2010 NBA Playoffs: Magic Surge in 4th Quarterback, Celtics Survive in Game 1

Previewing Game 1, I voiced concerns that the Celtics back court may get tired late in the game. Entering the fourth quarter, the Celtics were in command 74-58 and still feeling good about a red-hot first half and still were ahead by 15 with nine minutes left. 

The situation changed quickly, and with solid play off the bench from JJ Redick, a few key buckets by Vince Carter, and a handful of Celtics turnovers, the Magic cut the lead to single digits with just under four minutes remaining. Two unlikely heroes for the Celtics, Rasheed Wallace and Glen "Uno Uno" David, helped to hold off the comeback, and clutch free throws from Ray Allen sealed the deal and allowed the Boston metropolitan area to breathe easily, at least until Tuesday night.

Here's what I took from the game:

1. Not much- the Magic were rusty and unprepared for the championship-level basketball the Celtics are playing right now. Cupcake series with Charlotte and Atlanta while the Celtics were fighting for their playoff lives every night against Miami and LeBron didn't help the Magic. Besides the fourth quarter, they never had a chance in this game. I'm sure SVG will have his team more prepared from the get-go for Game 2.

2. Rondo-Nelson was irrelevant- Although Nelson finished with 20 points (but only 2 assists), he didn't do much to swing momentum besides a bucket or two in the fourth quarter. Rondo finished with a decent 8-8. Both only had three turnovers each. All in all, the Magic wouldn't have been able to go on their fourth quarter run without a few buckets from Nelson, but the Game 1 hype surrounding this match-up went nowhere.

3. You can't win if Vince Carter is your best player, especially if Rashard Lewis is quiet- Vince played very well and finished with 23 points and only a seven on the whine scale for the night. This would usually mean victory...if Rashard Lewis had scored his usual 14 or 15 or the 25 he is capable of, but he only finished with six and couldn't be found in the first half. The Magic are in for a long series if they are going to rely on VC to take over a game. Even if he does, their chances of winning are slim.

4. Perkins again proved he is one of the best defensive centers in the NBA- Perk held Dwight Howard to a less than stellar 13 points 12 rebounds, and caused multiple first half turnovers. Howard was held to 30 percent from the field on 3-10 shooting when he had been at a ridiculous 84 percent in the first two rounds while dominating the Hawks and Bucks. Big Baby even served to frustrate Howard, drawing what can arguably be called the worst phantom foul of the playoffs ( don't worry, there will be more as the C's aim to annoy Howard and get in his head as much as possible).

My three keys to the series and how they played out tonight:

1. Rebounding- Orlando out-rebounded Boston 45-38 but the advantage was offset early because of the Magic turnovers. Boston also seemed to get all the loose balls in the first half.

2. 3-Pt FG%- I said this was crucial and it proved to be. In regular season victories, the Magic handed it to the Celtics from beyond the arc. In Game 1, the C's shot 42.9 percent (6-14) to the Magic's 22.7 percent (5-22). With Orlando's ability to shoot the three-pointer, if Boston can hold them to this bad of a percentage every game, they will be in a good position to win the series.

3. FTs- both teams shot 26 free throws, a good sign of aggression for the Celtics.

On another note, the Magic had several chances to gain momentum and aid a comeback throughout the second half, but didn't capitalize until there was not enough time left. They would score a bucket or two and Amway would start to get loud, but then they would turn the ball over and give up an easy bucket to the Celtics. As is usually the case deep in the playoffs, the team that plays a full 48 minutes and makes plays when it counts will head to the Finals. Tonight the Celtics did just that, and the Magic stood by and watched for 44 minutes.

I suspect Game 2 will be more of a complete showing by both sides (the Celtics really didn't play that well either tonight).