3:30 p.m. EST
Quicken Loans Arena
CSN/WEEI
Opposing Viewpoint: Cavs The Blog
Offensive Efficiency:
Boston: 106.9 points/100 possessions (16th)
Cleveland: 111.5 points/100 possessions (4th)
Defensive Efficiency:
Boston: 102.1 points allowed/100 possessions (1st)
Cleveland: 103.7 points allowed/100 possessions (7th)
Probable Cleveland Starters:
LeBron James, Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker, J.J. Hickson (or Leon Powe to make us all puke and cry at the same time)
Injury Report:
OUT: Shaquille O’Neal, Sebastian Telfair
PROBABLE: Antawn Jamison
Thumbnail: Is there such a thing as a “must win” in March? In the NBA that is, as everyone knows right now College kids everywhere are eagerly awaiting the revelation of the Dance’s exclusive invite list. Or you are like me, and your Alma Mater (Boston College) drastically under-preformed for an experienced team and you are hoping the three freshman coming in next year have enough fire power to put them back in the bracket….whoah, what happened? Sorry, I just blacked out for a second.
The Celtics have to win this game. The script has already been written. Two games ago, the Celtics were left picking up pieces of their pride as Memphis emphatically yelled “this isn’t your league anymore old man” in their faces. The Celtics responded with a prodigious “we’re not dead yet” by trouncing the Indiana Pacers and forced star Danny Granger to shoot poorly from the field. The quintessential tune-up to today’s game.
Everyone knows what the Cavs can do. Everyone knows what the Cavs have. The Celtics did masterful job D-ing up a big swingman (Granger) and a stretch four (Troy Murphy) and they must do that again today.

Just What the Celts Needed: Celtics 122, Pacers 103
March 12th, 2010If only for one game, the Memphis loss was a wake up call for this Celtics team. Every single thing writers and fans have been clamoring for since Christmas culminated in a beautiful exhibition at the Garden on Friday night. The game started much like any other Celtics game from the past eight to ten weeks. The C’s played hard, shots seemed to be falling, but no matter how many plays Celtics made in the early going, the Pacers matched bucket for bucket. This game had all the makings of another young team poised to run the Celtics out of the gym.
The Celtics refused to oblige. They ramped up their defense at the same time their bench came in and heated up Boston’s ice cold offense. The most encouraging thing about this game was the fact that the C’s didn’t rest on their laurels (or their 20 point lead) and get themselves caught looking toward Sunday. True, the Celtics let a 27 point lead dwindle get dented down to 14 before settling back comfortably in the 20s- this game never had the same possession for possession angst the past 15 some-odd games has had.
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