perkins vs Pau Gasol


Off the Bench:
Eddie House,  James Posey, Leon Powe,  Big Baby Davis, Tony Allen,   PJ Brown, Sam Cassell

Injuries
Scott Pollard, ankle, out
Paul Pierce, knee, will play
Kendrick Perkins, ankle, will play
Sam Cassell, wrist, will play
Rajon Rondo, ankle, game time decision   


Inactive

Gabe Pruitt
Brian Scalabrine


Off the Bench
Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar,  Luke Walton, Rony Turiaf, Ira Newble, Chris Mihm

Injuries
Andrew Bynum, knee, out
Trevor Ariza, foot, will play
Derek Fisher, partial tear in right foot tendon, will play
Kobe Bryant, torn ligament in finger, will play

Inactive
Coby Karl, DJ Mbenga

Key Matchups
  vs 
Paul Pierce vs Lamar Odom
Both Pierce and Odom struggled in game 3.  Paul Pierce has been playing excellent basketball up until this past game, even though he was injured.  Odom has struggled throughout the finals so far.  The Celtics need Pierce to pick up his game and have a big game in game 4 to win it.  He has always played very well in LA and hopefully he will continue that and take over game 4. 

  vs 
Ray Allen vs Kobe Bryant
Ray Allen had his offense going in game 3 and the Celtics will need him to continue shooting the ball well.  It is puzzling that Doc went away from Ray in the fourth quarter after he was so hot all game.  Doc also chose not to double Kobe at the end of the game and Ray was guarding him one on one.  With Kobe looking to be more aggressive, Ray's defense is even more important than his offense. 

Honorable Mention - Every matchup is key at this point of the series
Kevin Garnett vs Vladimir Radmanovic
KG must get his offense going in game 4.  He has to be more aggressive going to the hoop and stop settling for quick jumpers.  KG will be key to the game for the Celtics if he would be more aggressive and go to the basket.  It is hard to imagine both Pierce and Garnett having two bad games in a row.  I expect both to snap back and play well in this one. 

Rajon Rondo vs Derek Fisher
Rondo has had a great series so far.  He had his way in games 1 and 2  and then in game 3, Phil Jackson switched Kobe on Rondo.  and he wasn't quite as dominant but still held his own in spite of having Kobe on him until he sprained his ankle.  Rondo says he will play in game 4 but Doc has said that he won't play him unless he is 100%.  Hopefully he is a fast healer as the Celtics need him on the court. 

Kendrick Perkins vs Pau Gasol
Perk has been playing great defense and is one of the reasons that Odom and Gasol are both struggling.  Perk needs to continue to play that kind of defense and the Celtics can look to get him the ball inside for some easy offense. 

Keys to the Game
Be Aggressive
 The Lakers were the more aggressive team in game 3 and they got the majority of calls.  The Celtics need to turn the tables and be the more aggressive team in game 4.  They must go to the hoop every chance they get and not settle for jumpers.  This may be the most important key to the game.  They have to aggressively attack the basket.    They also  have to be aggressive in going after loose balls and rebounds. and they have to be more aggressive on defense.   

Play 48 Minutes
The Celtics have to come out strong and not let up.  The Lakers can put up points very quickly and if the Celtics let up, they will take advantage.  If the Celtics want to win this game they must go all out for 48 minutes and leave it all on the court.

Defense
Defense wins championships plain and simple.  The Celtics must play swarming team defense that made them the best defensive team in the league this season.  They can't outscore the Lakers for the most part and so they have to get stops and prevent the Laker from getting easy shots.

Rebound
The Celtics out rebounded the Lakers by just 1 in game 3 and they have to be more aggressive in going after rebounds.  The Lakers got way too many second chance baskets.  Playing Perk and Powe a little more might help in this area.  Perk was playing very well in game 3 and yet Doc didn't play him in the 4th and Powe played only 6 minutes.   

