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Miami Heat (2-0) at Boston Celtics (0-2)
Saturday, May 7
8:00 PM ET
Playoff Game #7,  Home Game #3
TV:  ABC, CHCH-TV
Radio:  WEEI, ESPN Radio
TD Garden
Referees:  Steve Javie, Bob Delaney, Bill Kennedy
The Celtics return home looking to get their first win in the series.  They left Miami bruised and battered by LeBron's elbows and the refs' failure to call them.   Fortunately they have had 3 days to heal and prepare for game 3.  All of the players are saying that they are locked in and focused.  And all of them welcome a return from the sandy beaches to The Jungle. 

News out of Thursday's practice is that Shaq is ready to play and has been cleared to do so by the training staff. So far, no news has come out to the contrary so Celtics fans can expect to see Shaq coming off the bench for the Celtics in this game.   His presence alone should give the Celtics a boost. The Celtics have struggled with stopping penetration and rebounding and having Shaq on the court should be a help in both areas.  

One thing that is certain in this series is that the Celtics have not played well in either game so far.  They haven't played Celtics ball and they haven't played with much energy or focus.  They have not shot the ball well.  Both the starters and the reserves can all play much better. We know that they can, but the big question is whether they will.     On the other hand, the Heat have played very well and it is doubtful that they could play much better.

The Celtics are confident that they can come back and win this series and were buoyed by a visit from John Havlicek to Thursday's practice.  They are inspired by Havlicek's 1969 team that also were down 0-2 and went on to win the series and the Championship.  There are many parallels that can be drawn between the two teams and this Celtics team is poised to repeat that feat. With the Lakers struggling even more out West, if the Celtics can get past Miami, they would be considered a favorite for the title.    It all starts with a win in this game and the Celtics are determined to get it.

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Boston Celtics (0-1) at Miami Heat (1-0)
Tuesday, May 2
7:00 PM ET
Playoff Game #6 Road Game #4
Round 2, Game 2
TV:  TNT, TSN2
Radio:  WEEI, WAXY
American Airlines Arena  

The Celtics have to come into this game angry and ready to play. If they don't, they don't deserve to win.  After being treated unfairly by the refs (which they admitted by changing 2 of their terrible calls) and punked by the Heat, the Celtics need to have a chip on their shoulders and come out aggressive right from the beginning. 

After bragging about how much better the Celtics bench was than the Heat bench, Big Baby finished with just 4 points and 4 rebounds and a whopping -21 in the +/- column.  Jeff Green must be more aggressive on the boards.  There is no excuse for a guy who is 6'9" tall and who has his athleticism and quickness to play over 21 minutes and not get a rebound.  Delonte was just 3-9 from the field, missing not one but 2 dunks.   One of the keys for this game is for our "superior" bench to play much better. 

The Celtics played like they were the young and inexperienced team in game 1, allowing the Heat to be the more aggressive and physical team.  They reacted to the Heat instead of being the instigators and they got caught reacting and that frustrated them even more.  They have to stay composed and execute their game plan without allowing themselves to get frustrated by the lack of calls or by the physical play of the Heat. 

Both teams can point to areas that they can improve.  Both Bosh and LeBron could play better.  No one on the Heat bench played well other than James Jones.  Udonis Haslem is considered day to day and may make his return to the team sometime in this series.  For the Celtics, KG, Rondo and Pierce can all play better.  The Celtics bench certainly can play better.  And Doc has said that Shaq should play in either game 2 or game 3.   Chances are that James Jones doesn't shoot that well in every game.  Hopefully the refs aren't as blatant in calling the game one sided again. If the Celtics play with some intensity and fire and they avoid getting caught up in mind games, they have a good chance of winning this game, regardless of the officiating.