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Philadelphia 76ers (40-37) at Boston Celtics (53-23)
Tuesday, April 5
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #77 – Home Game #39
TV: CSN-NE, TCN-P, NBA-LP 758
Radio: WEEI, WIP
TD Garden Probable Starters PG: Rajon Rondo..................................................SG Ray Allen C: Jermaine O'Neal SF: Paul Pierce ................................. ............PF Kevin Garnett Celtics ReservesGlen Davis
Delonte West
Jeff Green
Carlos Arroyo
Von Wafer
Troy Murphy
Nenad Krstic
Avery Bradley
Sasha Pavlovic
Injuries Shaquille O'Neal (calf) out
Probable Starters PG: Jrue Holiday ......................................................SF: Jodie Meeks
C: Spencer Hawes
SF: Andre Iguodala .................................................. PF: Elton Brand
Sixers BenchThaddeus Young
Andres Nocioni
Marreese Speights
Tony Battie
Jason Kapono
Craig Brackins
Darius Songaila
Evan Turner
Antonio Daniels
Injuries Lou Williams (hamstring) out
Andre Iguodala (knee) probable
Elton Brand (hand) probable
Team ConnectionsTony Battie played for the Celtics from 1998‐2004
Jodie Meeks and Rajon Rondo are former Kentucky Wildcats
Jason Kapono and Jermaine O’Neal were teammates in Toronto during the 2008‐09 season
Jermaine O’Neal and Sixers Assistant Coach Michael Curry were teammates in Indiana during the 2004‐05 season
Jermaine O’Neal and Sixers Assistant Coach Aaron McKie were teammates in Portland during the 1996‐97 season
Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Kapono were teammates in Miami from 2005‐07
Ray Allen was teammates with Sixers Assistant Coach Michael Curry in Milwaukee from 1997‐99
Von Wafer and Elton Brand were teammates on the Clippers during the 2006‐07 season.
Game NotesThis is the 4th and final meeting between these two division rivals. The Celtics won 2 of the first 3 games with the Sixers winning the last one. All three games were close with the Celtics notching a 1 point win and a 4 point win and the Sixers winning by 3. 7 of the last 9 games between these two teams have all been decided by 4 points or less.
If the playoffs were to begin today, the Celtics and Sixers would be matched up as first round opponents. The Sixers are in 6th place, 4 games behind Atlanta and just 1.5 games ahead of New York. The Celtics are in 3rd place, 3 games behind Chicago for the top seed and .5 game behind Miami for the second spot. The Celtics are 5.5 games ahead of the Magic who are the 4th seed.
The Celtics have had injuries plaguing them all season while the Sixers have been fairly healthy with only 7 players missing a total of 40 games this season due to injury, illness, suspension, etc. Compare that with 247 games missed by Celtics players this season. The Sixers have had the same starting 5 for each meeting this season while this will be the 4th different starting lineup for the Celtics vs the Sixers.
The Sixers come into this game slightly banged up with Andre Iguodala playing through a knee injury that has slowed him somewhat, but he is expected to play in this game. The Sixers 6th man strained his hamstring in Saturday's loss to the Bucks and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season. To replace Williams the Sixers will sign 36 year old Antonio Daniels to a 10 day contract. Daniels averaged 14.5 points and 8.6 assists with the Texas Legends of the NBDL this season. He is expected to join the team on Tuesday morning. The Celtics expect to get both Nenad Krstic and Troy Murphy back for this game but will once again be without Shaquille O'Neal.
The Sixers are just 15-25 on the road but they have also won 10 of their last 17 on the road and would love to finish up their road games with a win. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games. The Celtics are 30-8 at home and are 5-5 in their last 10 games. Since this is a possible first round opponent, the Celtics must keep their focus in this game in order to avoid giving the Sixers a boost of confidence going into the playoffs.
Key Matchups vs
Paul Pierce vs Andre Iguodala
Iguodala has been slowed recently with a sore knee. He is expected to play but it has affected his level of play. He has shot just 37% from the field over the last 3 games. Pierce should take advantage of this and be aggressive.
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Elton Brand
Brand has been playing well and has scored over 20 points in his last two games. Brand is averaging team-highs of 14.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.25 blocks. KG has also been playing well and this should be a very good matchup to watch.
Honorable Mention Ray Allen vs Jodie Meeks
Ray will need to stay on Meeks defensively as Meeks has hit a team high 133 three pointers this season and is one of 5 players (including Ray Allen) who ranks in the top 15 in both three pointers made and 3 point percentage. With better ball movement in the last game, Ray showed evidence of snapping out of his recent slump. It would be nice to see Ray have a big game in this one.
Keys to the Game Defense - The Celtics must concentrate on defense and keep the Sixers out of the paint as well as guarding them tightly on the perimeter. If the Celtics give the Sixers the outside shots, chances are they will make them.
Rebound - In their first meeting, the Sixers are a good rebounding team. The Celtics must put out effort on the boards and that effort will translate into other areas as well. They have to box out and crash the boards to keep the Sixers from scoring second chance points.
Focus - The Celtics must come into the game focused and not let up until the final buzzer. If the season ended right now, this would be the first round matchup in the East. The Celtics have to be focused on sending a message in this game and not allow the Sixers to enter the playoffs with confidence that they can beat the Celtics.
Team PlayThe Celtics got back to playing more as a team against the Pistons. The passing was much better and the team moved the ball and found the open man. Not surprisingly, Ray got more shots and hit them. They Celtics must continue to play as a team on both ends of the court, but especially on the offensive end.
Bench PlayDoc is trying to settle his rotation for the playoffs and at the same time keep the minutes down for the starters. The Celtics need their bench to produce when they are on the court. The Sixers bench ranks 3rd in the league with 39.6 points per game. The Celtics reserves must respond with defense to try to limit the scoring of the Sixers bench along with providing enough offense of their own to give the Celtics starters rest.
X-FactorMessage Game
The Celtics need to send a message to the Sixers, who may be their first round opponent. It would not be a good idea to allow the Sixers to beat them and gain confidence going into the playoffs.