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Boston Celtics (41-12) at Portland Trail Blazers (29-26)
Sunday, February, 24
6:00 PM ET
Game #54, Road Game #27
TV: NBA LP ch 754, CSN ch37, CSN HD
Radio: Sirius 119, WEEI
Rose Garden Arena
Probable Starters
PG: Rajon Rondo PPG 10.7 | APG 4.7 | SPG 1.7
SG: Ray Allen PPG 18.7 | APG 3.1 | 3P% .378
SF: Paul Pierce PPG 20.5 | RPG 5.6 | APG 4.8
PF: Kevin Garnett PPG 18.8 | RPG 9.9 | BPG 1.4
C: Kendrick Perkins PPG 7.1 | RPG 5.5 | BPG 1.3
Off the Bench
James Posey, Eddie House, Scot Pollard, Gabe Pruitt, Leon Powe, Big Baby Davis, Tony Allen
Injuries
Brian Scalabrine, groin, day to day
Probable Starters
PG: Jarrett Jack PPG 9.4 l APG 4.0 l SPG .7
SG: Steve Blake PPG 7.6 | APG 4.6 | SPG 0.8
SF: Brandon Roy PPG 19.5 | APG 5.8 | 3P% .325
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge PPG 17.0 | RPG 7.5 | BPG 1.4
C: Joel Pryzbilla PPG 4.7| RPG 7.2 | BPG 1.2
Off the Bench
Martell Webster, Travis Outlaw, Canning Frye, Sergio Rodriguez, Raef LaFrentz, Von Wafer, Josh McRoberts
Injuries
Darius Miles, knee, out
Greg Oden, knee, out
James Jones, knee, out
Key Matchups
vs
Paul Pierce PPG 20.5 | RPG 5.6 | APG 4.8
Brandon Roy PPG 19.5 | RPG 4.9 | APG 5.8
This should be a good matchup. Their stats are very similar and both have similar games in that they are slashers but who can hit from the outside. Both are strong and have an all around game. Hopefully Pierce will shoot better than he did against Phoenix.
vs
Kevin Garnett PPG 18.8 | RPG 9.9 | BPG 1.4
LaMarcus Aldridge PPG 17.0 | RPG 7.5 | BPG 1.4
This should also be a good matchup of similar players. Hopefully KG will be back to 100% for this game as we will need him.
Honorable Mention
Rajon Rondo vs Jarrett Jack. Rondo has the speed advantage. He should be able to get past Jack and get to the hoop at will. His defense should also cause Jack some problems on the other end.
Game Notes
The Blazers started out very strong but have slipped recently. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games. The Blazers have a 12-12 record against Eastern conference teams. They are a young and athletic team and could give the Celtics problems, especially since the Celtics are playing in the 4th game on this trip and have had 3 very physical games where they had to run. The Blazers are 21-7 at home. But, the Celtics are catching them at a time when they are struggling and so should get a win here.
Keys to the Game
Be Aggressive The Celtics need to be agressive in going after loose balls and rebounds and in taking the ball to the hoop and not settling for outside shots. The Celtics were outrebounded by the Suns and they will need to be aggressive on the boards to avoid that again.
Bench Play The Blazers have a very good bench and the Celtics will need to get some production from their bench to match up. House has been very streaky and his shot hasn't been falling. Posey seems to be struggling and for some reason Doc played Leon Powe only 4 minutes iin Phoenix in spite of the fact that he had 2 rebounds and 2 points in those 4 minutes. They will need more production from the bench if they want to win this one.
Defense The Celtics got back to playing defense against the Suns, and hopefully they will continue to play defense in this game. They can't outscore teams and need to get stops if they want to win.
Ball movement The Celtics have gotten away from moving the ball and finding the open man. They aren't looking to go inside as much in recent games (which could be the result of some very poor officiating) and need to get back to what made them so successful early. They have to stop taking quick shots and going one on one and move without the ball to get open shots.
The streak stops at 3.
