Bulls (0-0) at Celtics (0-0) 4/18

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Chicago Bulls (0-0) at Boston Celtics (0-0)
Saturday, April 18
12:30 PM ET
Postseason Game 1, Home Game 1
TV:  ESPN   
TD Banknorth Garden 


Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Rajon Rondo  vs  Derrick Rose

Shooting Guard
  vs 
Ray Allen vs Ben Gordon

Small Forward
vs 
Paul Pierce vs John Salmons 

Power Forward
  vs 
Leon Power vs Tyrus Thomas 

Center
vs 
Kendrick Perkins vs Joakim Noah 




Coach: Doc Rivers
Average Age: 26.7
Average Height: 6-6
Average Weight: 222

Reserves
Mikki Moore
Stephon Marbury
Eddie House
Gabe Pruitt
Bill Walker
Tony Allen
Glen Davis
Brian Scalabrine

Injuries:
Kevin Garnett (knee)  out


Coach: Vinny Del Negro
Average Age: 26.0
Average Height: 6-7
Average Weight: 219

Reserves
Aaron Gray 
Kirk Hinrich
Tim Thomas
Lindsey Hunter
Anthony Roberson
Linton Johnson

Injuries
Luol Deng (shin) out
Jerome James (Achilles)  out   

Team Connections
Celtics assistant coach Clifford Ray played for the Bulls from 1971-74
Ben Gordon and Ray Allen are former UConn Huskies
Paul Pierce and Kirk Hinrich are former Kansas Jayhawks
Glen Davis and Tyrus Thomas were teammates at LSU
Mikki Moore, Brad Miller, and John Salmons were teammates in Sacramento

Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo PPG 11.9 RPG 5.20 APG 8.2 EFF + 18.84
Derrick Rose   PPG 16.8 RPG 3.90 APG 6.3 EFF + 17.10
The Bulls' #1 draft pick has been playing very well for them and is near the top of every rookie stat category.  In their first two meetings, they played fairly evenly.  In the first game, Rose had 18 points but just one assist while Rondo had 14 points and 6 assists.  In the second meeting, Rose had 14 points and 5 assists while Rondo scored just 4 points but had 15 assists.  Most importantly, the Celtics won both games.  In the third matchup between these teams, Rondo clearly had the edge with 26 points and 10 assists to just 11 points and 8 assists from Rose.  This is a matchup of two of the brightest young point guards in the league and it should be a fun one to watch. 

vs
Paul Pierce   PPG 20.5 RPG 5.60 APG 3.6 EFF + 19.17
John Salmons   PPG 18.3 RPG 4.20 APG 3.2 EFF + 16.89
It it isn't a coincidence that the Bulls have been on a roll since they made the trade for John Salmons.  He has been playing very well for them on both ends of the floor.  In the only game between these two teams that Salmons played in, he scored 38 points and led the Bulls to a win over the Celtics.  One of the keys to this series will be the matchup between these two players. 

Honorable Mention
Ray Allen  PPG 18.2 RPG 3.50 APG 2.8 EFF + 16.77
Ben Gordon PPG 20.7 RPG 3.50 APG 3.4 EFF + 16.89
This will be a battle between two sharpshooters.  Both players are able to change the course of a game by hitting a volley of 3 point shots.  Ray will need to limit Gordon's shots while trying to get his own shots off effectively. 

Worth Mentioning
vs
Doc Rivers vs Vinny Del Negro
Doc has a big experience advantage over Del Negro who is in his first year of head coaching.  This could make a difference down the stretch in this series. 

Game Notes
The Celtics game notes have Leon starting at power forward, but that could change by the time this game comes around.  Leon gives up height to Thomas but makes up for it in sheer determination and toughness.

The Celtics won the series 2-1 in the regular season.  The Bulls won their final meeting in Chicago, which was their only meeting after the Bulls brought in Salmons and Miller after the trade deadline.  The Bulls were 13-28 on the road in the regular season and so weren't a great road team.  But they were 14-2 at home after the All Star break so could be tough on their own court. 

