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Boston Celtics (26-22) at Charlotte Bobcats (7-39)
Monday, March 26
7:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #49, Road Game #24
TV: CSNNE, SSO-CHA, NBA-LP 754(BOS)/755(CHA)
Radio: WEEI, WFNZ
Time Warner Cable Arena Probable Starters PG SG SF PF CRajon Rondo.....Avery Bradley ..... Paul Pierce.....Brandon Bass.......Kevin Garnett
Celtics ReservesJaJuan Johnson
E'Twaun Moore
Sasha Pavlovic
Greg Stiemsma
Keyon Dooling
Marquis Daniels
Ryan Hollins
InjuredMickael Pietrus (concussion) out
Ray Allen (ankle) out
Greg Stiemsma (foot) probable
Probable StartersPG......
SG.....
SF.....
PF .....
CDJ Augustin......Gerald Henderson....Corey Maggette........Tyrus Thomas.......Bismack Biyombo
Bobcats Bench DJ White
Kemba Walker
Byron Mullens
Derrick Brown
Reggie Williams
Matt Carroll
Cory Higgins
Injuries DeSagana Diop (hamstring) questionable
Eduardo Najera (knee) out
Team Connections D.J. Augustin and Avery Bradley both attended the University of Texas
DeSagana Diop and Rajon Rondo attended Oak Hill Academy
DeSagana Diop and Sasha Pavlovic were teammates on the 2004-05 Cleveland Cavaliers
Ray Allen and Kemba Walker both attended the University of Connecticut
Keyon Dooling and Corey Maggette were teammates on the LA Clippers from 2000-04 They also were teammates in Milwaukee during 2010-11
Brandon Bass and DeSagana Diop were teammates in Dallas from 2007-09
Brandon Bass and Matt Carroll were teammates in Dallas during the 2008-09 season
Corey Maggette played for Doc Rivers in Orlando during the 1999-2000 season
Ryan Hollins played for Charlotte from 2006-08.
Game NotesAfter a brief stay and one game at home, the Celtics are back on the road again, this time in Charlotte. This is the second of 3 meetings this season with the Bobcats. The Celtics beat the Bobcats 94-84 in Boston back on February 7. The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 while the Bobcats are 2-8 in their last 10 games. The Celtics are 9-14 on the road and the Bobcats are 4-17 at home.
The Bobcats have the worst record in the league and that is worrisome. The Celtics seem to play down to the worst teams and over the years, the Bobcats have given the Celtics trouble, even though they were at the bottom of the standings. The Celtics must win these games they should win now as their schedule gets very tough down the stretch.
With Philly's loss to the Spurs, the Celtics are just 1/2 game back of the Atlantic Division lead and they could tie the Sixers with a win in this one. Ray Allen is expected to miss this game but Avery Bradley showed on Monday that he can fill in for Ray and be effective. The Celtics are still short handed, but other players are stepping up and filling in.
The Celtics are playing in yet another back to back game on the road. With the Bobcats in full tank mode and playing for pingpong balls, this should be a win for the Celtics in spite of playing on the road and in spite of playing back to back. All they have to do is try.
Key Matchups vs
Kevin Garnett vs Bismack Biyombo
Biyombo is a promising young center but KG loves to get into rookies' heads. KG also has a height advantage over Biyombo which should help him get his shots off over him. I expect a big game from KG at least in the first 3 quarters. He should be sitting out the 4th.
vs
Rajon Rondo vs DJ Augustin
DJ Augustin is a good young point guard, but he's not a star. Rondo tends to play harder when up against the other star PG's in the league. Hopefully with every game being important for playoff seeding, Rondo will have a big game, in spite of the competition.
Keys to the GameFocus and Energy - When the Celtics face teams with losing records, they often come out flat and lack focus and energy and they lose to teams they should easily beat. The Celtics have got to stay focused and play with energy the entire game because the Bobcats always play hard even though they don't have the most talent in the league, and will take advantage of any lapse from the Celtics.
Defense - The Celtics need to make defense their priority. Games are won on the defensive end. The effort that the Celtics put out on the defensive end carries over to the offensive end as well. If they don't get stops, chances are they don't get the win.
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. Rebounding is effort and the Celtics must put out the effort to win the battle of 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.
X-FactorFatigue and Mentality
The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games on the road. This should be an easy game for them, but with this team, you never know. And that brings us to their mentality. They tend to play down to the teams with the worst records. They need to come out playing like they are playing the Heat and they can have a nice rest and playing time for the rookies.