Orlando vs. Boston: Season Series Review

[Rocky5000]

Game 1: Celtics 108 Magic 88 - TDBanknorth Garden
Recap
BOSTON -- Everything was working so well for Paul Pierce that his teammates just kept getting him the ball.

Pierce scored 17 of his 24 points in the third quarter to lead the Boston Celtics to their ninth straight win, 107-88 over the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
"We were just taking advantage of the matchups," Pierce said. "We saw something that we could do and we just kept going to it. My teammates did a good job of setting me up."

Pierce, who scored only five points in the opening half, carried the Celtics from a two-point halftime edge to a 12-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

Isolating against Hedo Turkoglu on a number of trips, Pierce scored 15 of Boston's 20 points as the Celtics pulled ahead 68-57.

When Pierce was contained driving the lane, he fired a pass to Ray Allen, who nailed a 3-pointer from the top to make it 71-57.

After Pierce scored easily against Turkoglu, the Magic tried Rashard Lewis against Pierce, with only a little better success.

"He did what he's been doing all his career," Boston point guard Rajon Rondo said. "He had a rhythm and we continued to call plays for him."

Allen added 21 points, Rondo had 16 points with 12 assists and Kevin Garnett scored 15 points for the Celtics (17-2) in a win over a top Eastern Conference rival.

There were eight technicals whistled in the game, with referee Bob Delaney calling four in the first half.

"This was one interesting game. A lot of technicals," Boston coach Doc Rivers said, before joking: "I better be quiet before I get a technical."

Lewis paced Orlando (13-5) with 30 points. Turkoglu had 19 and Dwight Howard, the NBA's leading rebounder, had 14 points with 15 boards and four blocked shots.

"We didn't do a very good job on the pick and rolls in the second half," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I think more than anything it was a problem with our schemes and preparation."

The Magic had their four-game winning streak snapped. Orlando had won six straight road games, one short of its club record set at the start of last season.

Similar to the opening minutes of the game, when Boston broke ahead by 10 points, the Celtics controlled the tempo and appeared to run whatever they wanted on offense.

Boston, which held Orlando to 39 percent shooting in the first three quarters, led 77-65 at the break.

Eddie House's 3-pointer made it 92-75 with 6:50 to play, and Boston cruised the rest of the way, mixing starters with reserves.

In the opening half, the Celtics shot 60 percent and led 28-18 after one. They opened it up to 37-22 on Glen Davis' jumper before the Magic scored 10 straight points to get back into it.

The Magic were without their starting backcourt for the second consecutive game. Jameer Nelson was sidelined for his fourth straight with a hip flexor and Mickael Pietrus is on injured reserve with a torn right thumb ligament.

"Yeah, they smacked us tonight," Orlando guard Anthony Johnson said. "But with two healthy squads I feel very good."

Game 2: Celtics 90, Magic 80 Amway Arena
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Stan Van Gundy blamed only one person.

Himself.

After Orlando slipped from the top perch in the overall NBA standings with a 90-80 loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, the Magic coach didn't want to hear any excuses. No talk of four-day layoffs, no griping about calls, nothing.

"I'm pretty big on holding players accountable," Van Gundy said. "On this one, it's me. I've got to find a way for us to get some ball movement and freedom of movement where we can get some shots. So I'm frustrated in myself."

It's a common reaction among coaches after seeing the Celtics these days.

Paul Pierce had 27 points and 10 rebounds, Glen Davis added a season-high 16 points and Boston disrupted everything Orlando wanted offensively, holding the Magic to a season-low in points.

Kevin Garnett scored 16 points to help the Celtics (36-9) extend their winning streak to seven games.
So was this a statement game for Boston?

"Not at all," insisted Garnett, whose Celtics are 2-0 against Orlando this season.

Dwight Howard, who on Thursday became the first player in league history to receive 3 million votes in a season for the All-Star game, was held to a relatively ordinary 11 points and 11 rebounds. He fouled out with 2:30 left, and Orlando's run of seven straight wins was snapped.

"It felt like a playoff game," Howard said, "for a minute."

Hedo Turkoglu scored 22 points, Rashard Lewis finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Jameer Nelson had 17 points for Orlando, whose previous low scoring total this season was 82.

During their winning streak, the Magic averaged 111 points, shot 49 percent and hit an average of 13 1/2 3-pointers. But Thursday, Orlando finished 22.3 points below its season average, shot only 38 percent and was a mere 4-for-15 from beyond the arc through three quarters.

Still, when the Magic hit few shots -- and Nelson scored five straight points -- they were within 82-75 with 3:10 remaining.

But Davis hit an 18-footer from the left wing on Boston's next possession, Howard fouled out seconds later, and the Celtics held on from there.

"With Baby, it's all about consistency," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said, calling Davis by his nickname. "I wish that was every night."Boston improved to 33-1 when scoring at least 90 points this season. When the Celtics score 89 or less, they're 3-8.

