Game 5: Sixers (2-2) @ Celtics (2-2) Open Thread

Posted by Brian Robb on May 21, 2012 2972818 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2012%2F05%2F21%2Fgame-5-sixers-2-2-celtics-2-2-open-thread%2FGame+5%3A+Sixers+%282-2%29+%40+Celtics+%282-2%29+Open+Thread2012-05-21+22%3A53%3A12Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D29728

Game 5
Sixers @ Celtics
7:00 PM EST
TNT
TD Garden

Offensive Efficiency:
Boston: 95.4 points per 100 possessions (11th)
Philadelphia: 96.6 points per 100 possessions (10th)

Defensive Efficiency:
Boston: 90.6 points allowed per 100 possessions (1st)
Philadelphia: 92.8 points allowed per 100 possessions (4th)

Probable Sixers Starters: Jrue Holiday (PG), Evan Turner (SG), Andre Iguodala (SF), Elton Brand (PF), Spencer Hawes (C)

View From The Opposing Bench: Philadunkia

Thumbnail: Avery Bradley is out of the lineup with two sore shoulders, meaning Ray Allen gets his first start of the postseason. Don’t take Bradley’s absence as as a sign Doc will reach further into the bench though, as Doc indicated those extra minutes would be split between Keyon Dooling and Mickael Pietrus. 

For Game 5, I joined Chris Forsberg over at ESPNBoston to break down what to expect tonight. Here’s a sampling of what we covered in our game of 2-on-2. You can check out the full post at ESPNBoston

2. What else will you be focused on in Game 5?

Robb: The lineup choices. Rivers and his staff had their first major hiccup of the postseason by riding their small lineup into the group against a larger Philadelphia front line featuring Lavoy Allen and Thaddeus Young in the fourth quarter of Game 4. The fact Rivers admitted as much in practice on Sunday has to be encouraging, but now that the Sixers have seemingly found the best counter to Boston’s smaller lineup in the Allen/Young duo, the question now is what adjustment will Rivers make with his troops. Does Brandon Bass start to see the floor in the fourth quarter now? And if so, who sits in crunch time for Boston, Avery Bradley or Ray Allen? There will be lots of decisions to be made with no easy answers, as the stakes increase for Game 5.

Forsberg: It really is an intriguing little chess match developing between Doug Collins and Rivers in regards to small lineups. For the first three games of the series, the Celtics went small to counter when the 76ers did the same, often operating with four guards (some combination of Rajon Rondo, Bradley, Paul Pierce, Allen, and Mickael Pietrus) along with one big (Kevin Garnett or Ryan Hollins). With the 76ers utilizing Young at the 4, the Celtics would pull Bass off the floor and hope that a smaller guard could neutralize Young’s versatility. Over the first three games, that strategy worked. But it crumbled in Game 4, the 76ers making their runs against Boston’s small unit and exploits the lack of size in the paint (particularly with the combination of Young and Allen). Will the Celtics flirt with staying big when the 76ers go small on Monday? Was Game 4 the outlier? Rivers admits it’s going to be a decision made on the fly and it will likely determine how Game 5 — and maybe this entire series — plays out.