Magic Save Face, Celtics Stumble: Which Team Will Hit Right Notes in Game Five?

You can almost hear the music cue up that old '60s hit, "Hang On Sloopy." The Orlando Magic did indeed hang on as they hooped and hollered after saving face in Game Four.

The diminutive one, Jameer Nelson, wormed his way into nine assists, and gave the Magic the moral victory they needed.  

Make no mistake. The Magic won, but it wasn't due to what they did—rather it was because of what the Celtics didn't do.

Boston failed to function as the team that had won six straight—for some inexplicable reason, the ball got stuck between Routes 16 and 2 West.  

This was not an epic collapse, but it was a reminder to the Celtics that it takes everyone singing "Kumbaya" to get to the Promised Land.

They looked like the team that stumbled into the second season, and looked gassed for the majority of the fourth quarter.  That is because they refused to let Rondo run the show. Time and time again, Pierce would take it upon himself to run the plays that were designed for him.  

He got his 32 points, but the outcome was less-than-the-desired results.

In his defense, Paul acknowledged his error in his post-game presser.  He didn't play the blame game; he understood that it was a lost opportunity.

The pressure is on, and there are challenges for both teams.  Orlando must come to terms with the fact that they still do not have home court advantage.  Boston must show that they can still dominate on the road, and put the Magic to bed in Game Five.

The Celtics need one. The Magic need three.

Neither team can look past tomorrow night’s game.  They must both come with their "A" game, and the better team will prevail.

Logic dictates that the Celtics will come out on top, except this series does not make sense. The Magic lost the first three games, and Boston inexplicably pissed away a chance to close out a dangling Orlando Magic team.

One win does not a series make; therefore, the Magic must have a secondary plan, because the first one was still ineffective.

There are whispers of the 2010 Bruins' collapse and the Red Sox behemoth comeback after being down 3-0 to the Yankees in 2004.

The Celtics are completely unfazed by the illusion that Orlando has concocted from this Game Four win. They understand that the Magic must make their fan base believe again, and they will be hard pressed to do it tomorrow night.

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