at
Indiana Pacers (12-5) at Boston Celtics (8-9)
Friday, January 27
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #18, Home Game #11
TV: CSNNE, FSI, NBA-LP 752/753
Radio: WEEI, WIBC
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups PointGuard 
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Darren Collison
Shooting Guard 
vs
Ray Allen vs Paul George
Small Forward
vs
Paul Pierce vs Danny Granger
Power Forward 
vs
Kevin Garnett vs David West
Center
vs
Jermaine O'Neal vs Roy Hibbert
Celtics ReservesBrandon Bass
Marquis Daniels
Chris Wilcox
Keyon Dooling
E'Twaun Moore
JaJuan Johnson
Avery Bradley
Sasha Pavlovic
Greg Stiemsma
Mickael Pietrus
InjuredRay Allen (ankle) day to day
Rajon Rondo (wrist) day to day
Keyon Dooling (hip) day to day
Jermaine O'Neal (knee) day to day
Pacers ReservesTyler Hansbrough
George Hill
Louis Amundson
Dahntay Jones
Jeff Foster
Jeff Pendergraph
Lance Stephenson
InjuredAJ Price (strep throat) day to day
Jeff Foster (back) out
Team ConnectionsA.J. Price and Ray Allen both attended the University of Connecticut
Jermaine O’Neal played for the Pacersfrom 2000‐08
Frank Vogel was an assistant coach under Jim O’Brien with the Celtics from 2001‐04
Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird won three championships with the Celtics and had his #33 retired on 2/4/93
Pacers Associate Head Coach Brian Shaw was drafted by the Celtics with the 24th overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft and he appeared in 178 games for the Celtics averaging 11.1 points
David West and Brandon Bass were teammates in New Orleans from 2005‐2007.
Game NotesThis is the 3rd meeting between these two teams. The Celtics were soundly beaten in both of their previous meetings, once in Indiana and once in Boston. This time, hopefully the outcome will be different. The Celtics are on a 3 game win streak, having beaten the Magic in dramatic fashion twice in a row, despite missing key players.
The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games. The Pacers had the night before off but they are playing in the 3rd game in 4 nights. The Celtics expended a lot of energy in their comeback win over the Magic last night. Paul Pierce played a season high 44 minutes. KG played 34. It would be great if a rested Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo return for this game.
The Celtics got Keyon Dooling, Chris Wilcox, and Mickael Pietrus back from the injured list, however, Dooling left last night's game with a hip pointer. Rondo wanted to play vs the Magic so it's possible he could come back for this one. But, if he still can't go, both Avery and E'Twaun have played well in his absence. If Ray, Rondo and Jermaine can't go, expect Pietrus, Bass and Bradley to get the start once again.
Key Matchups 
vs
Paul Pierce vs Danny Granger
Danny Granger is a tough player who can hit from outside as well as take the ball to the basket. He always seems to play extra hard against the Celtics. Paul Pierce has found his stroke and his conditioning is back and so this should be a really good matchup.
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Darren Collison
Hopefully Rondo will be back for this game and if he is, he needs to re-establish himself as a force to be reckoned with. Bradley filled in very well for him and Rondo's competitive nature will bring out the best in him. When Rondo is aggressive, he makes the Celtics very tough to beat. If Rondo can't go, Bradley needs to keep up his aggressive defensive play.
Honorable Mention
Kevin Garnett vs David West
KG has shown in recent games, most notably the Magic games, that he's still got the old defensive spark. He will need to bring find that spark again to give the Celtics the advantage in this game. Whether he can go strong 2 nights in a row remains to be seen.
Keys to the GameDefense - The Celtics defense had been up and down but they have clamped down in both of their last 2 games vs the Magic. They showed that they are capable of playing solid defense for 48 minutes when they beat the Magic in the first game. And they came back from 27 points down in the second Magic game by once again playing tight lock down defense. They need to bring that same defensive intensity in this one.
Rebound - Winning the rebounding battle prevents second chance points and tip ins for the Pacers as well as limits fast break opportunities. Without a lot of height, the Celtics must gang rebound with everyone putting out effort to grab rebounds. When the Celtics put out the effort on the boards, it often translates to other areas of the game as well.
Ball Movement - There have been times when the Celtics' ball movement is a joy to behold. They have to continue to move the ball and find the open man. They can't lapse into playing one on one and playing hero ball and expect to win the game. They also can't get sloppy and turn the ball over.
Hustle and Energy - The Celtics need to bring some hustle and effort to the game. They have to go after loose balls and chase down rebounds. Too many times we see Celtics standing around while the other team dives for loose balls and chases down rebounds. Hopefully they didn't put out too much effort to come back last night and they will be able to get off to a fast start and hustle through the end.
X-FactorsBack to Back
In their last back to back set, the Celtics demolished the Magic in the second game. They showed that they are capable of winning on back to back nights. Will they have enough energy in this one after battling the Magic the night before and then traveling? We shall see.
Topic: Pacers (12-5) at Celtics (8-9) 1/27 (Read 35088 times)