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Boston Celtics 3-2, 11-8) at Detroit Pistons (2-3, 10-6)
Eastern Conference Finals Game 6
Friday, May 30
8:30 PM ET
TV: ESPN
The Palace of Auburn Hills Probable Starting Lineup Rondo/R Allen/Pierce/Garnett/ Perkins
Off the Bench: Eddie House, James Posey, Leon Powe, Big Baby Davis, Brian Scalabrine, PJ Brown, Sam Cassell
Injuries Scott Pollard, ankle, out
InactiveTony Allen, Gabe Pruitt
Probable Starting Lineup Billups/Hamilton/Prince/McDyess/Wallace
Off the Bench Jason Maxiel, Arron Afflalo, Linsdey Hunter, Jarvis Hayes, Walter Hermann, Rodney Stuckey, Theo Ratiliff, Juan Dixon
InjuriesRip Hamilton, elbow, day to day
InactiveJuan Dixon, Cheikh Samb, Walter Hermann
Key Matchups vs
Rajon Rondo vs Chauncey Billups
The point guard matchup continues to be the key to this game. When Rondo has a strong, aggressive game, the Celtics win. When Rondo struggles, the Celtics lose. Rondo must be aggressive and set the tone early. He has to run and keep the Celtics offense moving. Billips had a very good game in game 5 and appears to be over the hamstring injury so will probably come out strong in this one.
vs
Kendrick Perkins vs Rasheed Wallace
Perk set the tone in this game and grabbed almost every rebound in the first half. The Pistons may make adjustments to keep Perk off the boards in this one by keeping Rasheed inside rather than on the 3 point line. Perk will need to continue to be aggressive on the boards and on defense and be ready to contribute on offense if it comes to him again.
Honorable Mention Kevin Garnett vs Antonio McDyess
McDyess killed the Celtics in game 4, but was not a factor in game 5. KG struggled in game 4 but came up big in game 5. The Celtics need KG to look for his shot and not be quite as unselfish. He will also have to keep McDyess at bay.
Keys to the GameBe Aggressive for 48 Minutes The Celtics must come out strong and not let the Pistons get a big lead on them at the beginning of the game. They have to play aggressively for 48 minutes and not let up until the final buzzer sounds. They have to aggressive going after loose balls, rebounding and in setting the tone and pace of the game.
Defense The one constant in every one of the Celtics losses is that they failed to play defense. If they Celtics are aggressive on defense for 48 minutes, they are tough to beat.
Focus and Composure Every game has come down to which team was more focused in executing their game plan. The Celtics must come out focused and play their game. The also must keep their composure when the Pistons start trapping. They can't let the pressure take them out of their game. Keeping their focus will also help reduce the turnovers that have been plaguing the Celtics.
Ball Movement The Celtics have to move the ball and make the extra pass to get open shots. In the 4th quarter of game 5, the Celtics stopped moving the ball and tried to go one on one too much and they let the Pistons climb right back into the game. They must run as much as they can and keep the ball moving. When the ball stops, they struggle.
X-FactorsRip Hamilton - If Rip is truly injured it will be a big blow to th e Pistons.
Ray Allen - The Celtics need Ray to continue to hit his shots. They need his offense.
Bench play - The Celtics bench scored only 3 points in the last game with the starters all playing 40 minutes more. They need to get more out of their bench players.