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The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers both came into this series on the heels of difficult first-round series. Game 1 on Saturday suggests neither club will be getting much of a break anytime soon, either. Doc Rivers' squad hung on for a 92-91 win in a contest that remained close after Philadelphia got out to a quick lead.

Monday night's Game 2 should be more of the same, with these evenly matched teams pitting the veteran leadership of the Celtics against the young depth of the 76ers. While these rosters don't look much alike, their playing styles do; both win with defense and plenty of passing in their respective half-court offenses.

Nothing has come easy for Boston despite its record of success since the regular-season's All-Star break. A series of nagging injuries have put the Celtics in desperation mode, but thus far they've risen to the occasion in this still-young postseason.

The 76ers, meanwhile, are primed to overachieve after getting past the depleted Chicago Bulls. The Celtics' bumps and bruises may give Doug Collins' team a chance to pull a few more surprises in these playoffs.

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Where: TD Garden; Boston

When: Monday, May 14 at 7 p.m. ET

Watch: TNT

Live Stream: NBA League Pass

Listen: WEEI 850 AM (Boston) and WPEN 97.5 FM (Philadelphia)

Betting Line: Boston Celtics (-4), according to Top Bet

76ers' Key Injuries (according to Yahoo! Sports):

Will Play: Thaddeus Young (sprained right ankle)



Celtics' Key Injuries (According to NESN and Yahoo! Sports):

Probable, Day-to-Day: Ray Allen (bone spurs in right ankle)

Will Play: Paul Pierce (sprained MCL)

Will Play: Avery Bradley (sore rotator cuff)

Will Play: Mickael Pietrus (sore hamstring)

Out: Chris Wilcox (aortic abnormality)

Out: Jeff Green (aortic aneurysm)

What They're Saying:

The Celtics and 76ers both survived low-scoring first rounds, and they could be in store for a similar second-round experience. Rivers and Collins similarly emphasize gritty defense, and this series winner will likely be determined by a war of attrition.

Pierce has already acknowledged as much, according to Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com

"We definitely didn't play our best ball," said Pierce after the C's 92-91 win over the 76ers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. "It was definitely a slow start, but this is a grind team. I'm hearing rumblings down in Memphis that they're trying to take our motto. I think they know where they got that from. We figure out ways to win. This team has tons of experience. We've got the veteran savvy to find ways, and we just keep doing it."

The Celtics will be more than happy to take these games any way they can get them, and there's no doubt Boston will have a veteran advantage in close games thanks to its wealth of postseason experience. Don't be surprised to see the Celtics simply execute better down the stretch of hard-fought defensive contests in this series.

Most Important Player to Watch: Paul Pierce

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Kevin Garnett had a monster Game 1 against the 76ers, scoring 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. There's no reason to believe he'll slow down.

The same can't be said for Paul Pierce, though, who's been playing a lot of minutes despite his sprained MCL.

Pierce has remained productive, but he has had some spotty shooting performances in his first seven playoff games. He's shooting just 41 percent over that stretch, a significant drop from the 44 percent mark he set during the regular season.

After seeing the likes of Tracy McGrady for six games, Pierce now has to face a tough defender like Andre Iguodala, along with the length of guys like Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner. If Boston's star small forward struggles in this series, Philadelphia will find itself within striking distance in these games.

Key Matchup: Rajon Rondo vs. Jrue Holiday

Point guard matchups almost always take center stage, and this one will be no exception.

Rondo has been the motor keeping the Celtics' older veterans looking like All-Stars, averaging 12.7 assists thus far in the postseason. The 26-year-old point guard proved his postseason savvy across the board, tallying 16.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.5 steals to go along with his elite court vision. His Game 1 against Philadelphia was a 17-point assist, triple-double classic.

The 76ers probably don't have a chance in this series if Rondo continues playing at this level.

Holiday, meanwhile, is arguably Philadelphia's best scorer, but he's struggled mightily with his touch in the playoffs, making only 39 percent of his 15.3 field goal attempts; he was just 3-for-13 in Game 1 against the Celtics.

Still, Holiday has great size at 6'4" and ranks as one of the league's better on-ball defenders. If he can make Rondo work hard to get to his spots on the floor, it will do wonders for the 76ers' solid defense.

Game 2 Prediction: Celtics 87, Philadelphia 81