Celtics (37-26) at Hawks (37-25) 4/20

[FLCeltsFan]

 at    

Boston Celtics (37-26) at Atlanta Hawks (37-25)
Friday, April 20
7:00 PM ET
Game #64,  Road Game #33
TV:  ESPN,   CSNNE, NBAC, SPSO
Radio:  WEEI,  WCNN
Philips Arena  



Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
 vs  
Avery Bradley vs Jeff Teague  

Shooting Guard
vs  
Keyon Dooling  vs Kirk Hinrich  

Small Forward  
 vs  
Sasha Pavlovic vs Joe Johnson

Power Forward  
 vs  
Brandon Bass vs Josh Smith

Center
 vs  
Greg Stiemsma vs Jason Collins  




Celtics Reserves
JaJuan Johnson
E'Twaun Moore
Marquis Daniels
Ryan Hollins
Sean Williams

Injured
Mickael Pietrus (knee) out
Rajon Rondo (back) out
Ray Allen (ankle)  out  
Kevin Garnett (rest) out
Paul Pierce (rest)  out  



Hawks Reserves
Tracy McGrady
Ivan Johnson
Jerry Stackhouse
Erick Dampier
Jannero Pargo
Willie Green
Marvin Williams    
Vladimir Radmanovic

Injuries
Zaza Pachulia (foot) day to day  
Al Horford (Pectoral)  out


Team Connections
Josh Smith and Rajon Rondo both attended Oak Hill Academy…
Doc Rivers played for Atlanta from 1983-91
Rivers also holds the Hawks record for most assists in a career as a Hawk (3,866)
Celtics Assistant Coach Armond Hill played for the Hawks from 1976-80 and also during the 1983-84 season
Joe Johnson was originally drafted by the Celtics with the 10th pick in the 2001 draft
Hawks Assistant Coach Lester Conner was an Assistant Coach with the Celtics from 1998-2004
Paul Pierce and Kirk Hinrich both attended Kansas University
Tracy McGrady played for Doc Rivers in Orlando from 2000-04
Jannero Pargo and Brandon Bass were teammates in New Orleans during the 2006-07 season
Erick Dampier and Brandon Bass were teammates in Dallas from the 2007-09.

Key Matchup
 vs  
Brandon Bass vs Josh Smith
Smith is a very athletic and quick power forward and  Brandon must box out and keep Smith off the boards along with slowing him down on offense.  Smith is an average defender, though and so Bass should be able to get his shot off.  In their first meeting with Bass scored just 8 points and Smith scored 10 points with 11 rebounds.  In their second meeting, Smith went off for 20 points and 11 rebounds while Bass matched his production with 21 points and 10 rebounds.    

Honorable Mention
Avery Bradley vs Jeff Teague
With Rondo out, Avery needs to be aggressive and set the pace of the game.  They will also need his scoring and his defense on Teague who lit the Celtics up for 21 points in their last meeting.  

Sasha Pavlovic vs Joe Johnson
Joe Johnson  is athletic and quick and can score in bunches.  I'm not sure the  Sasha we've seen so far in Boston is up to the task of defending him. It would be a great time for Sasha to have a break out game and lock down Johnson along with finding his stroke on offense.  If not, this could get kind of ugly.

Game Notes
This is the 3rd and final meeting between these two teams.  The first two games were decided by 3 and 2 points respectively.  Games between these two teams always seem to end up in a bar fight, as Kevin would say.  

The Celtics are now firmly in the 4th spot and will stay there now that they have clinched the Atlantic Division.   Indiana is 3.5 games ahead of them in 3rd and playing well so they won't catch them to move up.  Atlanta is in 5th and is 1/2 game ahead of the Celtics and 1 game ahead of the Magic, who are in the 6th spot.  

This could very well be a first round preview and this game could very well determine home court in that opening round.  Right now, the Celtics are 1/2 game behind Atlanta with home games vs the Heat and the Bucks remaining.  The Hawks have games against the Knicks, Clippers and Mavericks remaining, all at home.   It's possible that Orlando could swap places with Atlanta and end up in that 5th spot depending on how the remaining games play out.  Orlando has games on the road vs Utah, Denver and Memphis and a home game vs Charlotte remaining.  But they will be playing without Howard who has announced that he will have back surgery on Friday.  

The Celtics are short handed, but they have won short handed before.  It all depends on how much they want it and their focus in the game.  Home court against a team like Atlanta in the opening round would be nice and this game could go a long way toward either establishing it or losing it.  

Keys to the Game
Defense -  Defense is key to every win.  The Celtics need to play tough team defense.   They have to guard the perimeter as the Hawks have good 3 point shooters who can kill a team from out there. We don't want a repeat of the NY game and so they must close out on shooters on the perimeter.   They also have to defend the paint because players like Smith and Johnson and Pachulia (if he plays) can get to the hoop and score there, especially on tip ins.  

