TUALATIN -- With one emphatic action Thursday night against the Boston Celtics, the

can establish a much-needed tone and put to rest a pressing issue.

"We have to throw the first punch,"

said, offering his key to beating the Celtics.

OK, so the Blazers don't literally intend on tossing any haymakers when the class of the Eastern Conference visits the Rose Garden for a nationally-televised game on TNT. But for a team that has endured a barrage of pitiful starts in recent outings, there may be no bigger need for the Blazers than playing well from the opening tip Thursday night.

And because the game will come against a team renowned for its physical, battering style of play, a little figurative punch in the gut is exactly what the undermanned Blazers (25-21) plan on administering to the reigning Eastern Conference champion Celtics (34-10).

"They're going to hit hard and try to hit first and I don't think the referees are going to make a call for us,"

said. "So we have to be smart ... we've got to play tougher than them."

Since the start of the 2005-06 season, no team has owned the Blazers like the Boston Celtics, who have won 10 of the last 11 meetings in the series. Much of the damage has come with a heavy dose of bravado, trash talk and rugged play.

Former MVP Kevin Garnett has dropped down to all fours and barked like a dog during a game in Boston. Garnett has bumped and elbowed and goaded LaMarcus Aldridge repeatedly over the years in an effort to get under his skin. There have been technical fouls and harsh words from both sides.

The only time the Blazers defeated the Celtics the past six seasons came on Dec. 30, 2008, when Greg Oden shoved Celtics guard Ray Allen into the first row on a layup attempt and Aldridge retaliated to Garnett's antics by slapping him in the back of the head. It will take a similarly gutsy and physical performance by the Blazers if they hope to hang with the only opposing team in the NBA that possesses a winning all-time record in Portland (26-23).

"It's championship basketball," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "To be able to win big in this game and to win a title in this league, their style of play, as far as being physical and not only being able to play that way but play against that, is what you need. They're going to play physical defensively. They're going to touch. They're going to get away (with it). They're going to get some calls. And mentally, we've got to be able to stay calm and play through that."

And they're going to have to do so from the get-go. The Blazers have won five of their last six games against some of the lightweights of the NBA, but they've had to dig themselves out of early holes each time. Their biggest issue used to be fourth-quarter meltdowns. It's reversed into first-half paralysis.

The Los Angeles Clippers opened with a 16-2 run. The New Jersey Nets built a 13-point first-quarter lead. The Indiana Pacers led by eight in the first quarter and the Minnesota Timberwolves led by eight in the first half.

In their last game, a 96-81 defeat against the lowly Sacramento Kings, the Blazers scored just four points over the first four minutes, 20 seconds and trailed by as many as 13 in the first half. They never recovered.

As Batum said, "if we play like that against the Celtics, we're done."

"We have to get a good start, especially against this team," Batum said. "The last (few games) were against Indiana, the Clippers. I respect those teams, but they're not the Celtics. If we start (trailing) 10-2, it's going to be hard to get back, almost impossible. So we've got to get a good start."

That will certainly be a challenge against the Celtics, perhaps the most consistent team in the NBA. Boston has not lost more than two games in a row this season, has won six of its last seven and already has 10 wins this month.

Featuring the Big 3 plus one -- Garnett, Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo -- the Celtics long ago switched into on auto pilot and appear to be frontrunners to reach the NBA Finals for the third time in four years.

"They've got a marksman (Allen), a guy that's averaging 14 assists (Rondo), an all-time clutch performer in Pierce, an all-around, all-time great player in Garnett," Matthews said, laughing. "A lot of great pieces. That's the matchup we've got to go against."

Notes: Aldridge, who had a magnetic resonanace imaging performed on his right hip Tuesday, did not practice Wednesday even though the results were negative. McMillan said Aldridge will play against Boston. ... Matthews, who has played with a sore right ankle for several games, also did not practice. But he, too, is expected to play against the Celtics.

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