Defense is going to be the key in this series.  Chicago was 8-26 this season in games that they didn't reach 100 points.  This was the worst among all the playoff teams.  The Bulls aren't a really strong defensive team and depend on their scoring to win games.  When they are held to below 100 points, their chances of winning go way down.

Keys to the Game
Defense
Play Team Ball
Stay Focused
Limit Turnovers

X-Factor
Determination and Tougness
The Celtics received a big blow when they learned that KG wouldn't be back for this series.  But, they still have 2 future hall of famers and a very deep team. The Celtics are a very determined and tough team and if they play like they are capable of, they should win this game. 

[Cman]

I'm really excited for this game.

I honestly think that the Bulls are headed into a buzz-saw.  I think the Cs are frantic to prove to everyone, perhaps themselves most of all, that they can battle through the no-Garnett thing.

[xmuscularghandix]

Rajon Rondo
Stephon Marbury
Gabe Pruitt
Eddie House
Ray Allen
Tony Allen
Paul Pierce
Bill Walker
Leon Power
Glen Davis
Mikki Moore
Kendrick Perkins



Kevin Garnett is not walking through that door....


i'm perfectly fine with this team but in the early rounds we're going to need to give Walker and Pruitt some minutes and some trust, more so Walker than Pruitt becuase we have 6 Guards and only 1 legitimate small forward.

[Cman]

in the early rounds we're going to need to give Walker and Pruitt some minutes and some trust, more so Walker than Pruitt becuase we have 6 Guards and only 1 legitimate small forward.

Dude, your profile picture gives you away -- send Doc this memo, not us
 


jk tp.

[ben]

yay Powe is starting!  Go Celtics!

[xmuscularghandix]

in the early rounds we're going to need to give Walker and Pruitt some minutes and some trust, more so Walker than Pruitt becuase we have 6 Guards and only 1 legitimate small forward.

Dude, your profile picture gives you away -- send Doc this memo, not us
 


jk tp.

hey now!

i'm just saying that we go in with 12 guys, then only 10 are capable of performing, then 3 out of those 10 are PG's.... we need to get some bodies in there. bodies that are over 6 foot one.

[ACF]

First playoff game thread TP for FL! 

[celticinorlando]

with all the stuff that happened yesterday...i think boston is going to come out fired up and ready to play

[Donoghus]

Not a huge fan of the 12:30 Saturday start but the playoffs are FINALLY here.  I love this time of the year.  Between the KG news and Danny's heart attack, there is going to be a lot of emotion in the Garden tomorrow.  I think that'll help the C's tremendously and I think they'll set the tone for the series in a big way.

I think Celtics take Game 1 by double digits.

[Scalablob990]

I've got an itching feeling Powe is going to play his way off this team this post season...if anyone besides Pierce knows when it's time to step up, it's him. I won't be surprised, if he's  starting, to see 20/12 out of him.

[Txusberg]

Looking at all the match ups It's obvious to me that we are a better and deeper team. Adding to the mix the extra motivation after everything that happened yesterday and I think we will beat the Bulls in 5 games. Thanks FL for the preview and Go Celtics!

[ManUp]

I love that these games matter so much now.

Can't wait for the whole play-off atmosphere.

Go Celts!

[ManUp]

Wait 12:30 start  ?

I'll be at work and they don't have ESPN

[makaveli]

My +/- view:
- list:
no home court advantage
no kevin
Powe is a ?
cavs are better than last year

+ list:
Ray has integrated himself into the game, and people don't understand how important that is. If we had this Ray last year, ECF playoffs would be ridiculous
Big Baby can offensivly make up for KG, and has a great chance to prove himself
Rondo is more consistent
Eddie is just amazing, and might be our x-factor

All in all I' really confident about this team, guys have something to prove and I really think they can.
Go Celtics 

[Hoyo de Monterrey]

Wait 12:30 start  ?

I'll be at work and they don't have ESPN

Misery loves company... TP because I'm with ya. This sucks.