How we see it goin’ down: C’s – Pacers

Tip: 7:00pm    Court: Bankers Life Fieldhouse    Watch it: CSN  Hear it: WEEI

                           Referees:  Tom Washington, Derrick Collins, Mark Lindsay

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The Matchup

Last time

Roy Hibbert had a double-double as the Pacers destroyed the Celtics on the glass and won 87-74.  Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo combined to shoot 8 of 29.  Ray Allen led the C's with 23.

This time

Get it to: Brandon Bass

We all know Rondo is the most important guy on this team.  But Rondo is going to need help.  Brandon Bass is the guy young and energetic enough to withstand the grind of a back-to-back.  On a night where the Big 3 should have their minutes limited, Bass is going to have to be the guy to step up

Gotta stop: Darren Collison

Rebounds kill the Celtics, but the reason they're getting killed on the boards is guard penetration.  The Celtics are continuously getting pulled out of position to deal with penetration, leading to slow rotations, leading to no one boxing out and a crush of second chance points.  I guarantee if the C's can stop a guard from living in the middle of the lane, their rebounding numbers will improve.

The Wild Card: Pacers apathy

The Pacers have beaten the C's already, they know how the Celtics are struggling and they know the C's are not great on back-to-backs.  If they come out complacent, they might leave a window open for the C's to take advantage of some sloppy play.

How we see it goin' down

The Celtics are terrible on back-to-back nights.  Add to that a furious comeback last night that sapped every ounce of energy the C's had, big minutes for the starters, and a late flight into Indiana, and you have the recipe for something ugly.  

I expect more cold shooting, more bad rebounding and another loss.  This will get worse before it gets better:  Indiana 95 – Celtics 78