Celtics (14-4) vs. Spurs (9-6)
Game time: 8:00pm, AT&T Center TV – TNT Radio – WEEI-AM (850).
Team Leaders
Scoring
Bos: Pierce – 19.1 Spurs: Tim Duncan – 18.5
Rebounding
Bos: Perkins – 7.7 Spurs: Duncan – 10.8
Assists
Bos: Rondo – 9.0 Spurs: Tony Parker – 5.5
Who'll go off: Ray Allen. He looked awfully good against the Bobcats. Ray will likely battle defensive specialist Keith Bogans, a starter for the Spurs. Bogans may be a physical defender, but does he have the quickness to stay with Ray coming off screens? I doubt it.
Who needs to be stopped: Tony Parker. There's no stopping Tim Duncan, you can only try to limit his damage in the 4th quarter. But if Rajon Rondo can square up on Parker, and limit his penetration, the Celtics will have their best chance to beat the Spurs.
The C's will lose if… The Spurs are able to bomb away. They're 8th best in the league from beyond the arc – 37%. The Celtics will need to defend the perimeter especially against the likes of Manu Ginobli, Matt Bonner, Michael Finley and Roger Mason.
Wildcard: Both teams have great benches. Whichever second unit outplays the other, could determine the outcome of the game. I'm also eager to see how Perk matches up with Duncan, and how 'Quis handles Ginobli.
Prediction: Celtics 97 – Spurs 96
Don't forget, we will be hosting a live game blog. You can check in around 8.
After the jump, some advanced scouting reports on the Spurs Silver Dancers…
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