If there's one specific area the Celtics need to capitalize on in their matinée match-up with the Lakers on Sunday afternoon, it's rebounding.
CelticsBlog seconds this notion, but thinks that in order for the Celtics to be successful on Sunday, they will need to put the past behind them.
And by rebound, I mean... rebound. Forget the Suns game. The C's were never into that game and thus were never in the game. They will be in this one. They'll be up for it and down for anything. Let us just hope they can rebound well enough to pull it off. (via CelticsBlog)
Paul Flannery of WEEI also believes that rebounding should be Boston's number one focus against the Lakers.
This point can't be stressed enough. The Celtics lost the NBA championship because they were a poor rebounding team and in Game 7 the Lakers grabbed 23 offensive rebounds. Maybe Kendrick Perkins would have made a difference, but this was a season-long issue for the Celtics and it caught up with them at the worst possible moment. (via WEEI.com)
CelticsBlog also points out that the return of Kendrick Perkins, who suffered a devastating knee injury in Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals, may be critical for Boston. Nevertheless, they expect both teams to bring their "A" game.
Two things that could be going for us this weekend are the return of Perkins and the revenge factor. It is really impossible to overstate how much these teams want to beat each other, even in a regular season game. (via CelticsBlog)