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Dallas Mavericks (25-18) at Boston Celtics (36-9)
Sunday, January 25
1:00 PM ET
Game #46, Home Game #24
TV: ABC
TD Banknorth Garden Coach: Doc Rivers
Average Age: 26.7
Average Height: 6-6
Average Weight: 222 Probable Starters PG: Rajon Rondo PPG 10.9 RPG 4.90 APG 8.0 EFF + 18.02
SG: Ray Allen PPG 18.1 RPG 3.40 APG 2.7 EFF + 16.93
SF: Paul Pierce PPG 19.1 RPG 5.70 APG 3.7 EFF + 18.66
PF: Kevin Garnett PPG 16.1 RPG 9.20 APG 2.6 EFF + 21.98
C: Kendrick Perkins PPG 8.6 RPG 8.10 BPG 1.7 EFF + 14.05
ReservesTony Allen
Glen Davis
Eddie House
Leon Powe
Gabe Pruitt
Brian Scalabrine
Patrick O'Bryant
Sam Cassell
Bill Walker
Injuries: Tony Allen (ankle) day to day
JR Giddens (wrist) day to day
Coach: Rick Carlisle
Average Age: 27.7
Average Height: 6-7
Average Weight: 219Probable Starters PG: Jason Kidd PPG 9.1 RPG 6.50 APG 8.2 EFF + 19.19
SG: Antoine Wright PPG 5.8 RPG 1.60 APG 0.8 EFF + 4.76
SF: Josh Howard PPG 17.8 RPG 5.00 APG 1.8 EFF + 14.36
PF: Dirk Nowitski PPG 26.0 RPG 8.50 APG 2.5 EFF + 25.41
C: Erick Dampier PPG 5.3 RPG 7.30 APG 1.0 EFF + 12.55
Reserves Jose Barea
Matt Carroll
Jason Terry
Brandon Bass
Ryan Hollins
James Singleton
Devean George
Gerald Green
Jerry Stackhouse
Shawne Williams
Injuries None
Key Matchups vs
Rajon Rondo vs Jason Kidd
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Dirk Nowitski
Game Notes:The Mavericks are playing in the final game of a 4 game road trip. The beat Philly, lost to the Bucks and beat Detroit on their way to this game. there wasn't much defense played in the Bucks game as the final score was 133 - 99. The Celtics swept the series last season for the first time since the '93-'94 season. The Mavs are 12-11 on the road and the Celtics are 21-2 on the road. The Celtics have won 7 in a row and are 7-3 in their last 10 games while the Mavs are 4-6 in their last 10 games. Former Celtic Gerald Green is on the Mavs roster but has played in only 23 games and is averaging 11 points per game.
Team ConnectionsBrian Scalabrine and Jason Kidd were teammates in New Jersey
Gerald Green was originally drafted by the Celtics with the 18th pick in the 2005 draft
Brandon Bass and Big Baby Davis are former LSU Tigers
Mavs Coach Rick Carlisle played for the Celtics from 1984-1987 and won a ring with the Celtics in 1986.
Keys to the GameDefense When the Celtics play their trademark tough defense, they are very hard to beat. When they went on the losing streak, it was the defense that was missing. As long as they stress defense and put the defense first, they have a very good chance of beating any team in the league.
Rebound The Mavericks are a very good rebounding team and are 3rd in the league in defensive rebounds. The Celtics need to be aggressive in crashing the boards and going after rebounds.
Limit Turnovers The Celtics still turn the ball over too much and they need to work on taking better care of the ball. A team like the Nets will make them pay by converting the turnovers into points.
Be Aggressive The Celtics need to be aggressive in going after loose balls and taking the ball to the basket. While the Celtics are good shooters, they shouldn't depend on the outside shot (see Orlando Magic). They need to aggressively take the ball to the hoop as well as be aggressive in going after loose balls and rebounds.