Shaq's defense on Brook Lopez could be a huge factor tonight.

After roasting the Hawks on Sunday, the Boston Celtics look to begin a winning streak tonight at 7:30 against the New Jersey Nets at the TD Bank Garden.

The Nets (5-9) are coming off an overtime win over the same Atlanta Hawks.  The Celtics are now 10-4, but may be without point guard Rajon Rondo, who will be a game-time decision.

Here are three keys to the game:

1. Brook Lopez vs. Shaquille O’Neal:Lopez is average 18.3 ppg this season and should have his way with old Shaq. Expect Lopez to be involved in a lot of pick-and-rolls or pick-and-pops to exploit Shaq’s mobility issues and keep him away from the basket. I’m worried Shaq will pick up some early fouls trying to defend Lopez. This will be a key match up both ways as Lopez can struggle defensively with power centers like Shaq.
2. Devin Harris vs. Nate Robinson: Probably the league’s two biggest gunners from the point guard slot. Both are talented players who do little to involve or improve their teammates.  Devin Harris, though not big for a point guard, uses his size well and Robinson’s defense has been atrocious all season (see: JJ Barea and Leandro Barbosa). Since Robinson doesn’t defend or distribute the ball, he’ll need to continue his hot shooting to positively impact the game, which will be very important if Rondo misses the game.
3. Rebounding: So far this season, the Nets are an above average rebounding team. The Celtics have been much improved on the glass this season, but have struggled against bigger teams. With the way Lopez, Kris Humphries, and Derrick Favors have been playing recently, the Celtics will have to put out a good effort on the glass.

Bonus Key: Effort

The Celtics are the superior basketball team by far. As long as they play their hardest, Boston should come out of this game with an easy win. I’m interested to see what attitude the Celtics bring to this game. The same attitude they had against Atlanta, or the one they had that led to losses to  a Durant-less Thunder and to Toronto? I hope they bring it tonight because I’m starting to sense a pattern of letdown against the weaker opponents, a pattern I got all to used to last season and one I can’t stand to happen this season.

Monday, Rondo told NBA Fanhouse he would return on Friday against the Raptors. Then he said, “I mean, I might try to do something Wednesday. We’ll see. I was saying Friday, but I don’t know yet.”

Alrighty then. Let’s hope he plays tonight. Let’s also hope the Celtics play with a little anger.

Yeah, Doc’s boy is decent. Austin Rivers, the nation’s top senior recruit, has already scored 1,981 high school points (as of November 21, so maybe more by now). In other words, about 1,900 more points than I notched in college. And oh yeah, he’s going to Duke. So all you Tar Heel fans can do this.

What if, in July, you told Pat Riley his SuperTeam would start the season 8-6? And that he would have already signed and released Jerry Stackhouse? And that he would resort to hiring Erick(-a) Dampier?  And that Joel Anthony (and his newly-minted $18 million contract) would be one big epic fail? And that Chris Bosh would be the league’s laughingstock? And that Lebron James and Dwyane Wade would play like mortals?

And then, after all that, Udonis Haslem would tear a ligament in his foot, and perhaps miss the entire season?

I imagine Riley would be thinking to himself, “Well, looks like it’s ‘Fire Spoelstra’ time.”

I knew Haslem’s torn ligaments would take awhile to heal, but this? Perhaps a full season? For the Heat, this hurts like a kick to the nads. Only if a kick to the nads hurt for four months or so.

Erick(-a) Dampier is not the answer. Moving Anthony (and his previously mentioned $18 million deal) to fourth-string center is not the answer. The return of Mike Miller is not the answer. The loss of Haslem, perhaps for the entire season, will reverberate in Miami and throughout the league.

Haslem wasn’t just the Heat’s sixth man, he was their heart and soul. He was the one player up front to be counted on, the one Miami frontcourt member who didn’t shy away from contact or the spotlight. When Haslem called Paul Pierce a “studio gangster,” I’m sure some Celtics fans were upset. But Haslem wasn’t just taking a shot at Pierce, he was sticking up for his team. He was standing his ground in an attempt to lead his teammates, to say, You know what guys? We’ve gotta fight back. We can’t get punked like that.

