Orlando Magic Lack Boston Celtic Poise: Experience Counts

The 2010 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs have proven to be just what the doctor ordered for the Boston Celtics, as the aging team stumbled into the playoffs playing just .500 ball since Christmas, finishing the 2009-2010 season 27-27.

Boston dispatched of the Miami Heat in the first round rather efficiently in six games.

Then they cast aside LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in six, exposing the Cavs as an overrated one man team.

Now, after two impressive wins on the road in Amway Arena, the Celtics seem to be well on their way towards dispatching with the Orlando Magic.

Some people said they couldn’t outlast the Heat, most everyone said the Cavaliers would manhandle them, and nobody predicted the Celtics would be able to keep up with the three-point shooting Magic.

But the Celtics keep on winning.

Following their exciting 95-92 win over the Magic to secure a 2-0 series lead heading back home to Boston, the Celtics have positioned themselves to possibly sweep the Orlando Magic, a feat that nobody ever believed was possible.

Both wins thus far in the Eastern Conference Championship have been close, as game one was a four point affair, as the Celtics hung on for a 92-88 win.

While the Celtics may be displaying just how talented they really are in their advanced age, Boston is also proving to possess a trait that few teams seem to have, and the Magic, if they don’t acquire it within the next few days, could be swept right out of the 2010 playoffs because of it.

The Celtics may be old and creaky, but their veteran experience has given them a savvy veteran poise that, so far, Orlando clearly does not have.

Looking back on the decision, it is safe to say that those moves paid off.

When Boston acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Seattle SuperSonic, respectively, the front office hoping the two future Hall of Famers would come in and complement fellow veteran Paul Pierce and give the Celtics an experienced core that could restore a winning culture to Boston basketball.

The Celtics have a poise about them, an attitude that prevents them from quitting and doesn’t allow them to fold when the season is on the line.

Granted, Boston played a very pedestrian brand of basketball for what was a majority of the season.

But now, in the playoffs, the games count. If you lose, you’re done. You’re going home.

Boston has buckled down. You can see it on the court. The Celtics will not go down without a fight, and the opponent is going to have to hit them with its best shot if they even want a chance of knocking off Boston in these playoffs.

Orlando, after steamrolling the likes of Charlotte and Atlanta to the tune of back-to-back sweeps to open the playoffs are the latest victims to the Boston Celtics approach.

After game one, Orlando superstar and leader Dwight Howard said that the Celtics simply outworked the Magic, leading to the Celtics securing the first win of the series on the road:

"They came out with a lot of energy. They played harder than us...Can't allow it to happen again. They just came out and played with more energy than us. They acted like they wanted to win and they did."

The fact that the Magic couldn’t get up for an Eastern Conference Championship game is just astounding.

The fact that Orlando couldn’t match Boston’s intensity is surprising.

They are supposedly the better, more talented basketball team with a dominant center and a plethora of three point shooters that Boston can’t contain.

It’s true, between Howard, Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter and the rest of the crew, Orlando should be able to control the Celtics and create some significant match-up problems.

But Orlando doesn’t have a killer instinct and they don’t have the poise that Boston does, leaving the Magic in a difficult situation as the prepare for the third game of the series in Boston on Saturday night.

The obvious lack of poise is the reason Lewis, supposedly a match-up problem for the aging Kevin Garnett, has scored a whopping 11 points in the first two games of the season.

It is the reason why Carter, a normally very good free throw shooter, clanged two vital free throws in the closing minutes of the game that would have cut the Celtic lead to one and allowed Orlando to play a much different game down the stretch.

Orlando’s lack of poise is the reason it seems like key players go quiet in big games.Besides Lewis, sixth man Mikael Pietrus went scoreless in Game One, Nelson couldn’t score in Game Two, and Matt Barnes (granted, he does have a bad back) has contributed little to nothing so far this series.

And JJ Redick’s costly mistake in the closing seconds of Game Two to dribble the ball up the court before calling timeout, leaving the Magic with just over three seconds to tie the game on an almost impossible three-point attempt, just cements the notion that the Magic don’t have the poise or veteran savvy to win in the clutch come playoff time.

All this is the reason why the Magic have almost made two comebacks, but have withered down the stretch, allowing the Celtics to escape with narrow wins in both games in Orlando.

The Magic are talented, and they have the pieces to make a return trip to the NBA Finals.

But as long as this team lacks the mental toughness and the poise to perform in crunch time, they will fall short time and time again.

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