C's defense takes center stage as they host the Warriors

Shavlik Randolph

Injuries

Rajon Rondo (knee) out

Jared Sullinger (back) out

Probable Starters

PG Stephen Curry 21.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 6.5 APG,

SG Klay Thompson 16.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.3 APG,

SF Harrrison Barnes 9.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.4 APG

PF David Lee 19.0 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 3.7 APG,

C Andris Biedrins 0.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.3 APG,

Reserves

Jarrett Jack

Draymond Green

Carl Landry

Kent Bazemore

Richard Jefferson

Festus Ezeli

Injuries

Andrew Bogut (back) out

Brandon Rush (knee) out

Key Matchups

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Avery Bradley vs Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry is a tough cover for anyone. He is coming off a 54 point explosion against the Knicks on Wednesday. Both Avery and Courtney Lee have promised that Curry won't score 54 points on them in this game. Bradley's defensive skills will definitely get a workout in this one. Curry sometimes will have defensive lapses and when he does, Avery needs to be ready to take advantage.

vs

Brandon Bass vs David Lee

Lee is a tough player and isn't above playing rough and dirty as evidenced by the fact that he was suspended for the Warriors last game because of a shoving match. Lee is leading his team in rebounding and so Bass needs to box him out and deny him position for rebounds to prevent second chance baskets and, especially, tip ins and put backs. Lee plays hard every game and Bass needs to match his intensity. Lee's 37 double-doubles lead the league and he is averaging 27.7 points and 12.0 rebounds in his last three games at Boston.

Honorable Mention

Courtney Lee vs Klay Thompson

Lee will have his hands full with the 6'7" Thompson, who is averaging 16.3 points per game. The Celtics "Pit Bulls" ability to stop Curry and Thompson will be key to winning this game.

Keys to the Game

Defense - The Warriors can put up points quickly and in bunches. It will be important for the Celtics to bring their defensive intensity into this game, especially to shut down the Warriors' fast breaks. The Celtics won't if they try to outscore the Warriors without playing tough defense on them. The Celtics must guard the perimeter as the Warriors lead the league in 3 point percentage are dangerous from beyond the arc.

Rebound - The Celtics need to crash the boards to keep the Warriors from igniting their fast breaks. The Celtics also need to rebound to give themselves second chance points and limit the second chance points for the Warriors. The Warriors are 26-6 this season when they out rebound their opponents.

Take Care of the Ball - The Warriors can be very disruptive by getting into the passing lanes and are very good at scoring off turnovers. The Celtics seem to go through periods in every game where they turn over the ball several times in a row. The Celtics need to stay focused and not give the Warriors any easy opportunities to steal the ball or to get out on the break.

Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to come out focused and take control of the game from the beginning. The Celtics also have to be the more aggressive team throughout the game. They must be aggressive on defense, on the boards, in chasing down lose balls, and in taking the ball to the hoop and not settling for jumpers.

X-Factors

Rust vs Rest

The Celtics have been off since Monday while the Warriors played a tough game on Wednesday. The Celtics' veterans had a much needed two days of rest while the new guys had a chance to practice and learn. Hopefully they won't come out rusty but will instead be energized and come out strong.

Official Report

Mike Callahan

A veteran of 22 NBA seasons, Mike Callahan has officiated 1,315 regular season, 122 playoff and 12 NBA Finals games. He was a member of the crews that officiated the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, 1994 Mexico Challenge and the 1996 Schick Rookie Game. Prior to joining the NBA, Callahan spent three years officiating in the CBA, including the 1989 and 1990 CBA Finals. A member of the Cardinal O’Hara High School basketball team for four years, Callahan also coached the freshman basketball team after graduating. Callahan has run a clinic for referees called “Hoops4Heros” that benefits local fire departments and maintains strong ties to the Philadelphia community through his volunteer work with the Don Guanella School for developmentally disabled boys.

Callahan is one of 4 refs to come out of Cardinal O'Hara High School in Pennsylvania. The other 3 are Joey Crawford, Ed Malloy and Tim Donaghy. Callahan was one of the referees mentioned in an incident in Tim Donaghy's book. He and other refs would regularly wager with their fellow refs over things like who would call the first foul, who could give out the first tech, etc. Makes you wonder what game they might be playing tonight.

The Celtics are 2-2 this season and 6-4 over their last 10 games with Callahan officiating. He was one of the refs who officiated Game 7 of the ECF last season. He also called an 88-79 loss to Philly in the preseason. In the win over the Jazz Callahan's officiating inspired a classic rant by Tommy about an especially bad traveling call he made on Jeff Green. He called the game in Denver where the Nuggets shot 36 free throws to 16 for the Celtics and the officiating was terrible. The Warriors are 1-1 this season and 5-5 over their last 10 with Callahan on the court. His home W/L record this season is 26-15.

Sean Corbin

The 17-year NBA officiating veteran returns for the 2012-13 NBA Season having worked 954 regular season NBA games and 44 playoff games, along with the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, 1999 Japan Games in Tokyo and the 1996 Schick Rookie Game. Corbin spent the summer of 2004 officiating basketball at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Corbin’s resume includes four years officiating in the CBA and nine years of collegiate officiating experience in the Big East, Southern, Southeastern, Mid-Eastern Athletic and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conferences. He also has four years of high school basketball officiating experience. Corbin, a Baltimore native, has been involved in charitable efforts in the city, including working for healthcare for the homeless. His athletic accomplishments still remain notable in the Baltimore community, where he played baseball and basketball at Coppin State College and Towson Catholic High School.

The Celtics are 0-2 this year with the only games being a loss to the Nets in the preseason and a loss to the Bulls. The officiating in that Bulls game was terrible (although most of the bad calls were by Marc Davis rather than Corbin). Even Hubie Brown was complaining about how bad many of the calls in that game were. Corbin didn't call any games last season so the his previous games with the Celtics were all in 2009-10. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games with Corbin. The Warriors are 1-0 this season and 7-3 in their last 10. His home W/L record is 20-19.

Tre Maddox

Tre Maddox enters his second NBA season having officiated 43 regular season games. Maddox’s experience includes four seasons and 158 games officiated in the D-League. He also has five seasons of NBA preseason game experienece and worked in NBA summer camps for five years. In addition to his professional experience, Maddox officiated collegiate games for six years in the PAC 10, WCC and Pac West Conferences and has eight years of high school officiating experience.

The Celtics are 1-1 this season and 2-2 over his career as a referee. The wins this season was over the Timberwolves and the Magic and the officiating was good in both. The loss this season was to the Clippers where the Celtics shot 15 free throws to 24 for the Clippers but the officiating wasn't bad. The loss last season was against the Pacers and the officiating was fairly even. The Warriors are 2-1 this season and 4-6 over their last 10 with Maddox. His home W/L record this season is 25-12.