Head-To-Head

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Head-To-Head

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     Boston  New Jersey
            44-38 Record 49-33
            92.7 Scored 95.4
            93.1 Allowed 90.1
            41.5 FG% 44.1
            43.5 Opp. FG% 42.7
            40.5 Rebounds 42.9
            19.2 Assists 23.0
            14.0 Turnovers 14.8
            8.78 Steals 8.74
            3.70 Blocks 4.56


Man-To-Man

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Point Guard

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      Tony Delk This will be one of the key matchups in the series. Kidd is
one of the top point guards in the league and led the NBA is assists (8.9)
this season. In four games versus Boston Kidd averaged just 14.3 points, but
he dished out 9.0 assists and grabbed 7.5 boards. It will be up to Delk to
slow Kidd in transition, while also making him work on the defensive end. Delk
averaged 15.5 points in the first round and the Celtics will need him to
repeat that performance.
      Jason Kidd

Shooting Guard

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      Paul Pierce Pierce will be the one the Nets aim to stop and they will
use a variety of defenders on him. Pierce averaged 25.8 points in the first
round, and 31.3 points in the Celtics four wins. It will be important for
Pierce to get to the hoop early and force the Nets into foul trouble. Pierce
has been known to hurt the Nets, having his career-high 48 points at New
Jersey, last season. Kittles averaged 13.0 points this season and is a
dead-eye three point shooter. Pierce must not let Kittles get hot and nail
down three's in transition. .
      Kerry Kittles

Small Forward

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      Walter McCarty There won't be two more athletic players going
head-to-head than Walter McCarty and Richard Jefferson. McCarty was huge for
Boston in their first round series, raising his point production from 6.1 in
the regular season, to 12.0 points per game versus Indiana. If McCarty can
stay hot from beyond the arc it will be a big boost for the Celtics offense.
Defensively McCarty must not allow Jefferson, who averaged 15.5 points per
game in the regular season, to get out in transition, while also containing
his penetrating ability in the half court.
      Richard Jefferson

Power Forward

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      Antoine Walker This should be a fun matchup to watch throughout the
series. Walker can go inside and outside, while Martin gets many of his
buckets off of Kidd's passes and offensive rebounds. Martin, who is known for
tough defense, will try to be physical with Walker and may also play some
minutes on Pierce. If Walker can continue to shoot like he has in playoffs
(45.9%), using his inside-outside game, it will be a big boost for Boston.
Defensively, Walker must keep Martin off the offensive glass and limit his
fast break buckets.
      Kenyon Martin

Center

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      Tony Battie Though not a flashy matchup, Battie versus Collins could
prove to be highly important. Both players are primarily defenders and
rebounders, but if one of these centers can step up with a few double-doubles,
then their team should be able to pull out the win. It will be important for
Battie to help keep Martin and Jefferson off the offensive glass.
      Jason Collins

Bench

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            Eric Williams


            J.R. Bremer

            Mark Blount

     The key players for the Nets off the bench are Lucious Harris, Aaron
Williams and familiar face Rodney Rogers. The C's will count on Eric Williams,
J.R. Bremer and Mark Blount. Harris will get most of the minutes for New
Jersey, and like Kittles, the Celtics must not allow him to launch three's in
transition. Harris is coming off a career-high 10.3 points per game this
season. The Celtics will try to take advantage of Williams in the low post if
the Nets use a guard to defend him, and will count on Williams to help on the
boards and in transition defense. The teams bench that contributes the most
should have a good chance of taking the series.

Thanks,

Steve
sb@maine.rr.com

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