Celtics (52-13) at Spurs (44-22) 3/17

at
Boston Celtics (52-13) at San Antonio Spurs (44-22)
Monday, March 17
8:30 PM ET
Game #66, Road Game #32
TV: NBA LP ch 756, FSNSW, CSNHD
Radio: WEEI, Sirius 122
AT&T Center


Probable Starters
[img width=500 height=54]http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/boston/00-Celticslogos.gif[/img]

PG: Rajon Rondo PPG 10.5 RPG 4.20 APG 5.1 EFF + 14.08
SG: Ray Allen PPG 18.3 RPG 4.00 APG 3.0 EFF + 16.65
SF: Paul Pierce PPG 19.9 RPG 5.30 APG 4.7 EFF + 19.91
PF: Kevin Garnett PPG 18.7 RPG 9.40 APG 3.5 EFF + 24.86
C: Kendrick Perkins PPG 7.6 RPG 6.20 APG 1.1 EFF + 12.30

Off the Bench:
Eddie House, James Posey, Tony Allen, Big Baby Davis, Leon Powe, PJ Brown, Sam Cassell, Brian Scalabrine

Injuries
Scot Pollard, ankle, out
Ray Allen, foot, day to day



[img width=500 height=54]http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/sanantonio/00-Spurslogos.gif[/img]
Probable Starters

PG: Tony Parker PPG 18.7 RPG 3.00 APG 5.7 EFF + 16.96
SG: Manu Ginobili PPG 20.2 RPG 5.00 APG 4.7 EFF + 20.56
SF: Bruce Bowen PPG 5.9 RPG 2.70 APG 1.2 EFF + 6.85
PF: Tim Duncan PPG 19.7 RPG 11.50 APG 3.1 EFF + 25.16
C: Kurt Thomas PPG 7.0 RPG 8.00 APG 1.1 EFF + 13.72

Off the Bench
Michael Finley. Jacques Vaughn, Robert Horry, Fabricio Oberto, Damon Stoudamire, Matt Bonner

Injuries
Ime Udoka, ankle, out

Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Tony Parker
Rondo will be facing some of the best point guards in the league on this trip and Parker is going to be a tough cover for him. Rondo needs to be aggressive and use his speed to beat Parker off the dribble.

vs
Kevin Garnett vs Tim Duncan
This is a matchup of the two premier power forwards in the league. It should be a battle and a very good matchup.

Keys to the Game
Hustle and Effort The Celtics are on the road and facing the reigning World Champions who will be looking to get back on track after 3 losses on the road. The Celtics will have to bring their "A" game and hustle for loose balls and rebounds. They can't let the Spurs work harder if they want the win.

Composure The Spurs are a tough defensive team and in the past the Celtics have struggled against teams that have played them tough defensively. They need to keep their composure and not allow the defensive pressure to rattle them.

Move the Ball Against the Spurs defense, they will have to move the ball to find the open man, or they will be in big trouble. They also have to get the ball inside and not settle for jumpers.

Defense The Celtics will need to match the Spurs defensive intensity. They have to play tough defense and crash the boards. If they give the Spurs in inch they will take a mile. The Spurs are a good 3 point shooting team and so the Celtics need to guard the perimeter as well as the inside.

X-Factor
Defensive Intensity
The team that works the hardest on the defensive end will be the team that wins this game.