Game 66 Preview: Heat at Celtics

Paul Pierce will have his hands full with LeBron James
and the rest of the Miami Heat.

This is the one we've all been waiting for.

This one's for all the marbles.

This is the most important game in Celtics history.

The funny thing is though is that none of the above statements -- with the exception of the first one -- are true.

It would be wonderful if the Celtics were the ones to halt the Heat's 22-game winning streak.

(Interesting aside: Today is the five-year anniversary of the Celtics snapping the Houston Rockets 22-game winning streak -- March 18, 2008.)

But let's be realistic: if Kevin Garnett does not play tonight, the Celtics chances are very slim -- not that they aren't slim enough. If the Celtics don't win, it's no big deal. It's one of 82. This one doesn't count any more than the others.

Boston (36-29) is coming off a nice win Saturday night over the Bobcats without Garnett, but the Heat (51-14) are a totally different animal.

Miami is coming off a win north of the border yesterday afternoon, 108-91.

With or without KG, this one's going to be a lot of fun, folks.

Here's a preview:

Projected lineups:

Heat:
Mario Chalmers
Dwyane Wade
LeBron James
Udonis Haslem
Chris Bosh

Celtics:
Avery Bradley
Courtney Lee
Paul Pierce
Jeff Green
Brandon Bass

Keys to the game:

1. Mix it up: At the end of the day, LeBron James is most likely going to light up the box score, as he's done all season long. However, the Celtics can do all they can to make life difficult for "The Chosen One." In their last meeting, James had 34 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists, but he was only 14-of-31, including 7-of-19 from outside the paint. Coach Doc Rivers said today at practice that throwing different guys at James and making him uncomfortable is the only way to really stop him. Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, Brandon Bass and Courtney Lee each took turns covering James back on January 27. Boston must do the same tonight.

2. Pressure: For the majority of the game, I expect to see Avery Bradley covering Dwyane Wade. We all remember Bradley's highlight reel block on a Wade layup last April. In two games last season, Bradley held Wade to 15-of-38 from the floor, a mere 39%. Bradley is going to have to bring his usual defensive intensity, but tonight he will be faced with his toughest challenge yet. The Heat are only 13-9 when Wade shoots better than 50%, so Bradley needs to limit Wade's effectiveness.

3. Defend home court: The Celtics have won 11 straight at home. The New Big Three Heat are winless (0-5) in Boston during the regular season. The five-year anniversary of the Celtics snapping Houston's 22-game winning streak. It's destiny, right? Bottom line is the Celtics have always played well against the Heat on their homecourt. The Heat have had their struggles on the road this season. The Heat know their streak has a legitimate chance of ending tonight. So what do the Celtics have to do? Nothing. Just do it.