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Game Preview (Round 2, Game 1): Magic at Celtics
 |
vs. |  |
|---|---|---|
| 4-2 | Record | 4-3 |
| 96.2 | PPG | 112.6 |
| 88.5 | PPGA | 108.3 |
| 46.5 | FG% | 44.9 |
| 45.3 | Opp. FG% | 44.1 |
| 46.5 | Rebounds | 45.3 |
| 18.0 | Assists | 23.1 |
| 12.8 | Turnovers | 13.6 |
| 7.2 | Steals | 8.7 |
| 5.2 | Blocks | 6.7 |
| 0-0 | Series | 0-0 |
Now Playing:
- Celtics Documentary
- Dancers at Foxwoods
- Shamrock Shootout
- Media Day
| Point Guard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Rafer Alston |
Rajon Rondo | ||
| Shooting Guard | |||
J.J. Redick |
Ray Allen | ||
| Small Forward | |||
Hedo Turkoglu |
Paul Pierce | ||
| Power Forward | |||
Rashard Lewis |
Glen Davis | ||
| Center | |||
Dwight Howard |
Kendrick Perkins | ||
| Sixth Man | |||
Mickael Pietrus |
Eddie House | ||
Monday, May 4, 2009
TD Banknorth Garden, 8:00 p.m.
TV: CSNHD/TNT
RADIO: WEEI 850 AM
Right now, things are looking just like everyone thought they would. The No. 2 seed Boston Celtics and No. 3 seed Orlando Magic are set to battle in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The way they got here, though, is what no one ever saw coming.
Saturday night, the Celtics knocked off the Chicago Bulls 109-99 to put a cap on one of the most exciting series in NBA Playoffs history. With the exception of Game 3, every single game was close down the stretch and could have fallen into either teams' hands.
The Celtics overcame all of the big shots by Ben Gordon, Derrick Rose and Co. with their own big shots from Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Eddie House. They overcame the hard fouls by Brad Miller and Joakim Noah with physical play inside from Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis, outscoring the Bulls 42-18 in the paint during the series-clincher. They outlasted the young legs of the Bulls in a series that featured seven overtime sessions in seven games.
It wasn't easy, but they got it done.
Orlando Magic fans were thinking the same thing when their team took down the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 to advance on to the second round without a suspended Dwight Howard.
For a while in that series, it actually looked like the Magic were going to fall to the Sixers. Philadelphia was the team making all the clutch shots and they were the team executing well down the stretch. In fact, the Sixers held a 2-1 lead in the series with Game 4 on their court. At that point, much of the media was giving Philadelphia the nod to move on to the next round.
But as Boston did against Chicago when some were stating that the Bulls would move on, Orlando responded.
In danger of falling behind 3-1, Hedo Turkoglu saved the Magic's playoff lives by drilling a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in regulation to put Orlando up 84-81. That shot meant more than just the win. That shot gave Orlando confidence and more importantly, momentum.
They rode that momentum into Game 5 at home and blew out the Sixers, 91-78. During that game, Howard's oversized elbow caught two players in the face. Both did not bode well for Orlando.
One elbow connected with his team's starting shooting guard, Courtney Lee, and knocked him out of the remainder of the game, as well as Game 6. The other elbow was swung at Samuel Dalembert, but this one didn't knock the receiver out of a game, this one affected the giver. The NBA determined that the elbow was not inadvertent and suspended Howard for Game 6.
In the end, it didn't even matter, as the Magic rolled over the Sixers on the rode and won 114-89, sending themselves into the Conference Semifinals for the second consecutive year.
Prior to the start of Round 1, Doc Rivers said that the Celtics had "unfortunately drawn the team that you have to move your feet more" against on defense. That was certainly the case, as the Bulls ran, ran, and ran some more while letting their athleticism make plays for them both inside and out at both ends of the court.
Although the Magic aren't on the same level as far as quickness and athleticism at every position, Rivers knows the Celtics have their hands full.
"Well, they're good. And we won the first two, they lost -- we lost the second two," Rivers said. "We didn't win either game without Kevin (Garnett), and so we're going to have to go and find out why."
Many fans and experts will point to the fact that the Celtics lost both games without a healthy Garnett, but if you look at the numbers you'll see that those games were still extremely competitive. Orlando won those two meetings by an average of 4.5 points, with one coming on the road and one at home. Although they won both games, the Magic still did not manage to score more than 86 points in either victory.
Preparing for the Magic will be much different than preparing for the Bulls. They'll take their fast break opportunities when available, but this team isn't going to look to run. This team is going to look to shoot, and they do it as well as anyone.
Orlando was second in the NBA in three-point attempts per game in the regular season with an average of 26.2 per game. They made 10 of those shots each night, which tied the New York Knicks for the NBA lead. They shoot the ball from the outside effectively and space the floor well with shooters at every position, with the exception of center.
Their three-point numbers have dropped in the postseason, as they are taking only 21.7 per game and making 35% of those shots. They are also averaging nearly five less points per game than they did in the regular season.
Although they boast one of the deadliest three-point attacks in the league, the man in the middle cannot be ignored. Howard is one of the most, if not the most, athletic big men in the league and can drop a 20-point, 20-rebound game at the drop of a hat. With the exception of Howard's 24-point, 21-rebound game on March 25, Kendrick Perkins has held him to modest numbers in the other three meetings this season.
