Celtics Look to Closeout Magic in Orlando

It terms of NBA handicapping, game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals will be extremely difficult to figure out. The Orlando Magic won Game 4 in Boston, but was it due to their solid defense and timely shot-making or was it because Boston was worn out from the previous 3 games.

The Boston Celtics have played incredibly well at the most important time of the season. Beating Orlando in the first 3 games of the series was even more impressive due to the fact that the Magic had come into this series undefeated in the first 2 rounds. The Magic outscored the Atlanta Hawks in round 2 by an incredible 101 points over the 4 games they played. Apparently, Atlanta doesn’t play the same style of defense that the Boston Celtics do. Boston has hounded the Magic players all series long, and has made it very difficult for them to get any easy shots or get into an offensive rhythm. However, now that Dwight Howard and company have tasted victory for the first time, they may have the confidence to make finishing off this series hard for the Celts.

The obvious difference between game 4 and the 3 previous games was the play of Dwight Howard. Howard finally had the breakout performance that the Magic had been waiting for. He finished with a game high 32 points and 16 rebounds. His 4 blocked shots also helped in setting the tone for the game as Boston started to force shots from the perimeter towards the end of the game.

Rashard Lewis added 13 points for Orlando, and Jameer Nelson finished with 23. Both of these players had been shut down offensively throughout the first 3 games of the series. Nelson guarded Rajon Rondo extremely well Monday night as he held him to just 9 points on 3 of 10 shooting. The chances of Nelson being able to hold Rondo down to less than 10 points again is slim, but he may have put some doubt into his mind. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined for 54 points Monday, but Kevin Garnett was limited to just 14 as Howard took over the paint.

Making NBA picks is always tricky, but making the correct pick on Wednesday night’s game will be very difficult. The Magic are currently listed as a 4 point favorite at home. If the Celtics can control the tempo and find their defensive prowess again, it could be over for Orlando. Tune in Wednesday as the Celtics look to wrap up this series on the Magic’s home court.

Related posts:

1. Celtics Look to Sweep the Magic Monday Night
2. Magic Try to Take Advantage of Banged Up Celtics in Game 6
3. Magic look to even the Series against Boston in Game 2
4. NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Boston vs. Orlando
5. Orlando Has What it Takes to Win in Boston

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