Who’s going to stand up for the Heat next time? James? He just wants to have fun. Chris Bosh? He just wants to chill. Dwyane Wade? He just wants to laugh off losses.

So who will it be? Dampier? Child, please. Juwan Howard? Tough to be an enforcer while chalking up DNP’s most of the time. Jamaal Magloire? For Miami’s sake, I hope it doesn’t come to that.

What does this mean for the Celtics? It means the Heat, who already had serious issues, have now found their most serious issue yet. It means Orlando might be the only real competition for top seed in the East. It means the Heat could be an absurdly dangerous 4th- or 5th-seed in the playoffs. It means, well, not as much as you might think.

The Celtics are fighting their own battle right now. If they can avoid boredom, the regular season will be a success. If they don’t avoid boredom, the regular season will be a long one. At some point in the playoffs, the Celtics will meet the East’s best teams. Whether those teams are Orlando, Chicago, Miami or — hell, who knows? — Indiana, Boston would be better off playing them with homecourt advantage.

So yes, losing Haslem hurts Miami. A lot.

But for Boston, the path remains unchanged.

The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “They have known each other since the eighth grade, have played together with the Knicks. But after four months with the Celtics, going to the Finals and playing a major role in the team reaching Game 7 against the Lakers, Robinson wasn’t the same player Crawford knew. ‘He’s grown up an awful lot,’ said Crawford. ‘I think that he actually won a couple of games in the playoffs for them with just his energy and his impact on the game. He’s never going to back down. If you’re going to war, that’s somebody you want to be in a foxhole with.’ Some things were the same. For one, Robinson’s decibel level never changes. ‘At 6 in the morning, he’s the same as at 6 at night,’ Crawford said. ‘Seriously, he’s going around, bouncing off the walls. That’s just Nate.’”

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “Back in October it may have seemed like a fool’s errand, or a death wish, to ask the Celtics to keep pace with the Heat and Magic, but now the East seems wide open and with that comes the real possibility of gaining homecourt advantage in multiple rounds. We bring all this up because the Celtics are beginning a three-game stretch of games against the Nets, Raptors and Cavaliers. There’s no reason the Celtics should lose any of these games, but then again two of their four losses have come against Toronto and Cleveland. If they are going to win 60 games and compete for homecourt, these are the games they have to win and it wouldn’t hurt to do it convincingly. They probably don’t even need to be angry. Mildly annoyed should work just fine.”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “When Kevin Garnett has the ball, it’s more of the same. As the Boston Celtics continue to get props for an impressive start, there are a number of players who deserve some of the credit. You can include O’Neal and Garnett, a dynamic big-man duo whose collective efforts are too great to ignore. Statistically speaking, neither is having the kind of off-the-charts season that fans have grown accustomed to. However, both are delivering just what the C’s need at both ends of the floor.”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “Both aging big men are clearly feeding off each other this season. Both have talked about the remarkable decrease in double teams when they get to play in tandem. ‘Perfect,’ said [Shaq] O’Neal. ‘I think it’s a relationship of respect, after our battles over the years. We’ve seen what we can do over the years. We’re basically the same thing to each other, and we can say anything to each other. He can say anything to me and I’ll respect his word, and he’ll respect my word. I knew that it was going to be a good relationship coming in. I’ve played on a lot of other teams where the other team didn’t have to respect the 4 (power forward),’ he said. ‘So being that they have to respect him means that there’s a lot more room for me. It also means there’s a lot more room for him, so we’re going to use each other. I think it’s a good fit.’”

Colin Stephenson, New Jersey Star Ledger – “Troy Murphy will sit out his fourth straight game tonight when the Nets host the Atlanta Hawks at the Prudential Center and Nets coach Avery Johnson said the 6-11 power forward will not make the trip with the team to Boston for Wednesday’s game at the TD Banknorth Garden. ‘We talked this morning, and he feels he’s getting stronger,’ Johnson said of Murphy. ‘He’s not going to go with us to Boston – he’s going to stay back and get some more extra work done in our strength and conditioning program. And in about a week or so, we’ll see where we are with him.’”