Boston finished the season with a 2-2 record against the Magic by winning the first two meetings and dropping the final two. The Celtics shot well in those four games, at 45.8%, but struggled from beyond the three-point arc, where they led the NBA in efficiency during the regular season. Boston made only 26.7% of their threes against the Magic this season. The Magic also shot well below their average and made only 31.6% of their treys and 40.3% of their shots overall.
From those numbers, you can tell that this is going to be a grind-it-out series for both team. Boston and Orlando finished first and third, respectively, in the NBA in opponents' field goal percentage. Playing against each other, neither team managed to average 90.0 PPG.
The quick thought would be that this series hinges on three-point shooting, and it actually might, but defense is going to be the key. The C's did not play up to their ability on the defensive end against the Bulls but should feel much more comfortable against a half court team like the Magic. Boston also came around to show their well-known defensive prowess in Game 7 against the Bulls, holding them to 39.0% shooting in the game.
With the Magic coming into town for tonight's 8 p.m. Game 1 matchup, Celtics fans couldn't be happier that their team has found their defensive groove at just the right time.
Overall Team Statistics: Due to the style of play against the Bulls, combined with seven overtime sessions, the Celtics are the highest scoring team in this year's playoffs at 112.6 PPG. While Orlando is averaging only 96.2 PPG, they're shooting the ball better than Boston from the field (46.49% compared to 44.91%). The Celtics are averaging 5.1 more assists per game than the Magic, mostly due to Rajon Rondo's stellar point guard play. While Boston also averaged more rebounds per game in Round 1 (45.3 compared to Orlando's 39.5), the Celtics were actually outrebounded in the first round.
Point Guard: The Celtics go into this series with an advantage at the point guard position. Rajon Rondo is playing the best basketball of his career and nearly averaged a triple-double for the entire first round series against the Bulls. Orlando will counter with wily veteran Rafer Alston, who they picked up from Houston at the trade deadline after Jameer Nelson's season-ending shoulder injury. Rondo will dictate the pace of these games but must find his stroke again on offense. He scored only 15 points in the final two games of the series, but did total 30 assists. Alston is playing great basketball as well and shooting the ball well above his season averages. He's scoring 15.2 PPG to go along with 4.8 APG and is second on the team in three-point shooting in the postseason, behind J.J. Redick. Alston is a premiere defensive point guard, but Rondo should have the advantage with his quickness and passing abilities.
Shooting Guard: Starting shooting guard Courtney Lee is out due to the inadvertent elbow he took from Howard. In his absence, sharpshooting J.J. Redick is slated to start for the Magic. In Game 6, Redick had one of his best games of the season, scoring 15 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting, grabbing three rebounds and dishing out four assists. He will battle with Ray Allen on the perimeter in a showdown between two of the purest shooters in the NBA. Both can make threes from any spot on the floor and will spread the opponent's defense. Allen is shooting lights-out and will have a height advantage over Redick. With Allen having such a hot hand, the Celtics should try to exploit Redick's average defensive abilities.
Small Forward: The Truth struggled at times during Round 1, but he still averaged 23.1 PPG. If he can find his stroke and play to the level fans have come to expect, it could put Boston over the top in this series. Hedo Turkoglu continues to recover from a sprained ankle he suffered in the final week of the regular season. He continues to state that he feels tightness in the ankle while on the floor and his numbers are proving that true. He is struggling mightily in every facet of his game, scoring only 11.8 PPG on 36.5% shooting. Throughout the regular season, it seemed as if the Magic's struggles went hand-in-hand with Turkoglu's struggles. If he cannot play effectively in this series and defend Pierce's moves to the basket, it's really going to hinder Orlando's chances.
Power Forward: The power forward position might be the most important matchup in the series. Orlando has the advantage with All-Star Rashard Lewis roaming the perimeter. He is a 6-foot-11 veteran who lives behind the three-point line. He led the NBA in three-point attempts with 554 and makes with 220 (Ray Allen was second in both of those categories, with 486 attempts and 199 makes). He also has the ability to post up and will be able to get his shot off easily against the undersized Glen Davis. Davis, though, has the bulk and leg strength to outplay Lewis around the basket. Davis' rebounding will be critical in this series. He's also going to need to continue his solid mid-range shooting to stretch Orlando's defense as much as possible.
Center: As stated earlier, Kendrick Perkins has had some success in limiting Dwight Howard to average stat lines, at least by his standards. Perkins' strength on the block and aggressiveness inside has often rattled Howard and gotten him out of his game. Perkins' main goals in this series will be the usual: play great defense and rebound. It's easier said than done going against the premiere center in basketball, but he has the ability to do it. Howard is the quickest center in the game and loves to face up from 10 to 12 feet and make a move into the paint. Perkins will need to play with his feet and not his hands and trust his teammates to be there with help defense if he gets beat. Perk will also need to work with his teammates to defend the pick-and-roll, which the Magic run as often as any team in the NBA. If Turkoglu is near 100% in this series, Orlando will run the pick-and-roll with he and Howard down the stretch of every game. Perkins must be able to defend the pick-and-roll effectively without racking up fouls, because if he goes out of the game, Mikki Moore and Brian Scalabrine will be at a huge disadvantage defending Howard anywhere on the floor.
