Celtics (60-15) at Bobcats (28-47) 4/5

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Boston Celtics (60-15) at Charlotte Bobcats (28-47)
Saturday, April 5
7:00 PM ET
TV: NBA LP Ch 752, CSN HD, News 14 Carolina
Game #76, Away Game #37
Charlotte Bobcats Arena



Probable Starters

Rajon Rondo/ Ray Allen/ James Posey*/ Kevin Garnett/ Kendrick Perkins
*Pierce is expected to miss this game for the birth of his first child. No word has been given as to who will start in his place, but the logical choice seems to be James Posey.
Off the Bench
Eddie House, Tony Allen, Leon Powe, Big Baby Davis, Sam Cassell, PJ Brown, Brian Scalabrine

Key Off the Bench

Powe has been playing very well and his toughness and defense will be needed in this game.

Injuries
Scott Pollard, ankle, out
Paul Pierce, may miss game due to birth of child





Raymond Felton/Jason Richardson/ Gerald Wallace/ Jared Dudley/ Emeka Okafor/

Off the Bench
Matt Carroll, Ryan Hollins, Jermareo Davidson Nazr Mohammed, Earl Boykins, Derek Anderson

Key off the Bench

Matt Carroll (brother of Pat, who played for the Celtics Summer League team) can put up points in a hurry and will need to be covered outside the arc. He has been shooting 51% from beyond the arc over his last 19 games.

Injuries
Othella Herrington, knee, out
Sean May, knee, out
Morrison, ACL, out

Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo PPG 10.6 RPG 4.10 APG 5.1 EFF + 14.17
Raymond Felton PPG 14.1 RPG 2.80 APG 7.2 EFF + 14.81
Felton has been averaging 18.7 points and 9.0 assists in the 3 contests so far. Rondo needs to slow him down on the defensive end along with making him work on the offensive end.

vs
Ray Allen PPG 18.0 RPG 3.80 APG 3.1 EFF + 16.29
Jason Richardson PPG 21.4 RPG 5.30 APG 3.1 EFF + 18.83
Jason Richardson leads the league with 219 3-pointers this season. He has averaged 26.7 points against the Celtics so far this season. Ray has been shooting the ball well lately and this should be a good matchup.

Honorable Mention
Kevin Garnett vs Jared Dudley
KG has a big height advantage over Dudley as well as the experience edge. The Celtics should look to exploit this early and often.

Coaching Matchup:
vs
The Bobcats are coached by former Celtic Sam Vincent in his first year as head coach. Doc is a candidate for Coach of the Year and so he should be able to out coach a rookie coach.

Keys to the Game

Limit Turnovers The Celtics still turn the ball over too many times. A running team like the Bobcats will capitalize on those turnovers.

Defense
The Bobcats have bigs who can take the ball to the hoop as well as deadly shooters from the perimeter. The Celtics need to continue to play tough defense both in the paint and on the perimeter.

Crash the Glass The Bobcats are a very good rebounding team and if the Celtics don't hustle for rebounds, they could find themselves getting beat by second chance points and fast breaks.

Game Notes
This is the 4th matchup between these two teams this season. The Celtics lead the series 2-1 but the Bobcats have given them problems in every game. The Celtics won the first game by 1 point on a Ray Allen 3 at the buzzer. The Bobcats beat the Celtics 95-83 in their second game, handing the Celtics one of only 2 double digit losses this season. The Celtics won the third match 108-100.

The Bobcats are 19-19 at home while the Celtics are 27-9 on the road. The Cats are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have lost their last 2 games. The Celtics are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have won 5 in a row.

With a win in this game, the Celtics could clinch the best record throughout the playoffs. Doc has said that he will give the starters more rest in this game in preparation for the playoffs. While I don't expect anyone other than Pierce to sit out, expect fewer minutes for KG and Ray in particular.