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Charlotte Bobcats (28-42) at Boston Celtics (50-20)
Friday, March 25
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #71 Home Game #37
TV: CSN-NE, SSO-CHA, SNET1, NBA-LP 753/754
Radio: WEEI, WPNZ
TD Garden 
Probable Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
Rajon Rondo.....Ray Allen ..... Paul Pierce.....Glen Davis..... Nenad Krstic
Boston Bench MobGlen Davis
Jeff Green
Delonte West
Sasha Pavlovic
Carlos Arroyo
Avery Bradley
InjuredVon Wafer (calf) day to day
Jermaine O'Neal (knee) out
Shaquille O'Neal (Achilles) out
Troy Murphy (ankle) day to day
Probable StartersPG
......
SG
.....
SF
.....
PF
.....
C
DJ Augustin........Gerald Henderson....Dante Cunningham........Boris Diaw........Kwame Brown
Bobcats Bench Shawn Livingston
Dominic McGuire
Eduardo Najera
Matt Carroll
DJ White
Garrett Temple
Injuries DeSagana Diop (Achilles) out
Joel Pryzbilla (knee) day to day
Stephen Jackson (hamstring) day to day
Tyrus Thomas (ribs) day to day
Team ConnectionsD.J. Augustin and Avery Bradley both attended the University of Texas
Troy Murphy and Matt Carroll were teammates at Notre Dame from 1999‐2001
Tyrus Thomas, Glen Davis and Shaquille O’Neal all attended Louisiana State University
DeSagana Diop, Stephen Jackson and Rajon Rondo all attended Oak Hill Academy
Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic and Shaun Livingston were teammates in Oklahoma City from 2008‐2010
Green, Krstic and DJ White were teammates in Oklahoma City from
2008‐11
Nenad Krstic and DeSagana Diop were teammates in New Jersey during the 2007‐08 season
Shaquille O’Neal and Boris Diaw were teammates in Phoenix during the 2008‐09 season
Kwame Brown and Von Wafer were teammates on the 2005‐06 Los
Angeles Lakers
Shaun Livingston and Von Wafer were teammates on the 2006‐07 Los Angeles Clippers
Eduardo Najera and Von Wafer were teammates in Denver during the 2007‐08 season
Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O’Neal were teammates in Indiana
from 2004‐07
DeSagana Diop and Sasha Pavlovic were teammates on the 2004‐05 Cleveland Cavaliers.
Game Notes This is the 4th and final meeting between these two teams. The Celtics split the games in Charlotte, winnint the first game 93-62 and lost the second 89-94. They won the first game in Boston 99-94 without KG, who was out with the calf strain.
The Bobcats made their own big trades at the deadline, sending fan favorite and last original Bobcat, Gerald Wallace to Portland for Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks and draft picks. They also traded Nazr Mohammed for DJ White and Mo Peterson. They were the 8th seed at the trade deadline but since have dropped 3 games behind Indiana for the 8th spot. The Celtics have now dropped a full game behind Chicago for the top seed. Chicago hosts the Grizzlies on Friday and since the Bulls have been playing so well, it is doubtful that they will have a mental lapse like the Celtics did against Memphis.
The all time record between the Celtics and Bobcats is 6-18 and at home, the Celtics are 10-2 against them. The Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 games while the Bobcats are 2-8 in their last 10. The Celtics are 29-7 at home and undefeated against Eastern Conference foes. The Bobcats are 11-25 on the road.
Both teams are trying to find chemistry after trading key players. Both teams have also been battling injuries. Stephen Jackson is listed as day to day with a hamstring injury and without him, the Bobcats have struggled even more. Joel Przybilla and Tyrus Thomas are both listed as day to day as well. The Celtics are still without both O'Neals and Wafer and Troy Murphy is listed as day to day (which might not be a bad thing).
The Celtics were saying all the right things after their loss to the Grizzlies. Hopefully they can do the right things in this game. They have 12 games to get it right before the playoffs and so every game is important. This is another game that the Celtics should win but as with most games lately, whether they do or not is anyone's guess.
Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo vs DJ Augustin
As Rondo goes, so go the Celtics. We have seen that time and again this season, especially lately when Rondo has been struggling. When Rondo is aggressive in running the team and playing his game, the Celtics as a team are more aggressive and tend to play well. When Rondo is passive, the Celtics tend to be also and that is when they get beaten by teams that they should beat. Augustin has benefited from the coaching change more than any other Bobcat and has emerged as a very good point guard. He will challenge Rondo and Rondo needs to have his head in the game.
vs
KG has been playing very well and acknowledged the need for the Celtics to begin playing with some urgency and intensity after their loss to the Grizzlies. He should come out strong and hopefully will be able to lead the Celtics by example to be more aggressive in this game. He should be able to get the better of this matchup.
Honorable Mention Paul Pierce vs Dante Cunningham (or Stephen Jackson)
If Jackson plays this will be definitely be a key matchup as Jackson is the focal point of the Bobcat's offense, especially since the Bobcats traded Gerald Wallace. Whoever plays for the Bobcats, Pierce has to find his shot and be aggressive in going to the hoop and leading the Celtics. After the Grizzlies game, Doc said that he had to find ways to get Pierce the ball more. It would be great to see him get on a hot streak.
Keys to the GameFocus and Energy - The Celtics have to especially come out to start the game with energy and focus. They can't keep digging a hole and expect to climb out of it. They also have to play 48 minutes and close out the game. They have played well in spurts but they have to play well throughout the game. This includes taking better care of the ball and limiting turnovers. They turned the ball over 20 times vs the Grizzlies and some of those were due to a lack of focus.
Defense - The Celtics need to make defense their priority. They have struggled since the trade to play defense on a consistent basis. The defense has been especially problematic in first quarters when the C's have let their defense lapse. The Celtics must find that defensive cohesion if they expect to win the title. Defense becomes more important in the playoffs and with all the new faces, the Celtics must work on getting their defense back on track now.
Rebound - Good things happen when the Celtics crash the boards. When they show energy in rebounding, that energy spreads to other areas of the game. They prevent second chance points and fast break baskets by grabbing the rebounds as well. They allowed the Grizzlies to grab 11 offensive rebounds. The Celtics must do better on the boards.
Be Aggressive - When the Celtics are the more aggressive team they usually win. They need to be aggressive in going to the basket, in grabbing rebounds, and in hustling after loose balls. This goes for the Celtics as a team and for each player as well.
Move the BallThere have been long periods in games recently where the ball just seems to stick and players try to do too much on their own. When they move the ball and make the extra pass and find the open man, they are tough to beat. They have to get back to playing team ball and not hero ball.
X-FactorLosing at Home
The Celtics lost their last game at home and hopefully that will give them the extra boost they need to come out strong in this one and avoid a 2 game home losing streak.
Topic: Bobcats (28-42) at Celtics (50-20) 3/25 (Read 57716 times)