Both teams tried to dispel the notion that this would be a bigger-than-usual game.

It didn't seem to work.

Tiger Woods sat a few feet from the court, tapping his foot and swaying his shoulders to the booming arena music. People pleaded for tickets three hours before tip-off, standing outside in unseasonably chilly air, and inside, there was a distinct something-other-than-ordinary feel.

Heck, it was even on the Jumbotron screen: Fans at halftime saw this message -- "It's A Big Game! Get Loud!"

Maybe Van Gundy tried the same tactic in the Orlando locker room at intermission, because in the first half, his team struggled in ways he hadn't seen this season.

Boston led 44-36 at the half, as Orlando shot just 32 percent on the way to a season-low for points in the opening two periods.

The NBA's leaders in 3-pointers made and in accuracy coming in, the Magic started just 1-for-11 from beyond the arc -- meaning they were, through the first 5 1/2 quarters of their season series with Boston, just 6-for-37 from long range.

Turkoglu hit a pair of 3-pointers from the left wing late in the half, helping to ensure the Celtics wouldn't pull away too soon.

But the second half didn't start much better for the Magic.

And when Pierce got loose for a dunk with 7:22 left in the third, the Celtics had a 12-point cushion that immediately had Van Gundy calling time-out and clearly took some of the buzz from the building.

"I don't think it was ugly," Howard said. "We just didn't play as well as we needed to."

Lewis scored seven points in the first 8 minutes of the third quarter -- the only seven points for the Magic at that point in the period. The Celtics weren't exactly a high-octane offensive machine, but made shots on four straight possessions to stretch the lead to 56-40 with 5:54 left in the third, eventually settling for a 65-54 edge entering the final 12 minutes.

"Defense is our staple," Pierce said. "All year long, regardless of what the offense does, we're going to depend on our defense night in and night out."


Game 3: Magic 86, Celtics 79. TD Banknorth Garden
BOSTON -- Don't forget about the Orlando Magic in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Dwight Howard scored 18 with 15 rebounds, making a pair of free throws with 13.9 seconds left to ice it after Boston cut a 22-point deficit to three, and the Magic held on to beat the Celtics 86-79 on Sunday. With the win, Orlando moved two games behind Boston and three behind first-place Cleveland in the East.
It was big for [us] to see where we are for the playoffs," said Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu, who scored 16. "It's not just a team that we want to catch. It's a team that we want to beat."

Rashard Lewis scored 15 and Rafer Alston had 10 points and eight assists for Orlando, which won its fourth straight. One game after turning back Cleveland to grab the tiebreaker edge in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics offered a feeble start on their home court against third-place Orlando.

The Magic led by seven points after one and 18 after two as Boston posted its lowest-scoring first quarter and half of the season. The Celtics trailed by 22 points in the third quarter before waking up: they have just six losses at home this season, including three straight Sunday afternoon games over the past month.

"We pick and choose a little bit right now on our focus, and we can't do that," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "That's part of the championship residue. Last year, every game we thought of as a big game."

Ray Allen had 17 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, scoring nine straight to make it 82-79 with 1:22 to play. But he hit the back of the rim on a 3-point attempt from the left side that would have tied it with 41 seconds to play.

"I knew when I got the ball I had to try and make plays," said Allen, who also tied a season-high with nine rebounds. "I knew I had to get something going."

Lewis hit a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game, then Eddie House missed his 3-point try and Howard clinched it with his foul shots.

"It's very big," Howard said, noting that Boston had won the first two matchups this season. "We just tried to weather the storm, and we got a good win."

Already missing Kevin Garnett, who missed his eighth straight game with a strained muscle in his right knee, the Celtics also sat out point guard Rajon Rondo to allow him to rest the right ankle he sprained on Friday night. Garnett's backup, Glen "Big Baby" Davis, left Sunday's game with 6:25 left in the third quarter with a right ankle sprain and did not return.

Stephon Marbury, who made his first start since joining the Celtics on Feb. 27, started and scored four points in 20:30.

Orlando led 65-43 points with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter and 68-47 with 2:14 left before Leon Powe dunked to start a 9-1 run to end the quarter; Allen made it 11 of 12 points with a pair of free throws to start the fourth that cut the deficit to 69-58.

Paul Pierce made two free throws with 9:33 left in the game to give him 18,246 in his career and pass Hall of Famer Robert Parish for third on the Celtics' career list. Larry Bird is next, with 21,791.

Allen's 3-pointer cut it to seven points with 3:21 left, and he drove to the basket to make it 82-77 with 2:17 to play. He was fouled on a drive to the basket, and his two free throws cut Orlando's lead to three points.

But after Courtney Lee missed a foul-line jumper and Kendrick Perkins grabbed the rebound, Allen got open on the left side and missed his 3-point try. Lewis' free throws ended a 3 1/2-minute scoreless streak for Orlando.

The Celtics fell to 5-3 since Garnett went out with a strained muscle in his right knee.

