Orlando at Boston 5/28/10
The Celtics and Magic battle in what promises to be a high intensity Game 6
Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics
NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals - Game 6 - Celtics Lead Series 3-2
Friday May 28, 2010 08:30 PM EST (ESPN)
The Line: Over/Under 188
Game 5: The Orlando Magic took another huge step in trying to become the only team in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit as they defeated the Celtics 113-92 on Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. Behind 21 points and 10 rebounds from center Dwight Howard, the Magic once again avoided elimination as they finally broke out of their series long shooting slump, sinking 13 of their 25 three point attempts. The Magic, who outscored the Celtics in every quarter, managed to shoot over 50% for this first time in this series while keeping the Celtics to 42% shooting. Jameer Nelson continued his strong play with a game high 24 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists while JJ Redick came off the bench to score 14 points for the Magic who won the battle on the boards, outrebounding the Celtics 43-26. Rasheed Wallace top scored for the Celtics with 21 points off the bench while the big three of Garnett, Pierce and Allen struggled to shoot the ball all night, only connecting on 11 of their 33 field goal attempts.
Game 4: It took them four games but the Orlando Magic finally got the win they were looking for and at the same time avoided elimination, taking down the Celtics 96-92 in overtime on Monday night. The Magic desperately needed someone to step up if they were to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Celtics and they got it from their two leaders in Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. Howard was a beast down low, finishing the game with 30 points and 16 rebounds while Jameer Nelson poured in 23 points and provided clutch play down the stretch, hitting back to back three pointers to secure the victory. Howard and Nelson used the pick and roll to much greater effect on Monday night, going to it more than they did in the previous three games combined and it was a major reason why they were able to get out to an early lead and sustain it for most of the game. Despite Paul Pierce having his best game of this post season with 32 points to go along with 11 rebounds, it wasn’t enough to pull the Celtics over the line as they didn’t have the same energy as they did in the first three games and clearly lacked a sense of urgency, which has to be a concern for coach Doc Rivers.
Game 3: Another game and another dominate victory for the Boston Celtics as they raced out of the gates to record a 94-71 win on Sunday night to take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Orlando Magic. In what was a must win game for the Magic, it was the Celtics who came out like they were two games behind as they raced out to a 16 point lead at the first break, mainly in part to the play of Paul Peirce who started strong with eight points and five rebounds in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Celtics used a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 24 points, which then turned into a 28 point lead to close the third quarter. The Celtics extended the lead to as much as 32 points in the fourth quarter before coach Doc River looked to his bench to finish the game off. It was another all round team performance for the Celtics as five players scored in double figures with Glen “Big Baby” Davis leading the way with 17 points on 5-9 shooting off the bench, while Peirce and Ray Allen chipped in with 15 and 14 respectively as the Celtics used their trademark defense to shut down the Magic once again, holding them to 36% shooting for the game. Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson had 15 points a peice for a Magic team that got beaten in all of the major statistical categories, including hustle and determination.
Game 2: The Boston Celtics avoided another late game collapse on Tuesday night to record a 95-92 victory over the Orlando Magic to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best of seven Eastern Conference Finals. Paul Pierce led the way for the Celtics with 28 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and Rajon Rondo added 25 points and 8 assists as the Celtics nearly blew a big lead for the second straight game. Up 81-70 in the opening moments of the final quarter, the Celtics looked to have the game in control until the Magic came storming back behind a 13-4 run that would cut the lead to 85-83 on a pair of JJ Redicks free throws. Orlando then pulled within one at 89-88 after two Howard free throws with 4:05 left and went in front on Carter's jumper just under 30 seconds later. However, the lead for the Magic would be short lived as the Celtics quickly got back the lead after two straight buckets that would eventually be enough to secure the victory. Dwight Howard bounced back from a poor shooting night in Game 1 to top score for the Magic with 30 points on 9-13 shooting, however he was somewhat of a lone hand as Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson combined to score only 30 points on 11-33 shooting, which was the main reason the Magic shot just 39.4% from the floor.
Game 1: The Boston Celtics raced out to a quick start and used their trademark smothering defense the rest of the way too take down the Orlando Magic 92-88 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference finals opener. Despite the shorter break, the Celtics looked life the fresher team on Sunday as they raced out to a 22-14 lead at the first break, which soon turned into a 41-32 half time advantage. The Celtics put the foot to the accelerator to open the third term as they lead by as many as 20 points at one stage and looked to be cruising to an easy win. The Magic however had different ideas as they outscored the Celtics 30-18 in final term and got within two points on a Jameer Nelson tip in to make 90-88, however that as close as they would get as Ray Allen calmly sank two free throws to seal the victory for the Celtics. Ray Allen continued his strong postseason play scoring a game high 25 points while Paul Pierce poured in 22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists for the Celtics who have now won four straight playoff games and in the process handed the Magic their first loss of the playoffs and broke their 14 game winning streak, which dated back to the regular season. The Magic, who had their lowest scoring output of the the playoffs, shot just 41% from the field and 22% from beyond the arc were led by Vince Carter who had a team high 23 points and Jameer Nelson finished the game with 20 points.
Prediction: With Orlando's 113 point outburst in Game 5, we witnessed the biggest total of not only this playoff series but the entire season between the Celtics and Magic. Even though the over has hit twice in a row now (with one game going to OT), the under is still 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in Boston and 10-3 in the last 13 meetings overall. With so much at stake tonight, expect things to be tight and for points to be at a premium, especially coming down the stretch. As far as the line itself, I know Boston is banged up and looking tired at the moment, but this is their Game 7 too and I think they dig deep and pull this one out in front of a raucous home crowd...
Dan's Pick: Under 188
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
