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Game Preview: Cavaliers at Celtics
 |
vs. |  |
|---|---|---|
| 60-16 | Record | 47-28 |
| 102.0 | PPG | 98.9 |
| 94.7 | PPGA | 94.8 |
| 48.6 | FG% | 48.3 |
| 43.8 | Opp. FG% | 44.9 |
| 42.6 | Rebounds | 38.7 |
| 22.2 | Assists | 23.7 |
| 14.0 | Turnovers | 15.2 |
| 6.9 | Steals | 8.8 |
| 5.4 | Blocks | 5.0 |
| Point Guard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Mo Williams |
Rajon Rondo | ||
| Shooting Guard | |||
Anthony Parker |
Ray Allen | ||
| Small Forward | |||
LeBron James |
Paul Pierce | ||
| Power Forward | |||
Antawn Jamison |
Kevin Garnett | ||
| Center | |||
J.J. Hickson |
Kendrick Perkins | ||
| Sixth Man | |||
Anderson Varejao |
Rasheed Wallace | ||
Sunday, April 4, 2010
TD Garden, 1 p.m.
TV: ABC
RADIO: WEEI 850 AM
Seven games remain on the Boston Celtics' regular season schedule, and while all of them hold significance (for the playoff seedings) and four of them are very important (as a barometer against possible playoff competition), there is one that stands above the rest.
After three straight home losses by the Celtics, that one contest that holds extra importance might defined as "must-win," and that game has now arrived.
At 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon when Boston hosts the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, the Celtics will have their final opportunity of the regular season to prove to everyone outside of their locker room that they are a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.
Up to this point, the C's have failed to regain that national recognition after a difficult start to the new year. The reason isn't because they haven't beaten any good teams of late, because they certainly have (see wins over the Lakers, Mavericks, Nuggets, etc.). The reason is that in the national spotlight against the East's elite teams, they've failed to deliver.
Overall, the Celtics head into Sunday's game with a 2-9 record against the other top three seeds in the East, including 1-2 against the Cavaliers. Six of those nine losses came by single digits, but they still wound up in the loss column, causing media members across the country to doubt Boston's championship pedigree.
But the C's have been playing much better over the past five weeks, notching a season-high for wins in a month with 11 in March. Six of those wins were by at least 10 points and three game against sure-fire playoff teams.
During that stretch, though, Cleveland knocked off Boston 104-93 on March 14, resulting in many believing that the C's are incapable of moving past the second round of the playoffs.
In that last game against the Cavs, the Celts did a pretty solid job of not allowing LeBron James to win the game by himself. In fact, he was very average -- at least by his standards -- and finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Believe it or not, those numbers are almost the definition of average for James, who enters Sunday's game 29.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 8.5 APG.
The Celtics can live with him putting up those numbers, but what they can't live with is a couple of his teammates having above-average games, too.
Anderson Varejao changed the game dramatically, to the point that his 17 points and 10 rebounds don't do any justice to his performance.
"I thought one guy completely dominated this game and that was (Anderson) Varejao and that's the second time," Doc Rivers said after that game. "Loose balls, activity, getting under our skin. I mean, he's doing what he should be doing. That was very frustrating."
The man Varejao often backs up, Antawn Jamison, also chipped in a healthy 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs, meaning that two forwards may have been the difference in the game.
That's a result that must not have sat well with players like Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace and Kendrick Perkins. Those three, and everyone on the team, for that matter, will need to drastically improve their play in comparison to their last matchup with the Cavs.
If Boston can pull out the win, it will be the team's first defeat of one of the other top three Eastern Conference teams time since Christmas Day. That's may be a wide gap, but the C's could care less. They want another holiday win on Easter, and they want to prove themselves to anyone who's watching.
Bench contributions
The Celtics reserves had a very poor performance against the Cavs in their last outing, totaling only 15 points, without a single player scoring more than five points. The bench combined to shoot 5-of-25 from the field, and Rasheed Wallace finished with five points on 1-of-8 shooting to go along with four rebounds.
Needless to say, that's going to have to improve Sunday afternoon. And despite Boston's current three-game losing streak, there has been solid contributions from the bench.
Sheed, for instance, scored 18 points against Oklahoma City and followed that up with 11 points and eight boards against the Rockets. Tony Allen also dropped 12 points, five rebounds and three assists into the box score in the Friday night loss.
Similar performances, accompanied by some solid games from other reserves, will be a necessity to beat the Cavs. Goal No. 1 will have to be matching Cleveland's energy, because if the Celtic reserves don't do that, the scoreboard will not wind up in their favor.
Physical defense
No players love to be pounded when they take the ball to the basket, and that includes physical specimens like LeBron James. When teams get physical with the Cavaliers, they have a better shot at beating them, and that's exactly what the C's need to do in this game.
When Boston knocked off the Cavs in Cleveland on Opening Night, Garnett and Wallace helped the team rack up eight blocked shots. KG accounted for three of them and Sheed swatted two.
Compare that to Boston's two losses to Cleveland, where the C's have blocked a combined five shots, without a single player blocking more than one shot in either of those games.
The C's need to make a statement to the Cavs that they won't be able to take the ball to the basket without paying for it in this game. Boston will also need to be physical in all other aspects of the game, not just going up for blocked shots.
Hustle and energy
A big problem that was apparent during Boston's struggles in January and February was a lack of hustle and energy. When the team righted the ship for almost all of March, that wasn't even a discussion, and clearly that resulted in better play.
Against Cleveland, however, the C's have lacked energy and hustle in two straight contests, both resulting in losses. As noted in Rivers' quote earlier in this preview, Varejao's energy has been the difference in both of those matchups because no one on Boston's roster could match it.
That needs to change in this game, or the result will be the same. Players like Nate Robinson, Tony Allen, Glen Davis and Marquis Daniels are known for their energy, and Rivers would love to see them live up to those reputations in this game.
The Cavaliers are a talented team that can get fired up in an instant from Varejao's, or any other player's, hustle. That energy is arguably what makes this team great, and if it's taken away, they will undoubtedly become much more susceptible.
