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Boston Celtics (60-19) at Cleveland Cavaliers (64-15)
Sunday, April 10
3:30 PM ET
Game #80, Road Game #41
TV: ABC
Quicken Loans Arena Throughout the NBA there are several basketball arenas that have nicknames, none that may be as good as “the Q.” For more than 35 years the Cavaliers have been playing basketball in Cleveland, first playing at Cleveland Arena, then the Richfield Coliseum and now at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cleveland Cavaliers played their first game at Gund Arena on October 17, 1994. Gund Arena was one of the premier basketball arenas when it opened in 1994 and remains one of the best facilities more than a decade later. Today the Cavaliers home is known as Quicken Loans Arena or by its nickname, “the Q,” after Dan Gillbert, owner of Quicken Loans, bought the team in 2005.
Coach: Doc Rivers
Average Age: 27.3
Average Height: 6-6
Average Weight: 222Probable Starters
PG: Rajon Rondo PPG 12.2 RPG 5.20 APG 8.4
SG: Ray Allen PPG 18.3 RPG 3.50 APG 2.8
SF: Paul Pierce PPG 20.3 RPG 5.70 APG 3.7
PF: Glen Davis PPG 6.4 RPG 3.90 APG 0.9
C: Kendrick Perkins PPG 8.5 RPG 8.20 BPG 2.0
Reserves Stephon Marbury
Mikki Moore
Eddie House
Gabe Pruitt
Bill Walker
Tony Allen
Injuries: Leon Powe (knee) out
Kevin Garnett (knee) out
Brian Scalabrine (head) out
Coach: Mike Brown
Average Age: 27.1
Average Height: 6-7
Average Weight: 227Probable Starters
PG: Mo Williams PPG 17.9 RPG 3.40 APG 4.0
SG: Delonte West PPG 11.7 RPG 3.10 APG 3.6
SF: LeBron James PPG 28.3 RPG 7.70 APG 7.2
PF: Anderson Varejao PPG 8.7 RPG 7.10 APG 1.0
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas PPG 13.0 RPG 7.40 BPG 1.3
Reserves Daniel Gibson
Tarence Kinsey
Darnell Jackson
Jawad Williams
Lorenzen Wright
Sasha Pavlovic
Wally Szczerbiak
Joe Smith
Ben Wallace
Injured JJ Hickson (back) out
Matchups to Watch
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The matchup between Paul Pierce and LeBron James is always an entertaining one and is one of the best matchups in the league. The game 7 duel between these two players is a classic. Both players are capable of taking over a game and both players will try to keep their teammates involved. Both Pierce and LeBron know the importance of this game and so we should see another classic game between these two.
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Both of these point guards have been playing very well and both have their teams playing well. The Celtics will need Rondo to be aggressive and to continue the high level of play we have seen from him over the past 6 games if the Celtics hope to win this one. He will also need to stay in front of Mo Williams and try to slow him down.
Honorable Mention Ray Allen vs Delonte West
Delonte has a chip on his shoulder against the Celtics for trading him and he will do his best to help his team win this one. He is a good defender and will make Ray work for everything he gets. It will be up to Ray to try to slow down Delonte as well.
ConnectionsWally Szczerbiak played for the Celtics in the 06-07 season.
Wally also played with KG in Minnesota
Delonte West was the the Celtics' 24th pick in the 04 draft and spent 3 seasons with the Celtics before being sent to Seattle in the trade that brought Ray Allen to Boston.
Mikki Moore and Lorenzen Wright played together in Sacramento
Darnell Jackson and Paul Pierce are former Kansas Jayhawks
Cavs Assistant Coach John Keuster was an assistant for the Celtics from 1995-97.
Keys to the Game Defense, Defense, Defense The Cavs have taken a page from the Celtics' book and are winning with defense. The Celtics have struggled with their defense at times after KG went out, but it seems as though they have found their defensive intensity once again. Defense will be the key to winning this game.
Limit Turnovers The Cavs are one of the best teams in the league in converting turnovers into points. The Celtics are one of the worst teams in the league at turning the ball over. It sounds like a formula for disaster. If the Celtics turn the ball over, the Cavs will make them pay for it.
Rebound Rebounding numbers indicate effort and desire and the team that works hardest on the glass will likely be the team that wants this game more. The Celtics must limit the Cavs' second chance efforts and at the same time they have to get offensive rebounds to give themselves more opportunities to score.
Game Notes This is the 4th and final meeting between these two teams who rank 1st and 2nd in the East. The Celtics lead the series 2-1 with both teams winning on their home court.
The Cavs have locked in the first seed in the East, but are still in a battle with the Lakers for home court throughout the playoffs. The Celtics are now 2 games in front of Orlando for the second seed after the Magic inexplicably lost to the Knicks at home on Friday and the Celtics beat the Heat. Both teams will be motivated to win this game.
The Cavs are basically healthy and have their team in place as it will be going into the playoffs. The Celtics are still missing 3 key players who they will hopefully get back in time for the playoffs.
One incentive that the Celtics have to beat the Cavs in this one is to protect the 1986 Celtics regular season record. That team finished 41-1 at home, losing only to the Trailblazers that season. The Cavs are now 38-1, having lost at home only to the Lakers.
This should be a very hard fought game. The Cavs definitely have the advantage since they are at home where they are playing exceptionally well this season. They also are healthy while the Celtics are still short handed, especially in the front court. But, you can't underestimate the heart of a champion. The Celtics have been playing with and winning with a lot of heart and we can expect to see that heart on display in this game as well.
X-FactorHome Court and Focus
The Cavs are very tough on their home court and it will take a very focused Celtics team to win there. The Cavs will be focused on staying ahead of the Lakers for that overall best record while the Celtics will be focused on staying ahead of the Magic for the second seed in the East. Both teams will be looking to get a psychological edge going into the playoffs.
Topic: Celtics (60-19) at Cavaliers (64-15) 4/12 (Read 62804 times)