Celtics (8-3) vs. Golden St. (3-7)
Game time: 7:30pm, TD Garden. TV - CSN. Radio - WEEI-AM (850).
Team Leaders
Scoring
Bos: Pierce - 18.4 Warriors: Monta Ellis - 19.7
Rebounding
Bos: Garnett - 7.5 Warriors: Anthony Randolph - 6.8
Assists
Bos: Rondo - 8.7 Warriors: Ellis - 5.3
Who'll go off: Ray Allen. According to the Herald, Ray has a 22.8 scoring average against the Warriors. Considering the Warriors are giving up a league best 113 ppg, and have ignored defense for decades, I bet a lot of guys have good scoring averages against them. Look for whomever Vlad Radmanovic covers (Paul Pierce or KG) to be aggressive. I'm sure the Celtics remember the torture PP inflicted on Vlad during the 2008 Finals.
Who needs to be stopped: Monta Ellis. He's the engine behind this explosive attack. He's also a bit pissed off at management and playing with a chip on his shoulder.
The C's will lose if... They get caught up in the Warriors run-and-gun style of play. The Celtics should take advantage of fast breaks when available, but they should exploit Golden State in the half court. Minus Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf, the Warrriors are paper-thin in the front court. How dire is the situation? Mikki Moore is their starting center.
Wildcard: Slippage. Lack of defensive intensity. The Celtics need to correct whatever has been plaguing this team over the past few games. They've had three days to get their heads and bodies straight. Coming off a game last night in Cleveland, the Warriors are more than ripe for a blowout loss.
Prediction: Celtics 110 - Warriors 92
After the jump, NBA dancers.