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Celtics start Gerald Green over Amir Johnson in Game 3

USA Today Sports

Desperate times call for very desperate measures.

Down 0-2 to the Bulls with the series headed to Chicago, the Boston Celtics made a surprise substitution, with Gerald Green replacing Amir Johnson in the starting lineup Friday for Game 3.

Green played five minutes in Game 1 and didn't see the floor in Game 2, while Johnson started 79 games for the Celtics this season between the regular season and playoffs.

Chicago's biggest advantage in Games 1 and 2 was on the offensive glass, and taking out their starting center for a wing player threatens to compound that problem even further.

However, Stevens' bet could also pay dividends for a Celtics squad short on answers. Green gives the Celtics another shooter on the floor to unclog their offense, while also offering a threat in transition to punish Chicago for crashing the boards.

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