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| Can Paul Pierce lead the Celtics back to their winning ways? |
On the bright side, Boston is not the only bunch currently on a five-game losing streak. Cleveland is in the midst of one as well, losing each game by an average of 15.6 points. The Cavaliers lost their last game by a whopping 38 points.
For the third consecutive game, the Celtics will be without Kevin Garnett and Courtney Lee, both of whom did not make the trip to Cleveland.
The Celtics hold the seventh seed in the East and are two-and-a-half games behind the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks for the fifth and sixth seeds.
Here's a preview:
Projected lineups:
Celtics:
Avery Bradley
Jordan Crawford
Paul Pierce
Jeff Green
Brandon Bass
Cavaliers:
Shaun Livingston
Wayne Ellington
Alonzo Gee
Tristan Thompson
Tyler Zeller
Keys to the game:
1. On track on the road: Never mind that the Celtics have lost five straight. They've also lost five straight on the road. This is now a serious concern for this team. Coach Doc Rivers mentioned before last week's tilt with Miami that homecourt advantage in the playoffs was more of a priority this year than in years past. When the head coach is concerned about a team's ability to win on the road, you know it's a legitimate concern. Boston has the worst road record out of each of the top eight teams in each conference. 6 of their 12 road wins have come against teams over .500. Although tonight's opponent isn't exactly a quality foe -- especially without Kyrie Irving -- getting some sort of momentum and getting of the schneid without Lee and Garnett would do wonders for this team.
2. Handle with care: Boston was as careless with the ball last night as a...well, I don't even know. But they had no rhythm whatsoever due to their carelessness with the basketball. Over their last three games, Boston is 24th in the league with 16.3 turnovers per game. The Celtics have to limit their turnovers as well as the points Cleveland scores off turnovers.
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