Game 28: Where We Call This Game 'An Ackbar Special'

Detroit Pistons (8-21) at Boston Celtics (15-12)
Wednesday, February 15
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #28 – Home Game #19
TV: CSNNE, FSD, NBA-LP 753/754 (DTV)
Radio: WEEI, WDFN, 97.1 FM The Ticket
TD Garden

Game Thread | Chat Room

Watch this clip.Or, check out this link. There, now everybody gets the joke!

Tonight's game has all the usually *ahem* trappings of a "Trap Game".

A) Its against a weaker opponent that nobody is currently taking seriously, but a team who is also young and hungry.

B) Its after a small amount of rest, meaning that it should be a pretty simple and easy win for a 'good' team.

C)The Celtics are coming off of a big win against the league's best team. Without its reigning MVP, sure, but still.

This is a trap game. This is a game where a good team walks into what should be a sure win, what should just be the preamble to the real contest against Chicago tomorrow night, a contest that will, almost to a certitude, have all the critical and ambulatory members of each team active, especially considering the close outcome of their last contest.

Basically tonight is a footnote in a lot of ways, and because of that, its a trap game.Good teams know to see these coming. Kevin Garnett may play tonight (along with Pietrus and O'Neal). He knows its a trap game, and they need his near-homicidal passion out there to keep it competitive.

But even knowing something is a trap game isn't enough to avoid the trap. The reason why its a trap game is because the other guys want it more than you do; its because it would make their week to take down the boistrous and bully-like Boston Celtics, whereas it wouldn't even necessarily make the Celtics' day to take down the struggling and lottery-bound Pistons, especially with the Bulls game tomorrow.

The Celtics need to be a bully from the moment they set foot on the floor tonight. They need to quell any rumors of a resistance from the Pistons. They need to run them off the floor before they have a chance to let the 'so you're sayin' there's a chance' mentality to creep in.

That's how you really avoid a trap game. If the score is tied at halftime, you'll know they failed.

As usual, all lineups, etc, from FLCeltsFan

Probable Starters
PGSGSFPFC
Rajon Rondo.... Ray Allen.... Paul Pierce.....Kevin Garnett.... Chris Wilcox

Celtics Reserves
Marquis Daniels
Greg Steimsma
Brandon Bass
JaJuan Johnson
E'Twaun Moore
Keyon Dooling
Mickael Pietrus

Injuries
Sasha Pavlovic (wrist) day to day
Jermaine O'Neal (shoulder) probable
Brandon Bass (knee) out
Mickael Pietrus (knee) questionable
Kevin Garnett (hip) questionable





Probable Starters
PG SG SF PF C
Brandon Knight...Rodney Stuckey...Tayshaun Prince...Jason Maxiell..Greg Monroe

Pistons Bench
Ben Wallace
Jonas Jerebko
Brandon Knight
Austin Daye
Damien Wilkins
Vernon Macklin
Will Bynum
Ben Gordon
Walker Russell


Injuries
Charlie Villanueva (foot) out

Team Connections
Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva and Ray Allen all attended the University of Connecticut
Tayshaun Prince, Brandon Knight and Rajon Rondo attended the University of Kentucky
Pistons Head Coach Lawrence Frank was an assistant coach with the Celtics during the 2010‐11 season
Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace were teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2007‐09
Pistons Assistant Coach Roy Rogers played for the Celtics during the 1997‐98 season and was an assistant coach during the 2010‐11 season.
Chris Wilcox played for the Pistons from 2009-11.

Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Brandon Knight
As has been stated many times, as Rondo goes, so goes the Celtics. The Celtics need the aggressive Rondo that ran on every possession and gave the Celtics a spark on both ends of the court, including on the boards. He should be able to school Knight and have another big night if he comes to play.

vs
Paul Pierce vs Tayshaun Prince
This has been a great matchup over the years, Prince's length can give Pierce problems but Pierce's strength can also give Prince problems. If Pierce can't get his shot off, he needs to be a facilitator and find the open man rather than trying to force it.

Honorable Mention
Kevin Garnett vs Jason Maxiell
KG has a height advantage over Maxiell and hopefully he will be aggressive in looking for his shot.