Sunday, February 7th, 2
TD Garden
TV: ABC RADIO: WEEI
The Line: Celtics are 1
Game Thread | Chat Room
Go for the glory, go for the score Go for it! Connect Four! -ancient American proverb
The Celtics have not won four games in a row since Christmas, two thousand 'aut Nine. The Magic are currently 2-1 against the Celtics, as opposed to the 4-3 they reached last spring. The Celtics, like Stella, appear to have gotten their groove back, with recent wins against such staunch squads as New Jersey, Miami, and Washington. This game today however would be a fantastic opportunity to make a statement, against an Eastern conference rival.
Now, since Christmas (the last time the Celtics won a game against the Magic), the Celtics haven't exactly been successful against top tier teams (Six games, six losses). However, the season is long and arduous, and each new game is a new opportunity to lay a foundation for spring intimidation. The Celtics need to seize this opportunity and beat the Magic into a frustrating and memorable loss while they have the chance. They've already allowed the Hawks to have a mental edge (record against hawks this season: 0-4), they cannot afford the same opportunity to the Magic.
Probable Starting Rosters:
Boston Celtics
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Injuries and Stuff: Paul Pierce (DTD), Marquis Daniels (Questionable), JR Giddens(OUT)
Orlando Magic
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Injuries and Stuff:None
Matchup Of the Night: Kendrick Perkins V Dwight Howard
Perkins is allegedly the only person in the universe who can cover Dwight Howard 1 on 1. Dwight Howard has been clamoring for more touches for weeks, and feeding him down low with a suspect (it's true.) KG and aging Rasheed makes sense in a statement game like this. Each inch Perkins earns will, by the property of transitive intimidation, be an inch that Perkins retains walking into the playoffs. There are some fights you have to win, and this is one of them for Perkules.
Keys to the game for the Good Guys:
1) Forget about those last few games: In games that matter the Celtics have been choking like they're a snake trying to eat a 57' Chevy. The Celtics need to start a new narrative for their season here. A narrative of wins, not of near losses.
2) Everybody hurts: Paul Pierce and Marquis Daniels will allegedly play today, for El Capitain, this is just the first game back after a few missed contests. For Daniels this is the first game back since December 4th. When healthy, both guys are very important cogs in the winning machine, but neither guy can afford to try to do too much too quickly, and risk further injury.
3) Swagger is a state of mind: The Celtics need to beat the healthy Magic while they are all either hurt or recovering from injury. Well, that an exaggeration, but it's how things feel right now. If the Celtics want to win this game, they're going to need to play taller than they actually are right now, figuratively speaking.