Location:

Tip-Off: 8:00 P.M. ET

Projected Starters:

Boston: Avery Bradley, Sasha Pavlovic, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass, Ryan Hollins

Milwaukee: Brandon Jennings, Shaun Livingston, Tobias Harris, Jon Leuer, Ekpe Udoh

Keys to the Game:

• Boston needs to win this game if they want a shot at home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.  They also need the Atlanta Hawks to lose tonight in order to beat them out.
• The Celtics’ reserves led Boston to a victory over the Miami Heat Tuesday night, and they proved their value to the team in the upcoming playoffs.  They could use another solid outing as the regular season ends tonight.
• Tonight’s game is the last chance for the available players to get the kinks out and/or show something before heading into the playoffs.

Prediction:

Celtics 89, Bucks 83.  Boston has something to play for tonight, while Milwaukee does not.  Despite some key players sitting on the bench, the Celtics should come away with the victory to give themselves a chance at home court against the Hawks.

Here are your news and notes on this Wednesday:

• The Celtics’ reserves proved themselves in last night’s win over the Miami Heat.  Coach Doc Rivers sat the starters for most or all of the game, but the bench players carried the team to a victory.
• Ray Allen’s ankle continues to sideline him, but Rivers say the shooting guard should be ready for the start of the playoffs this weekend.
• When Boston takes on the Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs, the Hawks will most likely be without forward Al Horford.

Sasha Pavlovic and Marquis Daniels led the way for the Celtics with 16 and 13 points, respectively.  Paul Pierce scored eight points in just 17 minutes of play.

It was a pretty uneventful game, low-scoring game.  The two teams were even at half time with 50 points a piece, but the Celtics pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 12 point victory.

Boston plays Milwaukee Thursday night for the final game of the regular season.

Boston’s reserves fought hard to the finish Friday night in Atlanta, but the Celtics eventually fell.  There did play without Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo, who are both nursing injuries, as well as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett who got the night off to rest.

Pierce and Garnett should definitely be in the lineup to finish up the season at home, but Allen and Rondo could be inactive to make sure their injuries heal before the playoffs.

Boston’s playoff spot is all but secured at the number four seed, and they should face off against Atlanta in the first round.  The Hawks, however, will get home court advantage with a better winning percentage than the Celtics.

The Celtics went 2-1 against the Hawks this season, and the only loss was last Friday’s game when none of Boston’s big four played.  They should be in a good position to get out of the first round, but that could all depend on the health of Allen and especially Rondo.

Boston has what it takes to make a championship run.  Experience is one of the biggest factors during the playoffs; a young team could be great all season long, but the post season is a different story.

The Celtics have the drive to prove everyone wrong, and the players and coaches seem to be invested 100% in bring banner 18 home to the Garden.

Here are your news and notes on this Saturday, with the NBA playoffs just one week away:

• Take a look at a recap from last night’s game.
• Boston’s stars did not play last night and could sit for the two upcoming games.  Avery Bradley continues to shine at the guard spot, while Greg Stiemsma does the same under the hoop.
• Ray Allen is still nursing an ankle injury, but how serious is it?

ESPNBoston.com reported:

Sources told ESPN.com that the former Boston College center, waived by the Dallas Mavericks in March, is scheduled to join the Celtics in Atlanta and will be in uniform for Boston’s game Friday night against the Hawks.

Boston was in need of depth at the center position after O’Neal underwent season-ending wrist surgery last month.  They also lost Chris Wilcox for the season because of a heart condition and waived him to add Ryan Hollins.

O’Neal missed a lot of this season before going down for good, which moved Kevin Garnett to center.

Garnett expressed dislike for the center position but really stepped up for the Celtics both offensively and defensively.  He is a big reason for the Celtics run during the second half of the season.

Boston clinched the Atlantic Division last night with a victory over the Orlando Magic, but their playoff seeding is still to be determined.

Location:

Tip-Off: 8:00 P.M. ET

Projected Starters:

Boston (36-25): Avery Bradley, Sasha Pavlovic, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett

Orlando (36-25): Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick, Jason Richardson, Ryan Anderson, Daniel Orton

Injury Report:

Rajon Rondo (back), Ray Allen (ankle), and Mickael Pietrus (concussion) are all out tonight.

Keys to the Game:

• Dwight Howard is out for the Magic with a back injury, so the Celtics need to take advantage of this.  Howard’s presence under the basket is a daunting task for any team, and Boston has a good opportunity to win the rebound battle and get second chance opportunities offensively.
• The Celtics have to get their defense back on track tonight.  The Knicks burned Boston from behind the arc last night, so tonight they must turn that around and keep the Magic from getting too many open looks outside and inside.
• Boston’s reserves scored two points in the entire game last night, credit them to Keyon Dooling.  The Celtics are best when all of their players are contributing, and with the end of the season winding down, everyone is tired.  The bench has to keep the same pace going that the starters leave on the court.

Prediction:

Celtics 94, Magic 89.  Boston gets back to winning tonight after they stumbled in New York last night.  This is a big game as the Celtics are fighting for seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

New York shot lights out the entire night, shooting 57% from the field and also going 19-32 behind the arc.  The Celtics shooting was not too shabby either, but the Knicks had a fire under them that Boston could not just overcome.

The biggest difference in the game were the two benches.  The Celtics got just two points from their reserves, while the Knicks got 25 points each from JR Smith and Steve Novak.

Paul Pierce was Boston’s leading scorer, but his season-high 43 points were not enough to pull out a victory for Boston.

The Celtics played their fourth game in five nights, with a back-back-back in that mix.  This tough stretch of the schedule definitely seemed to catch up with Boston tonight, as they just could not get their legs under them to make any sort of run during the game.

They will have to physically and mentally regroup very quickly as they head home to take on Orlando tomorrow night.  The physical state of the players is an important aspect to take note of for the rest of the regular season.

Ray Allen is still suffering from an ankle injury and sat out tonight’s game against the Knicks. Rondo also went down hard in the third quarter and landed awkwardly on his back.  He stayed in the game, but it remains to be seen how it will feel throughout the day tomorrow and as the tip-off against the Magic nears.

Boston’s playoff standing is not secure, and every win here out could spell success or failure in the playoffs based on where they land and who they play.

They head to the Big Apple tomorrow night to take on the New York Knicks before returning home for a game against the Orlando Magic Wednesday night.

Here are your news and notes on this Monday afternoon:

• The Celtics played without the Big Three last night in Charlotte, but a new big three emerged and led the team to a victory.
• The NBA named Kevin Garnett Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
• Rajon Rondo continues to put up big numbers in the assist column.
• Avery Bradley proved he deserved to be on the court when Ray Allen was out with an ankle injury, and he has not slowed down since.