at 
Boston Celtics (2-1) at Detroit Pistons (0-3)
Tuesday, November 2
7:30 PM ET
Game #4, Road Game #2
TV: CSNNE, FSD, LP 754/755
Radio: WEEI, WDFN
Palace of Auburn Hills
Game Thread l Chat
The Celtics travel to Detroit to take on their long time foes at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Both teams should be well rested as the Celtics have been off since Friday and the Pistons have been off since Saturday. Both teams are playing in the first of back to back games with the Celtics facing the Bucks at home on Wednesday while Detroit moves on to Atlanta.
The Celtics will be playing for the first time with Jermaine O'Neal in the starting lineup since Shaq stayed in Boston to rest his injured knee. Hopefully playing with the starters and facing a center like Ben Wallace, who isn't as athletic or as young as a lot of the starting centers in the league, will help get JO's game back on track. With the team missing a center, Doc has promised to give Semih Erden some playing time in this one. The Celtics have yet to play well for a complete game. Hopefully they put it all together for this one.
Probable Starters
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Rajon Rondo 10.7 PPG, 16.7 APG, 2 SPG
SG: Ray Allen 14.7 PPG, 2.3 APG, .333 3P%
SF: Paul Pierce 19 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.3 APG
PF: Kevin Garnett 14.3 PPG, 11.7 RPG, .3 BPG
C: Jermaine O'Neal 1.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.0 BPG
Boston Bench Mob
Marquis Daniels
Glen Davis
Semih Erden
Luke Harangody
Nate Robinson
Von Wafer
Delonte West (suspended)
Injured
Kendrick Perkins (knee) out
Avery Bradley (ankle) out
Shaquille O'Neal (knee) out
Probable Starters
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Rodney Stuckey 19 PPG, 8 APG, 0 SPG
SG: Rip Hamilton 13.5 PPG, 1.5 APG, .600 3P%
SF: Tayshaun Prince 13 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2 APG
PF: Austin Daye 5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, .5 APG
C: Ben Wallace 4 PPG, 9 RPG, 1.5 BPG
Pistons Bench
Charie Villanueva
Tracy McGrady
Jason Maxiel
Ben Gordon
DaJuan Summers
Greg Monroe
Injuries
Will Bynum (hamstring) questionable
Jonas Jerebko (Achilles) out
Terrico White (foot) out
Chris Wilcox (hamstring) questionable
Key Matchups
vs 
Rajon Rondo vs Rodney Stuckey
Stuckey is a scoring PG and so Rondo will need to defend him well. Stuckey has a height advantage but Rondo has a quickness advantage. Both are good rebounding guards.
vs 
Kevin Garnett vs Austin Daye
Kevin Garnett will need to use his wiley veteran tactics and intimidation factor to dominate the Pistons' 2nd year player.
Keys to the Game
Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics are still turning the ball over too much. They must cut down on the turnovers and take better care of the ball.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics are getting into the habit of slow starts and sluggish endings. They have to play all 4 quarters.
Defense - The Celtics must get back to their defense first style.
X-Factor
Injuries
With Shaq out and Jermaine in the starting lineup for the first time, The Celtics will need to depend on Semih Erden or Luke Harangody to give them quality minutes.