Picking Up the Pieces: Celtics-Magic East Finals Game Five Preview
Fueled by desperation and powered by exemplary performance from Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic turned the power switch on and staved off elimination against the Boston Celtics with a 96-92 overtime victory in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Magic finally woke up and they aren’t going to lie down and let Boston capture another conference title unopposed.
Orlando’s renewed energy narrowed the Boston’s series lead to 3-1 and reminded the Celtics that the Magic are the defending Eastern Conference champions, feature four All-Stars and had a better record than the Celtics in the regular season.
The Celtics will look to make defensive adjustments on Howard and follow their defensive blueprint from Games One thru Three by hound the Magic’s three-point shooters and frustrating Howard in the paint.
The Magic will have to put together back-to-back great games to defeat a hardy group of champions that play well on the road.
Welcome to Bizarro World
Fittingly, Howard—also known as Superman—came to the Magic’s rescue in Game Four. In a crucial elimination contest, he had a superb game with 32 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks.
In Superman chronicles, Bizarro World is a place where everything is exactly opposite of what one would expect.
Basically, this series in a nutshell.
Orlando begins the series with two losses at home. Needing their best effort in Game Three, the Magic lose by 23 points.
In Game Four, Boston—generally regarded as the best defensive team in the playoffs—failed to stop Orlando in overtime. Paul Pierce, one of the best clutch players in the NBA, is 0-for-4 in the extra period.
Boston’s Rajon Rondo, who has become the hottest name in the 2010 NBA Playoffs, had a “average” game. Rondo had nine points, eight assists and three steals but the notoriously good rebounder only grabbed three boards and he couldn’t stop Magic’s Jameer Nelson, who shot 50 percent from the field, hit two big three-pointers in overtime, and finished with 23 points.
In another key change for the series, Orlando won its first game of the Eastern Conference Finals when Rashard Lewis (13 points) scored in double figures for the first time in the series.
Although the Magic need Howard and Nelson to maintain their excellent play from Game Four, other players have to make key contributions for Orlando to win another game.
Boston has played well in every game in the series and doesn’t need to change much. Rondo and Kendrick Perkins (0-for-2 on field goals, three points and four rebounds), had rough outings on offense and defense in Game Four, but the Celtics formula of great defense and steady, balanced offense has been solid this postseason.
Was Game Four an aberration for Boston or a paradigm for Orlando?
Game Five Adjustments
The Magic still have a long road ahead them but if Nelson and Howard can continue to be the driving forces behind their resurgence, they can claw their way back in the series.
In Orlando’s victory, head coach Stan Van Gundy constantly used screens to free up Nelson and sent Howard flashing toward the basket from different angles, using his athletic advantage to convert several alley-oop dunks. He continued to give J.J. Redick the green light and the former Duke sharpshooter was 3-for-5 on three-pointers and finished with 12 points in 33 minutes.
The Magic also limited Rondo’s effectiveness. Boston became a much different team when Rondo (3-for-10 on field goals) wasn’t lighting up the stat sheet and Orlando will try to use Nelson to get the Celtics’ All-Star point guard in foul trouble.
Howard’s play has yo-yoed, with big numbers in Games Two (30 points) and Four (32), and less impressive performances in Games One (13) and Three (seven). He’ll look to break the pattern and have plenty of output in the odd-numbered Game Five.
Nelson and Howard were the only Orlando players to score in overtime and Boston will have to find a way to control the duo.
The Celtics have to fight through screens and remember that Nelson is a good passer but he has a shooter’s mentality.
Howard shot 59 percent from the foul line in the regular season and the Celtics will look to prevent the high-percentage shot by fouling him when he has good position near the rim. Howard missed all three of his free throws in overtime and missed eight foul shots in the game.
Despite some key misses in Game Four, the Celtics’ offense has been reliable during the postseason and the team should play more aggressively on both ends in Game Five.
Good News, Bad News
Orlando dug a huge hole for itself by losing the first three games of the series with inconsistent play on both ends of the floor.
But the Magic discovered a way to attack Boston’s defense and head back to Orlando for Game Five with momentum on their side. They would return home for a potential Game Seven and Orlando rallied from a 3-2 deficit to defeat Boston in a seven-game series during the 2009 playoffs.
The Celtics were vulnerable and didn’t return with the same intensity in Game Four, squandering a chance to put Orlando away in overtime.
However, they still have a two-game lead and they aren’t the team facing elimination in the fifth game. Boston has played well on the road all season (5-2 in the postseason) and will continue to play with lots of confidence.
Aside from a Boston’s blowout win in Game Three, this series has been packed with close games and dramatic finishes. Both teams should be at full throttle in Game Five.
