Celtics host Warriors looking to avenge earlier 2 point loss

at
Golden State Warriors (37-24) at Boston Celtics (20-40)
Wednesday, March, 5, 2014
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #61, Road Game #31
TV: CSN-NE, CSN-BA, NBA-LP 758(DTV)/754(Xfinity)
Radio: WBZ, KNBR
TD Garden

Much has changed since that game. The Celtics now have Rajon Rondo back and the Celtics former starting point guard, Jordan Crawford, is now coming off the Warriors bench. The Celtics will also be missing their defensive stopper Avery Bradley. The Warriors have also added Steve Blake to their bench.

The Celtics have had 2 days off and are finally getting healthier. Kelly Olynyk practiced on Tuesday and may be back in the rotation for this game. The Warriors are playing in the second of back to back games as well as at the end of a 6 game road trip.

The Celtics are 12-18 at home while the Warriors are 18-14 on the road. The Warriors have lost their last 5 games in Boston and have not won a season series against the Celtics since the 2006-07 season. The Celtics are coming off a loss to the Pacers while the Warriors are coming off a 2 point win over the Pacers.



Probable Starters

PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Jerryd Bayless
SF: Jeff Green
PF: Brandon Bass
C: Kris Humphries

Celtics Reserves
Joel Anthony
Chris Johnson
Phil Pressey
Chris Babb
Jared Sullinger

Injuries
Keith Bogans (personal) out
Vitor Faverani (knee) out
Avery Bradley (ankle) out
Kelly Olynyk (toe) day to day
Gerald Wallace (knee) out




PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Andre Iguodala
PF: David Lee
C: Andrew Bogut

Warriors Reserves
Harrison Barnes
Marreese Speights
Draymond Green
Ognjen Kuzmic
Steve Blake
Jermaine O'Neal
Jordan Crawford
Nemanja Nedovic

Injuries
Festus Ezeli (knee) out

Key Matchups
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Stephen Curry
This should be a fun matchup between two top point guards in the league. Curry is averaging 24.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.6 steals a game.

vs
Brandon Bass vs David Lee
Lee is averaging 18.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. He's a blue collar player who plays hard all the time. Brandon will need to play defense as well as to make Lee work on the other end of the court.

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 must especially guard the perimeter as the Warriors are very dangerous 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.

Take Care of the Ball - The Warriors can be very disruptive by getting into the passing lanes. 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 play hard from start to finish. The Celtics have to be the more aggressive team throughout the game. They must be aggressive on defense, on the boards, in chasing down loose balls, and in taking the ball to the hoop and not settling for jumpers. Their effort was good vs the Clippers and they need to once again bring effort to this game.

X-Factors
Revenge and Fatigue
The Celtics will be looking to avenge that last second loss out in Oakland. Will that be enough to give them an edge
The Warriors are playing in back to back games and they are at the tail end of a 6 game road trip. Will fatigue be a factor?