NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Boston vs. Orlando

May 15, 2010

The Orlando Magic have made this years’ playoffs look easy. They disposed of the Charlotte Bobcats rather easily by winning 4 straight by an average margin of almost 10 points per game. Many believed the Atlanta Hawks were going to prove to be a much tougher test, but that was the furthest thing from the truth. The number 3 seed Hawks forgot that there was a second round, and were absolutely embarrassed in all 4 games against the Magic. The Magic crushed Atlanta by an average of over 25 points per game. They could do no wrong as they scored at will while holding the Hawks below 100 points in all four games.

This Eastern Conference Championship round may be a much different story for Orlando as they take on a red-hot Boston Celtics squad that just beat the team with the best record in the NBA. Boston was without Kevin Garnett for last years playoffs, and it showed in their play. Now that they are back at full strength they are showing that they are more than capable of capturing another title like they did two years ago.

Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Garnett are all at the tail end of their careers, but still have plenty of game and experience left to get to the finals. Orlando is a relatively young team, and will need to be smart if they are going to get past the Celts. The key player for Boston this year has been the emergence of Rajon Rondo. Rondo has taken his roll at point guard to a new level. Instead of just facilitating, he has become aggressive scoring. He has become a legitimate threat for opposing teams, and makes it difficult for coaches to game plan a defensive scheme.

Dwight Howard has really stepped up his game after a horrible first series against the Bobcats. He averaged well over 20 points and almost 13 rebounds per game in the Atlanta series as he dominated the paint. He will have a much tougher time this series as he takes on Kevin Garnett. This may be the most critical position for both teams in this match-up. It will be interesting to see if Garnett can get Howard into foul trouble with his savvy play, or if Howard’s strength and size will be too much for Garnett. Orlando’s bench play has been outstanding thus far. J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus are combining for 27 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game this season. They will need to step up big in this series to hold leads while the starters are out.

Tune in Sunday as the Eastern Conference Championship series kicks off in Orlando as the Magic try to repeat as Champs.

Written by Glenn Andrew · Filed Under NBA

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