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| Kevin Garnett will look to lift the Celtics over the Bobcats. |
Lest you forget, it was the Bobcats who ended the Celtics seven-game winning streak -- a streak that started when Rajon Rondo went down for the year -- back on February 11 at the Time Warner Cable Arena. February 11 was also the day the Celtics lost Leandro Barbosa for the year with a torn ACL. Things always seem to revolve around injuries with this team.
Nonetheless, the Celtics will look to capitalize on this soft spot in their schedule. In doing so, they might also look to capitalize on giving some of their players some much-needed rest. According to Comcast SportsNet New England's Greg Dickerson, Paul Pierce could sit out tonight's game for rest. The Celtics rested Kevin Garnett on February 22 against the Phoenix Suns -- who had the worst record in the Western Conference at the time -- and still came out victorious. By resting Pierce, the Celtics should still having a very good chance of getting a win.
The Bobcats come into tonight's contest losers of ten straight. They've lost their lost by at least 17 points in each of their last seven games. To say they're struggling would be an understatement.
The Celtics saw their five-game winning streak Thunder on Sunday afternoon, a game in which they hung with the defending Western Conference champs for three-and-a-half quarters.
Here's a preview:
Projected lineups:
Celtics:
Avery Bradley
Courtney Lee
Paul Pierce*
Brandon Bass
Kevin Garnett
* Status is TBD
Bobcats:
Kemba Walker
Gerald Henderson
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Josh McRoberts
Bismack Biyombo
Keys to the game:
1. Finders keepers: Let's not fool ourselves: the Bobcats don't do a lot of things well. However, one area they've been adequate in all season has been turnovers. They only turn the ball over 13.9 times a game, which is the fifth-lowest rate in the league. On the other hand, the Celtics have struggled with turnovers as of late. Over their last three games, the Celtics rank in the lower fifth in the league in turnovers per game at 16, which includes Sunday's 19 turnovers -- the third-highest total all season. If the Bobcats are to sneak a win away from the Celtics, it's going to be from capitalizing on Boston's mistakes. In turn, the Celtics shouldn't make the mistake of being careless with the ball.
2. Do something: In 8 games with the Celtics, Jordan Crawford has been anything but impressive. He's averaging 5.4 points on 38.6% shooting. For a guy who claims to be a combination of Jamal Crawford and Michael Jordan, he isn't exactly living up to the his own standard. Danny Ainge acquired Crawford to provide instant offense off the bench, and he hasn't been doing that. To cut Crawford some slack, he hasn't exactly seen that much action. He's averaging only 13.9 minutes, with his highest minute total only being 17. If Pierce does indeed sit out, Crawford should see more minutes and get more opportunities to score. With the schedule lightening up, Doc Rivers should let Crawford to roam free and see if he can actually help this team come playoff time. He needs to more opportunities, and he needs to take advantage of those opportunities.
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