Ball Movement
The Celtics must move the ball and find the open man.  In game 3, it was the Lakers with the good ball movement.  The Celtics seemed to hold the ball too long and it seemed as though players were trying to do it themselves.   Sam must run the offense instead of shooting every time down.  That really seems to kill the offensive flow.  They have to get back to moving the ball and and playing unselfish ball. 

X-Factors
Injuries
The injuries to Pierce, Perk, and particularly Rondo may be a factor in this game.  If Rondo can't go or can't play 100%, this would be huge for the Celtics.   Pierce and Perk have been playing with their injuries but these may also have been aggravated by the plane trip and playing on them.  The Celtics need Rondo, plain and simple. 

Focus and Intensity
The team that comes out more focused and plays with more intensity will win the game.  The games that the Celtics have lost in the playoffs have been the result of their lack of focus and intensity rather than the other teams beating them.  If the Celtics come out focused and play their game, they will win. 

Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #1 on: June 12, 2008, 12:10:05 AM »

Offline ma11l

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Ah gameday is officially upon us again.  Well in the eastern time zone anyways.  Hope Paul's mama broke out her extra secret home cooking recipe for this one. 

I'm feeling good about this one.  I think we're in for one heck of a basketball game, both teams will be ready to bring it after dismal performances in Game 3. 

Goodnight all, need to get some sleep for this one.  Beat LA!
"Take this down," said O'Neal. "My name is Shaquille O'Neal and Paul Pierce is the (expletive) truth. Quote me on that and don't take nothing out. I knew he could play, but I didn't know he could play like this. Paul Pierce is the truth."

Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2008, 12:20:34 AM »

Offline Eja117

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Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2008, 09:02:35 AM »

Offline DutchHoops

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C's with a 16 point spread. Money in the pocket. Game 4 is ours. Title will follow. PP is getting closer to his moment of Truth, he will grab it tonight.

Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2008, 09:23:28 AM »

Offline Hrvoje

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Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #5 on: June 12, 2008, 09:25:39 AM »

Offline Hrvoje

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No more Rocky please!

You hear me Redz?

Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #6 on: June 12, 2008, 10:04:22 AM »

Offline wdleehi

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No more Rocky please!

You hear me Redz?


How about this guy instead?




James Braddock.

Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #7 on: June 12, 2008, 01:41:46 PM »

Offline ACF

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BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!

Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #8 on: June 12, 2008, 01:49:54 PM »

Offline Redz

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No more Rocky please!

You hear me Redz?

Wasn't me man!  I sucked it up and went with weenie boy Ralph Macchio last game.  Besides, after seeing Stallone all beefed up on in the first row at Game 3 I'm losing the love for him too. 

How about a good old fashioned, can't go wrong, bleeding green, Celtic gods tribute



Yup

Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #9 on: June 12, 2008, 01:59:46 PM »

Offline ACF

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Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #10 on: June 12, 2008, 02:03:05 PM »

Offline ACF

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Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2008, 02:18:52 PM »

Offline silvershamrocker

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"It will be fun watching the Lakers get those balloons down one at a time." - Bill Russell

Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #12 on: June 12, 2008, 02:26:05 PM »

Offline silvershamrocker

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"It will be fun watching the Lakers get those balloons down one at a time." - Bill Russell

Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #13 on: June 12, 2008, 02:32:57 PM »

Offline FLCeltsFan

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Beat LA!

TP

That is probably the easiest TP anyone ever got LOL

I agree.  I work a couple of hours on a game thread and he says Beat LA and gets a Tommy Point.  I could have saved myself a lot of time and trouble and just put a big Beat LA on the game thread LOL!!! 

Re: NBA Finals Game 4 Celtics at Lakers 6/12 9:00 PM ET ABC
« Reply #14 on: June 12, 2008, 03:02:47 PM »

Offline Big Ticket

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Come on, KG!  It's your time to shine!  The dogpile is on you right now, time to brush 'em off one by one with that post game I know you possess!  Do it for me!  Plllleeeaaaaaasssssseeeee!


"It ain't about me.  It's about us."  - KG, interview with John Thompson, 2005 All Star Game.