Game 4 - Magic 84, Celtics 82, Amway Arena
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Boston Celtics might be taking an extra road trip to defend their title.

It's a detour that might go through the Magic Kingdom.

Dwight Howard blocked a potential go-ahead layup by Paul Pierce with 3.8 seconds left, and the Orlando Magic clinched their second straight Southeast Division title with an 84-82 win over the Celtics on Wednesday night.

Howard had 24 points and 21 rebounds as the Magic (53-18) bumped Boston (54-19) by percentage points for second in the Eastern Conference. Orlando remains five games back of Cleveland for the conference lead with 11 games left. The Magic took the division title with Atlanta's loss to San Antonio.

"We get another banner," Howard said. "Hopefully we can get two more."

Pierce hit a jumper to cut Orlando's lead to 83-82 with 1:27 left, but the Celtics couldn't make up the difference without Kevin Garnett, who was limited to 16 minutes as Boston continues to work him back in the lineup from a right knee strain. Pierce then missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won it for Boston.

Rashard Lewis had 21 points, and Hedo Turkoglu added 13 points for the Magic, who nearly blew a 16-point lead before holding on for their fourth straight win and 11th in their last 13 games. The Magic were held to just 14 points in the final period.

"I'm sure we'll see them again," Lewis said. "If we want to get to that ultimate goal, we'll have to go through Boston and Cleveland."

Pierce had 26 points, and Ray Allen added 16 points for the Celtics, who snapped their four-game winning streak.

Fueled by their big man, the Magic finally started to shed that image of a team that can't win the big game.

Howard followed up a rim-rocking, two-hand dunk with a 3-point play that put the Magic up 66-50 with 3:54 left in the third quarter. Garnett was called for the foul on the play and left the game for good, but not before huddling his teammates to give them a few choice words.

They would respond.

Pierce had six points during a furious 12-2 Celtics run that trimmed Orlando's lead to six. Reaching to give his team some life, Howard dunked over Glen Davis on an alley-hoop from Turkoglu that ignited the Magic bench despite ending the third quarter with only a 70-62 lead.

"It's interesting. I don't think we were worried about being down," Allen said. "It was just like, 'Let's get to what we needed to get to.' But defensively we made some mistakes."

With home-court advantage at stake for a potential second-round playoff series, the Celtics made health the priority.

Boston coach Doc Rivers again resisted the urge to play Garnett for a full game, limiting him to eight-minute spurts in the first and third quarters. Garnett finished with four points and eight rebounds in his fourth game back from injury, and Rivers has said he will continue to ease the All-Star forward back in the lineup.

"Our guys don't care about [home court]. They want to get healthy," Rivers said. "And when we get healthy, we're willing to lace up against anybody."

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy doesn't buy that as an excuse.

He started his postgame press conference by joking he wouldn't be controversial by blasting anybody, following barbs with the New York Knicks over not interviewing Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing for a job and also accusing Shaquille O'Neal of flopping.

But Van Gundy couldn't resist.

"I want to know how some teams get on the list, where they get excuses and other teams are not on that list. All I've been hearing about is all the injury problems the Celtics have had this year," Van Gundy said.

Van Gundy went on to say how the Magic have dealt with the loss of All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson, who has missed 24 games since a season-ending shoulder tear Feb. 2. The Magic have recovered after a three-team trade brought point guard Rafer Alston from Houston, and Howard has continued to make up the point difference lost in Nelson's absence.

Howard's double-double by the first quarter made things tougher for the Celtics.

Orlando's do-it-all center had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the period, powering the Magic to a 25-19 lead after a quarter in which he had three dunks, soaring at times above the backboard. Howard started 6-for-9 shooting and took advantage of Garnett's limited minutes to penetrate the paint at will. It was the fourth time this season Howard had a double-double in the first 12 minutes.

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Alright, so we have played 4 games and zero of those games seem to match the lineups that we'll see in the playoffs. Our two wins came with Garnett playing big minutes. The Magic's biggest win came with Garnett and Rondo out, and Big Baby out for the last 18 minutes. The other Magic win came with Garnett playing 16 minutes, in which he was a -10 for the game. Still this is probably the closest game to what we'll see in the upcoming series and the final score shows that we could end up having some pretty tight finishes. According to the recap, Pierce blew two opportunities to win the game. Another possibly important stat I came across, in the last 21 home games in Boston, the Celtics are 17-4 versus the Magic, so home court could once again be the deciding factor.

[BRUNiNHO91]

Yea....on those two losses, Pierce missed some shots in the end AT Orlando, and Ray missed an wide open 3 in the one back in Boston that would have gave us a lead. We played poorly in the 1st 3 quarters of both games, and still managed to overcome double digits over the 4th quarter, in both. The one up in Boston, if we had Rondo we would probably win. This should be at least 3-1...not 2-2. But we match up well....I like our chances better than against the Bulls.

[Rocky5000]

Yeah. If I were a Magic fan, I certainly wouldn't draw much confidence from either of their wins.