Celtics Open Title Defense Against Bulls

Chicago Bulls (0-0) at Boston Celtics (0-0)
Saturday, April 18
12:30 PM ET
Postseason Game 1, Home Game 1
TV:  ESPN, CSN-HD  
TD Banknorth Garden

The Celtics open the defense of their title against a young and hungry Chicago Bulls team.  All along Doc was positive that the team would have KG back for the first round.  That was all along until Thursday when he announced that KG may miss the entire playoffs.    Now that they know that KG won't be walking through that door in uniform,  they must prepare for the playoffs without him.  They have been playing without him for the past 24 games and so it shouldn't be that big of a shock to them. 

The Celtics received a boost  when both Tony Allen and Leon Powe returned from their injuries and they expect Scal to return sometime in the first round.  The team held it together with not only KG out, but Leon, Tony, and Scal out as well.  With 3 of the 4 returning and Stephon Marbury and Mikki Moore settling into their roles on the team, the Celtics are confident that they can still repeat as champions, even with out KG in the lineup. 

The Celtics game notes have Leon starting at power forward but the Herald and Celtics.com previews have Big Baby starting.    Big Baby gives up a little in  height to Thomas but is stronger than Thomas.  These two are college teammates and there could be some personal  pride on the line in this matchup.

The Celtics won the series 2-1 in the regular season.  The Bulls won their final meeting in Chicago, which was their only meeting after the Bulls brought in Salmons and Miller after the trade deadline.  The Bulls were 13-28 on the road in the regular season and so weren't a great road team.  But they were 14-2 at home after the All Star break so could be tough on their own court. 

Defense is going to be the key in this series.  Chicago was 8-26 this season in games that they didn't reach 100 points.  This was the worst among all the playoff teams.  The Bulls aren't a really strong defensive team and depend on their scoring to win games.  When they are held to below 100 points, their chances of winning go way down.  Even though the Celtics will be missing last year's defensive player of the year, they must commit to defense in order to win again this year.

Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Rajon Rondo  vs  Derrick Rose

Shooting Guard
  vs 
Ray Allen vs Ben Gordon

Small Forward
vs 
Paul Pierce vs John Salmons 

Power Forward
  vs 
Big Baby Davis vs Tyrus Thomas 

Center
vs 
Kendrick Perkins vs Joakim Noah 

vs

Rajon Rondo PPG 11.9 RPG 5.20 APG 8.2 EFF + 18.84
Derrick Rose   PPG 16.8 RPG 3.90 APG 6.3 EFF + 17.10

The Bulls' #1 draft pick has been playing very well for them and is near the top of many  rookie stat categories.    In their first two meetings, they played fairly evenly.  In the first game, Rose had 18 points but just one assist while Rondo had 14 points and 6 assists.  In the second meeting, Rose had 14 points and 5 assists while Rondo scored just 4 points but had 15 assists.  Most importantly, the Celtics won both games.  In the third matchup between these teams, Rondo clearly had the edge with 26 points and 10 assists to just 11 points and 8 assists from Rose.  This is a matchup of two of the brightest young point guards in the league and it should be a fun one to watch. Most of the previews I have seen give the Bulls the advantage in this matchup, but I am not so sure about that.  Rondo's been here before and Rose isn't and that experience will be the difference.  


vs

Worth Mentioning
vs
Doc Rivers vs Vinny Del Negro
Doc has a big experience advantage over Del Negro who is in his first year of head coaching.  This could make a difference down the stretch in this series.

Keys to the Game
Defense
Play Team Ball
Stay Focused
Limit Turnovers

X-Factor
Determination and Tougness
The Celtics received a big blow when they learned that KG wouldn't be back for this series.  But, they still have 2 future hall of famers and a very deep team. The Celtics are a very determined and tough team and if they play like they are capable of, they should win this game.

Final Word
We Not Me.... Ubuntu