For six games, the Celtics fought and clawed their way to victory against the supposedly superior Cleveland Cavaliers. They made King James and the Cavs look like paper champions rather than a team ready to rule the NBA throne. Yet, the question was if the seasoned Celtics had enough to beat the Orlando Magic juggernaut.
Tonight, the Celtics answered that question for one game by dominating and intimidating the Magic. They shut down Howard and forced the entire Magic team to try and beat them. Unfortunately, the Magic didn't pull it off. Yet, they came close with a valiant rally in the 4th Quarter despite the fact that the game was seemingly well in hand.
Dwight Howard AKA Superman was rendered powerless by the Celtics big men as they kept him out of his comfort zone. He scored a double double but it felt rather pedestrian as he committed seven turnovers. His free throw shooting was his kryptonite and it was felt by the entire Orlando team in the third quarter. The Celtics frustrated him and it showed as even Rasheed Wallace got under Dwight's skin and they were both assessed a double technical. His defense was subpar as he let Glen Davis get by with two big lay-ins in the final quarter. In fact, I wonder if we saw Clark Kent rather than Superman for most of the entire game?
The Magic had a big game from Vince Carter who scored 23 points and Jameer Nelson who chipped in 20 points as well as a clutch tip-in the in final minute. JJ Reddick played extremely well as he helped lead the final push for the Magic in the final quarter. He made smart passes and timely baskets to keep the Celtics honest whenever they covered Howard with a saran-wrap defense. Marcin Gortat played well in limited minutes and it was no coincidence that the Magic offense ran smoothly with him as they got the Celtic lead down to nine in the second quarter. Coincidentally, it was when Howard sat on the bench with 2 fouls.
Unfortunately for the Magic, Rashard Lewis did not come to play as he was M.I.A for most of the game and missed a big 3 that would have brought the Magic to within 2 in the final minute. He was 0-6 from downtown. The entire Magic team was 5-22 from a three point distance, which was another reason for their loss on Sunday.
As for the Celtics, the Big 4 came to play yet again. Rondo was his brilliant self as he weaved through the Magic defense for assist after assist. Ray Allen came to play as he punished the Magic for leaving him open by scoring 25 points. He was calm and collected as he calmly converted two free throws in the final moments. Allen was spry as he outran the Magic by scoring on lay-ins through cuts. Paul Pierce was his usual self, as he got to the line and knocked down big free throws in the final minute of what was once an insurmountable lead. He scored 22 points and looked seemingly refreshed.
The Celtic supporting cast of Tony Allen, Kendrick Perkins, Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace made huge contributions as well as their timely baskets. Tony Allen disrupted the passing lanes of the Orlando Magic for easy transition baskets. The Kendrick Perkins, Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis tag team disrupted Dwight Howard's offensive flow. Kendrick Perkins set the tone by making Howard work for his points early on and relished in doing the dirty deed. Rasheed made his open looks and scored 13 points. Glen Davis did his part and made Howard pay for dozing off for just a minute on defense.
Now, the Magic must make the necessary adjustments for Game 2. They must find a way to get Howard involved and convert their three point shots. For the Magic, the real post-season begins and we shall see if this team can respond to their first loss of the post-season or if the Celtics will make them disappear till next season.
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