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Boston Celtics (20-22) at Atlanta Hawks (22-18)
Friday, January 25, 2013
7:30 PM ET
Game #43 Road Game #21
TV: CSNNE, SPSO, NBA-LP 753(BOS)/754(ATL)
Radio: WEEI, WCNN
Philips Arena
Probable Starting Matchups Point Guard vs
Rajon Rondo vs Jeff Teague
Shooting Guard vs
Avery Bradley vs Kyle Korver
Small Forward vs
Paul Pierce vs DeShawn Stevenson
Power Forward vs
Brandon Bass vs Josh Smith
Center vs
Kevin Garnett vs Ivan Johnson
Celtics ReservesJared Sullinger
Jason Collins
Jeff Green
Courtney Lee
Leandro Barbosa
Jason Terry
InjuriesChris Wilcox (thumb) day to day
Red ClawsFab Melo
Hawks ReservesJohn Jenkins
Anthony Tolliver
Mike Scott
Johan Petro
Jannero Pargo
InjuriesAnthony Morrow (hip) out
Lou Williams (knee) out
Zaza Pachulia (achilles) game time decision
Devin Harris (ankle) game time decision
Al Horford (calf) game time decision
Team Connections Josh Smith and Rajon Rondo both attended Oak Hill Academy…
Doc Rivers played for Atlanta from 1983-91
Rivers also holds the Hawks record for most assists in a career as a Hawk (3,866)
Celtics Assistant Coach Armond Hill played for the Hawks from 1976-80 and also during the 1983-84 season
Hawks Assistant Coach Lester Conner was an Assistant Coach with the Celtics from 1998-2004
Jason Collins played for Atlanta from 2009-12
Courtney Lee and Devin Harris were teammates in New Jersey during the 2008-09 season
Jason Terry and Devin Harris were teammates in Dallas from 2004-08
DeShawn Stevenson and Jason Terry were teammates in Dallas from 2009-11
Chris Wilcox and Johan Petro were teammates in Seattle and Oklahoma City from 2005-09
Celtics Assistant Coach Tyronn Lue played for Atlanta from 2004-08.
Key Matchups vs
Brandon Bass vs Josh Smith
Smith is a very athletic and quick power forward and Brandon must box out and keep Smith off the boards along with slowing him down on offense. Smith is an average defender, though and so Bass should be able to get his shot off, although Bass hasn't been looking for his shot all that much. Smith is averaging 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game so Bass will need to be aggressive on defense to keep Smith from having a big game. Smith is coming off a 30 point night in a win over the Bobcats.
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Jeff Teague
Teague is a good point guard and is averaging 13.2 points and 6.7 assists per game. Both are quick and both see the court well and so this should be a fun matchup to watch. Rondo is coming off yet another triple double vs the Knicks. Hopefully he brings that same aggression to this game.
Honorable Mention Kevin Garnett vs Ivan Johnson
With KG's move back to center, he will be matched up with Ivan Johnson, who is a very tough and physical player. KG is playing the second night in a row and so it would be great if Wilcox would finally be back.
Game Notes The Celtics travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks in the second of 4 meetings this season. The Celtics are in the midst of a 5 game losing streak and after going 3 games above .500 and are now back to 2 games under .500. The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games. The Hawks have a day of rest.
Boston won the series 2-1 last season but all 3 games were close. The Celtics won by 3 points and by 2 points in overtime while the Hawks won their game by 5. Every game between these two teams seems to end up being chippy. There is no love lost between them, that is for sure. The Celtics won the first meeting in Atlanta 89-81.
The Hawks have several players who have been out injured. 3 are listed as game time decisions: Harris, Horford and Pachulia. Morrow and Lou Williams are out. Williams torched the Celtics for 28 points in their first meeting. It will definitely be easier if Horford and Pachulia are out, but players have a way of coming back just in time to play the Celtics.
The Hawks are a good home team with a 14-7 record at Phillips Arena. The Celtics have been the opposite on the road with a 7-13 record away from the Garden. The Celtics are now 5-5 in their last 10 games while the Hawks are 4-6 in their last 10, mostly due to a flurry of injuries.
Atlanta is in the 6th spot in the East, 4 games ahead of the Celtics, who are still in 8th, in spite of the 5 game losing streak.
Keys to the GameDefense - Defense is key to every win. The Celtics need to play tough team defense. The Celtics are capable of playing that type of defense but they are very inconsistent? They have to guard the perimeter as the Hawks have good 3 point shooters like Korver who can kill a team from out there. They also have to defend the paint because players like Smith, Horford and Johnson can get to the hoop and score there, especially on tip ins.
Rebound - The Celtics must make an effort to go after rebounds. They must box out and prevent tip ins and to prevent the Hawks from getting second chance baskets. The Hawks are a good rebounding team, but not great.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to go after rebounds and loose balls. They must be aggressive in going to the basket and not settle for jumpers. They also have to be aggressive on defense and get stops. We saw all of this in the Pacers game. Hopefully they will bring it again in this game.
Find The Offense - The Celtics haven't been shooting the ball well at all. Pierce's shot has no arc on it. KG has been shooting a terrible percentage. Jason Terry hasn't been able to hit the broad side of a barn. Bass has been very passive and hasn't looked for his shot this season. Jeff Green is very streaking and inconsistent. Every one of those players must somehow shake off their slumps and find their shot. They shot just 40% against the Knicks and a pitiful 16% from beyond the arc. If those shots aren't falling they MUST go to the hoop and not continue to settle for jumpers.
X-FactorBack to Back on the Road vs Desperation
The Celtics are playing in back to back games and are on the road. This usually isn't a formula for success. But facing a 6 game losing streak should have them feeling a bit desperate and that might give them just enough to pull out the win.