Rebound - The Celtics must make an effort to go after rebounds.  They must box out and prevent tip ins and to prevent the Hawks from getting second chance baskets.  The Hawks had 26 points in the paint in their first meeting and 40 in their second meeting and many of those were tip ins at the hoop.  

Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team.  They have to go after rebounds and loose balls.  They must be aggressive in going to the basket and not settle for jumpers.  They also have to be aggressive on defense and get stops. I love the fact that Pierce has been driving more and he will need to continue to do that in this game as well.    They have to  play like they want it more.  

Focus - The Celtics need to keep their focus for 48 minutes.  They have to take care of the ball and not make careless passes.  They have to make their free throws.  And they have to play as a team and not lapse into hero ball with each one trying to make up for their missing teammates.  

Bench Play - The Celtics are missing 2 key reserves and so the remaining players must pick up the scoring slack.  Against the Knicks, the bench scored just 2 points and the Celtics need more than that from them.  They did better against the Magic, pitching in 14 points but the Celtics could use even more from them in this game.  

X-Factor
Injuries and the Revenge Factor
The Celtics come into Atlanta without 3 key players.  Ray Allen, Mickael Pietrus, and especially Rajon Rondo are all out.   The Celtics reserves have got to step up and contribute in their absence.  Atlanta has lost 2 close games to the Celtics this season and will be looking to avoid the season sweep and exact some revenge.  

[apc]

Today is a great day, you can take JO off the players list!
TP
GO Sean Williams!

[jdz101]

I hope Zaza doesnt play.....if i said I disliked him I would not be a liar.

[celticslove]

I prefer if PP-KG-Bass would take the night off but a W would be so nice. Go Celtics!

[Q_FBE]

First of all, congrats on the division title. This was not a sure thing as the Celtics floundered the first six weeks of the season often below .500. Danny Ainge resisted the urge to blow up the team by trading Ray Allen and Paul Pierce for OJ Mayo, Mehmet Okur, and draft picks. So this game has not so much importance for seeding. The priority switches to getting the HCA for round one but I think the Celtics can go on the road and win in the playoffs.

[fairweatherfan]

Big game here - we can not only get closer to homecourt in the 1st, but closer to seeing Orlando there too.

[jdz101]

I prefer if PP-KG-Bass would take the night off but a W would be so nice. Go Celtics!

If you rest Paul, kg and bass you are left with a starting five of Dooling, Bradley, Marquis, Sasha at the 4, and Steamboat. 

I would not want to watch that team play, let alone the play off the bench... Yeesh

[ACF]

TP. Go Celtics!

[thestackshow]

Career high points for Bradley in this game. Hes had 20+ points in the past 4 or 5 games, so I think that trend will continue.

[Senninsage]

So, wait a minute, are Pierce, KG and Bass NOT going to play in this game? I think we need to aggressively go after every possible advantage that we can get heading into the playoffs, and that means giving our all to secure homecourt advantage. I really do believe we are a superior team to the Hawks, but games against them have been pretty tough this season, and even if they weren't, I really don't see the need of potentially throwing away a legitimate chance to start out the playoffs at home in the garden.

[thestackshow]

So, wait a minute, are Pierce, KG and Bass NOT going to play in this game? I think we need to aggressively go after every possible advantage that we can get heading into the playoffs, and that means giving our all to secure homecourt advantage. I really do believe we are a superior team to the Hawks, but games against them have been pretty tough this season, and even if they weren't, I really don't see the need of potentially throwing away a legitimate chance to start out the playoffs at home in the garden.

Our players are so banged up though, I would hate to see any more guys go down right before the playoffs. Health should be our number one priority. We shouldnt be worried about HCA over the hawks, they cant beat us in a series, home court or no home court.

[Senninsage]

So, wait a minute, are Pierce, KG and Bass NOT going to play in this game? I think we need to aggressively go after every possible advantage that we can get heading into the playoffs, and that means giving our all to secure homecourt advantage. I really do believe we are a superior team to the Hawks, but games against them have been pretty tough this season, and even if they weren't, I really don't see the need of potentially throwing away a legitimate chance to start out the playoffs at home in the garden.

Our players are so banged up though, I would hate to see any more guys go down right before the playoffs. Health should be our number one priority. We shouldnt be worried about HCA over the hawks, they cant beat us in a series, home court or no home court.

True, I suppose you're right. After all, what's the point of the playoffs if our guys aren't in top health and form to be as strong and go as deep into the playoffs as humanely possible. This team, when healthy, I believe has a legitimate chance to win it all.

[apc]

i would rather if the guys played today and rest vs. Heat.
a win today would almost secure HC againt the Hawks.

[snively]

Dooling and Pavlovic as a starting wing duo doesn't bode well for our chances at this game. 

Looking forward to seeing Stiemsma in extended minutes.  I'd like to see how he does without as much liberty to foul.

[thestackshow]

I still think we can win this game.

Bradley and Bass will lead us to a win.