Boston Celtics: What to Watch for in Game 4

There is no understating how important this game is for the Celtics. If they win, the series is all tied up with the momentum in the Celtics' favor. However, if they lose, then they will find themselves at a nearly insurmountable 3-1 deficit.

"Must-win" doesn't begin to describe this game for the Celtics. Generally though, the Celtics play their best when the stakes are at their highest. They will need to again be at their best to even this series, and if they are, it should make for another great game.

The Rajon Rondo Show

If there wasn't some guy named LeBron James on the other team, Rajon Rondo would be, by far, the best player in the series. As it is, the argument for Rondo is just about as strong as the argument for LeBron, so really it could go either way.

Especially in the past two games, Rondo has led the Celtics brilliantly. He is doing everything for the C's both offensively and defensively. On the offensive end, he is setting up teammates as usual, but also scoring incredibly efficiently when he needs to. 

Rondo is a man on a mission, and his mission is to help the Celtics win. He is doing everything he can to make sure that happens. Tonight, he will again need to dominate the entire game for the C's to tie the series.

Marquis Daniels?

When Doc put Marquis Daniels into the game, all I could say was, "Wait, what?" That quickly changed when Quis started to make a huge impact, and really, his impact was huge. Not only did he efficiently score nine points (that's more points in one game than minutes he played in the entire seven-game series against the Sixers), change the momentum with a couple of and-ones and grab five rebounds, but he he also did an excellent job of guarding LeBron and taking the pressure off of Pierce. 

Doc took a chance on Marquis, made the most of his chance and, at least during Game 3, proved to be the most effective bench player. In Game 4, Quis will need to again make a big impact on both sides of the ball.

How Dwyane Wade Plays

Dwyane Wade has been good in this series, but by no means has he been great. There have been stretches during which he has looked unstoppable, but he has yet to put together a complete, dominant game. In the first halves of games especially, he has been just okay. 

For the Celtics to win again, they will need to continue doing a great job of bottling Wade up and forcing him into tough shots. He has yet to score over 23 points in this series, and the Celtics need to keep it that way in Game 4.

Role Players for the Heat

In Game 3, the Celtics did a pretty good job of neutralizing the Heat's role players, but they can do better. Keeping Shane Battier scoreless was a major cause of victory for the C's in the last game. That being said, in order to win in Game 4, the Celtics will also need to keep Mike Miller from making a big impact. Miller almost led a comeback for the Heat with a couple of threes in the fourth quarter. 

All the Celtics need to do is close out on Battier, Miller and any other three-point shooter. If they can effectively do this and hold both Miller and Battier under 10 points, then there is little chance the Heat will be able to win.

The...Jungle

The Jungle certainly was rocking in Game 3, but Garnett should give himself a little credit. I mean, how could the crowd not go nuts when he started to do push-ups? Really, it's a two-way relationship: the players feed off the crowd, but the crowd feeds of the players, too. 

In Game 3, both the players and the crowd were at their best and both played a big role in the win. Tonight, the players and the crowd will again need to be at their best because if the crowd doesn't bring it, it could be the last time they see this Celtics team in the Garden.