Celtics visit the streaking Pacers

 
Probable Starting Matchups
PointGuard
 vs  
Rajon Rondo  vs  Darren Collison  

Shooting Guard
 vs
Avery Bradley   vs  Paul George  

Small Forward
 vs  
Paul Pierce  vs  Danny Granger  

Power Forward
 vs  
Brandon Bass  vs  David West

Center
 vs  
Kevin Garnett  vs  Roy Hibbert  




Celtics Reserves
Marquis Daniels
Ryan Hollins
E'Twaun Moore
JaJuan Johnson
Ray Allen
Sasha Pavlovic
Greg Stiemsma
Keyon Dooling

Injured
Mickael Pietrus (concussion) out
Jermaine O'Neal (wrist)  out  



Pacers Reserves
Tyler Hansbrough
George Hill
Louis Amundson
Dahntay Jones
AJ Price
Jeff Pendergraph
Lance Stephenson
George Hill
Kyrylo Fesenko

Injured
None

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. Both Pierce and Granger have struggled in the series so far with Pierce shooting 34.6% and Granger shooting 36.7% in the 3 games.  That may be due to the defense played by both of these players.   Paul Pierce has been playing very well over the last month as evidenced by his selection as player of the month but he struggled in the second half of the Bulls game, shooting just 1-8 for 5 points in the half.  Granger is averaging 26.3 points in the Pacers' 4 game win streak and is coming off a 26 point game against the Thunder (scoring 13 of those 26 points in the 4th quarter).  It's going to be a tough matchup for Pierce with Granger playing so well but he has to be up to the task of playing tough defense along with being aggressive on the offensive end. 

vs
Rajon Rondo vs Darren Collison
As Rondo goes, so go the Celtics.    When Rondo is aggressive, he makes the Celtics very tough to beat.  Rondo should have a height and experience advantage over Collison and hopefully that will translate into a big game for him.  He has 15 games with double digit assists but Indiana is 4th in the league, allowing their opponents only 19 assists per game.  The Celtics, however are first, allowing an even stingier 18.7 assists per game.  Rondo has to be very careful with his passes and has to play smart and not let the string of double digit assists get into his head and alter his play. 

Honorable Mention
Kevin Garnett vs Roy Hibbert
Hibbert is becoming one of the better centers in the league.  He is listed at 7'2" and his length bothers other centers.  He is coming off a 21 point 12 rebound game against the Thunder and if Perk struggled to stop him, Garnett will more than likely have his hands full with him.      

Keys to the Game
Defense - The Celtics defense has been up and down and they have clamped down in spurts.  The Celtics need to work harder on team defense.   They have stretches like the first half of the Bulls game or the third quarter in the Spurs game or the entire Heat game where they lock down the opponent and then there are stretches like the 3rd quarter of the Bulls game or the first half of the Spurs game where they allow easy baskets both inside and out.  They have to be more consistent and limit the other team's ability to score.  They won't win in a shoot out and must get stops consistently.  

Rebound -  Winning the rebounding battle prevents second chance points  and tip ins for the Pacers as well as limits fast break opportunities.   So much of rebounding is effort and desire.  The Celtics must play like they want it more and put out the effort to go get the rebounds.   When the Celtics put out the effort on the boards, it often translates to other areas of the game as well.   They held their own in the first half against the Bulls and had an 11 point lead.  They allowed the Bulls to out-rebound them in the second half and lost the game.  They can get rebounds when they really put out the effort.  

Offense -  There have been times when the Celtics' ball movement is a joy to behold and others when they make sloppy passes and just can't seem to get anything going.  They have to continue to move the ball and find the open man.   There area also times when the ball movement stops and there is too much hero ball.  Against the Bulls in the first half, they pushed the ball and got into their offense quickly and got great shots.  In the second half, they walked the ball up and slowed down the ball movement and the offense just got stagnant.  They have to push the ball, make the extra pass and run the offense.

Be Aggressive -  When the Celtics are aggressive in going to the basket, going after loose balls, pushing the ball up the court quickly, and going after rebounds, they are really tough.   But when they are passive and settle for jumpers, let the other team beat them to loose balls, and rebounds, they will lose every time.  They have been aggressive in spurts and then they stop and either give up big leads or allow the other team to build a big lead.  They have to be aggressive for 48 minutes.

X-Factors
Doc's Message and Back to Back
Doc really blasted the Celtics for their effort and toughness after their loss to the Bulls.  How they receive his message will be key here.  Will they take it to heart and come out with a better effort?  Or, will they pout and come out with a "criminal effort" once again?  Also, the Pacers play the Thunder the night before and so hopefully that will be a factor for them.