Celtics face Paul Pierce and KG as Nets for the first time

The Nets are playing in the second of back to back games, having played the Sixers on the road on Monday. Kevin Garnett will not be playing in this game and isn't happy about it. Hopefully he will at least be on the bench to cheer on his teammates.

On the other hand, Paul Pierce was not with the team in Philly because of personal reasons so he should be in the starting lineup for this one. The Nets also have been dealing with several injuries that have somewhat depleted their depth. Neither Jason Terry nor Deron Williams have played in the preseason and prized free agent Andrei Kirilenko has been struggling with back spasms. Some of their younger players have also been sidelined with various injuries.

The Celtics are coming off a big win over a depleted Knicks team and have had a couple of days to rest and practice. Hopefully they will come out strong and play with energy in this one. Unlike last season, the Celtics are the team with younger legs and need to take advantage of the older team that is playing on the second straight night.

Once again, we can't be sure of the Celtics starting lineup. Brad Stevens said that his rotations are settling somewhat and the last starting lineup did quite well, so we may see the same lineup of Crawford, Bradley, Green Bass and Sullinger. But then again, maybe we won't.

Celtics Roster

Chris Babb

Brandon Bass

Damen Bell-Holter

Keith Bogans

Avery Bradley

MarShon Brooks

Jordan Crawford

Vitor Faverani

Jeff Green

Kris Humphries

Courtney Lee

Kelly Olynyk

Phil Pressey

Rajon Rondo

DeShawn Sims

Jared Sullinger

Kammron Taylor

Gerald Wallace

Injuries

Rajon Rondo (ACL) out

Keith Bogans (thumb) out

Nets Roster

Alan Anderson

Andray Blatche

Reggie Evans

Gary Forbes

Kevin Garnett

Jorge Gutierrez

Marko Jaric

Joe Johnson

Chris Johnson

Andrei Kirilenko

Shaun Livingston

Brook Lopez

Paul Pierce

Mason Plumlee

Tornike Shengelia

Tyshawn Taylor

Mirza Teletovic

Jason Terry

Deron Williams

Injuries

Jorge Gutierrez (ankle) questionable

Andrei Kirilenko (back) questionable

Tornike Shengelia (ankle) questionable

Tyshawn Taylor (ankle) questionable

Jason Terry (knee) out

Deron Williams (ankle) out

Key Matchup

vs

Jeff Green vs Paul Pierce

Celtics present vs Celtics past are matched up in this game. Jeff Green has not lived up to expectations so far as a Celtic. First, there were the struggles after the trade that were excused as he was learning a new team and new position. Then there was the year lost for heart surgery. Last season, we saw flashes of the player that the Celtics hoped he would be and in the playoffs, he came on strong, leading fans to expect more this season. Once again, he lacks aggressiveness and we wait to see if he can turn the corner. We all know what Paul Pierce brings and I have no doubt that he will bring it 100% in this game.

Keys to the Game

Play with Energy - take advantage of the Nets back to back

Rebound - The Nets have size and rebounders and the Celtics must put out extra energy to crash the boards

Don't Be Overly Unselfish - The Celtics have tended to be so unselfish that they pass up open shots. They need to take the shots when they are there

Defense - The Celtics' defense is coming along and they need to keep working hard on that end

Keep Building The Celtics need to take their success from their win over the Knicks and build on it