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Milwaukee Bucks (45-36) at Boston Celtics (50-31)
Wednesday, April 14
8:00 PM ET
Game #82, Home Game #41
TV: CSN-NE, FSN-WI, NBA-LP 753, 754
TD Garden Coach: Doc Rivers
Average Age: 29.0
Average Height: 6-6
Average Weight: 228Probable Starters PG: Rajon Rondo PPG 13.7 APG 9.8 SPG 2.4
SG: Ray Allen PPG 16.2 APG 2.7 3P% .352
SF: Paul Pierce PPG 18.2 RPG 4.3 APG 3.1
PF: Kevin Garnett PPG 14.4 RPG 7.4 BPG .9
C: Kendrick Perkins PPG 10.4 RPG 7.6 BPG 1.7
ReservesRasheed Wallace
Shelden Williams
Nate Robinson
Michael Finley
Brian Scalabrine
Tony Allen
Marquis Daniels
Glen Davis
InjuriesNone
Coach: Scott Skiles
Average Age: 28.4
Average Height: 6-6
Average Weight: 220Probable Starters PG: Brandon Jennings PPG 15.4 APG 5.8 SPG 1.2
SG: John Salmons PPG 15.3 APG 2.8 3P%..386
SF: Carlos Delfino PPG 10.9 RPG 5.3 APG 2.6
PF: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute PPG 6.2 RPG 5.5 APG 1.1
C: Kurt Thomas PPG 2.9 RPG 3.9 BPG 0.7
ReservesLuke Ridnour
Dan Gadzuric
Jerry Stackhouse
Ersan Ilyasova
Charlie Bell
Royal Ivey
Primoz Brezec
Darnell Jackson
Injuries Michael Redd (ACL) out
Andrew Bogut (hand, elbow, wrist) out
Team ConnectionsAssistant Coach Joe Wolf played for the Celtics during the 1992-93 season
Bucks assistant coach Adrian Griffin played for the Celtics from 1999-2001
Ray Allen played for the Bucks from 1996-2002
Bucks Trainer Marc Boff worked for the Celtics for eight seasons as an
assistant trainer and physical therapist
Armond Hill played for the Bucks during the 1982-83 season
Brandon Jennings and Rajon Rondo both attended Oak Hill Academy
Luke Ridnour and Ray Allen were teammates in Seattle from 2003-07
Carlos Delfino and Rasheed Wallace were teammates in Detroit from 2004-07
Primoz Brezec and Rasheed Wallace were teammates during the 2007-08 season
Royal Ivey and Shelden Williams were teammates in Atlanta during the 2006-07 season
John Salmons was teammates with Shelden Williams in Sacramento during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons…Jerry Stackhouse and Marquis Daniels were teammates in Dallas from 2004-06
Michael Finley and Jerry Stackhouse were teammates in Dallas during the 2004-05 season
Kurt Thomas and Michael Finley were teammates in San Antonio in the 2008-09 season and in Dallas from 1996-98
Michael Finley and Bucks assistant coach Adrian Griffin were teammates in Dallas during the 2002-03 season
Key Matchups vs
Rajon Rondo vs Brandon Jennings
vs
Ray Allen vs John Salmons
Honorable MentionKendrick Perkins vs Kurt Thomas
Game Notes The Celtics are currently leading the season series 2-1; Celtics won the season series 2-1 against Milwaukee in 2008-09
Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 20.3 points per game last season against Milwaukee
Andrew Bogut averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games against the Celtics last year
The Celtics are 11-8 against Milwaukee since the start of the 2004-05 season
The Celtics and Bucks are tied in the all-time season series 90-90 with the Celtics 58-32 at home
The Celtics are locked into the 4th spot and will probably face the Heat. There is no need to play Pierce, KG or Ray big minutes in this game. Doc said after the Bulls game that he will probably sit a few players in this game. But then again, Doc may start them and play them not many minutes just to keep their rhythm. It's hard to tell what he will do.
The Bucks still have something to play for in this one as they are still battling with the Heat for the 5/6 spot. Miami is up one game on the Bucks right now but a Miami loss and a Bucks win would give the Bucks the higher seed. So, the Bucks will be playing hard for the win and hoping for a Miami loss at the same time.
Since there has been bad blood between these two games, this one could get physical and it would be wise for Doc to keep his stars out of the game. It might be smart to keep Perk out of the game also because 1 more technical and he could be suspended for the first game of the playoffs. I'm going with the regular starters for the game thread, but that could be completely wrong by game time.
Keys to the Game NO INJURIES!!