Celtics (12-2) at Heat (4-10) 11/30

[FLCeltsFan]

at
Boston Celtics (12-2) at Miami Heat (4-10) Friday, November 30
8:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN, CSN, Sun Sports
American Airlines Arena


Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Chris Quinn

Shooting Guard
vs
Ray Allen vs Dwayne Wade

Small Forward
vs
Paul Pierce vs Penny Hardaway

Power Forward
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Udonis Haslem

Center
vs
Kendrick Perkins vs Shaquille O'Neal


Off the Bench
James Posey, Tony Allen, Big Baby Davis, Leon Powe, Scot Pollard, Brian Scalabrine, Gabe Pruitt

Injuries:
Tony Allen - day to day

Key Bench Players

James Posey will want to have a good game against his former team and his defense will be needed against the shooters on the Heat. The Heat are strong at the center position with Mourning coming off the bench when Shaq sits. And little used Mark Blount also is available. When Perk sits, the Celtics will also need strong play off the bench at the center position.


Off the Bench
Ricky Davis, Alonzo Mourning, Smush Parker, Mark Blount, Daequan Cook, Alexander Johnson, Jason Williams

Injuries
None

Key Bench Players

Pat Riley moved Ricky Davis to the bench and he has played well in the role as sixth man, just as he did in Boston. Ricky always has a big game against the Celtics and so they need to be ready for him. Alonzo Mourning gives them size and a presence in the middle when Shaq goes to the bench. He has also been effective in a back up role.



Key Match Ups:
vs
Ray Allen vs Dwayne Wade should be a shoot out. Wade is back from the injury and is the Heat's go to guy once again. Ray 's shot appears to be back from wherever it went and he will need to make Wade work on the defensive end.

vs
Although Shaq isn't as dominant as he once was, he still can be a force. He has been challenged by both Riley and Wade and has been playing well. Perk has played well against him in the past and should be able to hold his own against Shaq. Perk's defensive play in the paint will be key.

Keys to the Game
Don't be complacent. At times it seems that the Celtics get complacent and don't put out the effort and hustle that they should. They let the other team beat them to loose balls and to rebounds. The Celtics can't afford to do this with good teams.

Ball Movement Against Cleveland, the Celtics dribbled too much and players held the ball and looked for their own shots instead of playing unselfishly and looking for the open man. When that happens they struggle. Against the Knicks, they went back to good ball movement and looking for the open man and it worked.

Defense. The Heat have good perimeter shooters and so the Celtics will need to defend both in the paint and on the perimeter. When the Celtics play tough defense they are dominant. When they become lax on defense, they struggle.

Game Notes
With Wade back in the lineup, the Heat are a dangerous team. This is the second meeting between the two teams and the Heat almost beat the Celtics in the first one. They lost by only 1 point, 92-91, at the Garden. The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games, although the starters did get a good rest, but they have a long flight after playing and that tends to slow a team down. The Heat have the home crowd behind them and like every team are out to prove that the Celtics are being over hyped. The Celtics have to come out strong and play 48 minutes if they want to win this one as the Heat will be looking for revenge.
_________________