Colin Stephenson, New Jersey Star Ledger – “Terrence Williams has been placed on the inactive list for tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks for disciplinary reasons, coach Avery Johnson told reporters in his pregame briefing. ‘Terrence is inactive for repeatedly violating team policy,’ Johnson said. ‘So that’s why he’s inactive tonight and he will not travel with the team to Boston.’ Williams will join Troy Murphy and the injured Quinton Ross (calf) on the list of players not going to Boston for Wednesday’s game against the Celtics.”

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.

Once in a while, someone else’s article catches my eye. Sometimes, it’s because the article is so spot-on I wish I’d written it myself. Other times, it’s because the article enlightens me with something I never knew. Still other times, it’s because I disagree with whatever’s written. No matter what the reason, I dish it off to another writer to make his/her point. You know, throwing some dimes.

1. Rajon Rondo thinks he can average 20 assists per game

OK, so how many assists per game does Rondo believe he can average this season?

Realistically, how many?

“Twenty,” said Rondo, who did hand out 24 Oct. 29 against New York but hasn’t exceeded 17 in any other game.

OK, why do you think that?

“Because we’re shooting the ball extremely well,” he said. “We’re playing together and moving the ball.”

Told that, to average 20, if he had 15 one game, he’d have to make up for it with 25 in another, Rondo said, “I know. I can count.”

Twenty assists per game? Impossible. The record is only 14.5. Luke Harangody will be named President of the United States before an NBA point guard averages twenty assists.

I doubt even Rondo believes what he said. Twenty assists per game is an unfathomable number.

2. Big Baby wants to win the Sixth Man of the Year Award

But it’s clear that if all the team expectations are met, Davis’ individual hopes are tied to being in the sixth man finalist group at the end of the season.

“It’s a goal of mine (winning sixth man of the year),” Davis told HOOPSWORLD. “It’d be unbelievable. So hopefully I’ll get a chance to hold it (sixth man award trophy) up.”

A more achievable task than Rondo’s, but Davis still has a long ways to go. Even while piling up charges at a phenomenal rate, Davis will be unlikely to leapfrog competitors who post higher scoring numbers. Just look at Jason Terry — the Mavericks guard is averaging 18.1 points and 5.1 assists per game. It’s going to be tough (read: almost as impossible as Rondo averaging 20 assists) for Davis to match that kind of production. He’ll have to hope voters consider his defensive contributions.

3. A nice take on Delonte West

On Monday, West told FanHouse’s Chris Tomasson that he believes he’s a role model. A role model makes good decisions; West is realizing he needs to do the same. Except West is only a role model to other people with his disorder. His decision-making process isn’t about a normal brain having good judgment, or teaching your children well. There is something different with his mind. If you’re lucky enough to have the same problem (I am), then watching West try to negotiate the high-pressure world of professional athletics, to make precise choices on and off the court, is beyond encouraging.

West wants to be predictable, consistent, if not totally normal (contrast this with Artest). The romanticization of manic depression all too often assumes that being colorful, or wacky, is a given — a good thing, even. In sports, this probably isn’t the best way to keep a job unless you’re a superstar.

For everyone else, though, West can still hold meaning. Do you have a kid? When he or she asks about Delonte West, explain to him what he’s done, why it might have happened, and how it’s still possible for him to return to a place and live like a functional basketball citizen. That’s not a role model, or an example. It’s a lesson about people who are different, and accepting and understanding them and all that. Especially if they’re trying like Delonte. Tell your kid that he shouldn’t look to Delonte for guidance and values, because Delonte isn’t sane. What he can learn from him, though, is something a lot less mundane. He can see what real courage and dignity look like.

Do yourself a favor and click on the link, then read the entire take from Bethlehem Shoals.

Wanna throw your own dime, and get someone’s article recognized? Email me atjayking@celticstown.com or follow me on Twitter.