Celtics (6-0) vs. Phoenix (4-1)
Game time: 7:30, TD Garden. TV – CSN; Radio – WEEI-AM (850)
Team Leaders
Scoring
Bos: Pierce – 19.7 Suns: Steve Nash – 19.6
Rebounding
Bos: Garnett – 7.5 Suns: Grant Hill – 8.8
Assists
Bos: Rondo – 9.7 Suns: Nash – 10.8
Who'll go off: Ray Allen. That's my gut feeling. I like Ray to break out of his cold three point shooting and feast on the Suns lack-of-defense scheme. Also look for a big game from Rondo. He dropped 32 points, 10 assists and 23 points, 7 assists in the Celtics two blowout victories over Phoenix last year.
Who needs to be stopped: Steve Nash. He runs the show. It's tough to contain him, but if you can limit his scoring, then consider it a job well done.
The C's will lose if… They don't play defense on the three point line. As a team, Phoenix is shooting 45% from beyond the arc. Nash, Jason Richardson, Grant Hill and even Channing Frye can pull the trigger.
Wildcard: The Suns depth is thin. Center Robin Lopez is out, and Leandro Barbosa (wrist) will be a game-time decision. But the Celtics second unit cannot sleep on the Suns reserves. Jarod Dudley, Louis Amundson and Goran Dragic can play and should not be taken lightly.
6:50pm Update: Barbosa will not play. Brian Scalabrine (back spasms) is also out for the Celtics.
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