Magic look to even the Series against Boston in Game 2

The Orlando Magic were ambushed Sunday as the Boston Celtics shut them down with hard nosed defense. Dwight Howard and the rest of the Magic squad may have had too much time off. The rust certainly showed in their shooting as they were just 5-22 from behind the arc, and shot a pathetic 41% from the floor at home in game 1.

Much of the credit should be given to the stellar Celtic defense, but it’s hard to believe that they were the only factor in holding Orlando well below their post season average. Boston has the clear cut experience edge, but youth isn’t exactly on their side. All of the “Big Three” are in their early to mid-thirty’s. This is not a game where experience outweighs youthfulness. Ray Allen torched the Magic from the outside, and Paul Pierce poured in 22, but this hasn’t been the norm for these guys this post-season. The young legs of Orlando started to warm up in the second half, particularly the 4th quarter as the Magic cut the one time 20 point deficit to just 2.

Taking time off can be good or bad for a team depending of their needs. The Magic are young and fresh, and had a tremendous amount of momentum riding into this series. Unfortunately, they were almost too good as they swept Atlanta with ease and had to wait as the Celtics and Cavaliers battled for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. Even though the Magic have a dominant inside presence in Dwight Howard, they rely heavily on their perimeter shooting. The shots simply didn’t fall Sunday, but you can bet Tuesday’s game will be a much different story. Rashard Lewis, Matt Barnes, and Jameer Nelson went a combined 11 for 32 from the field that included a 2-14 mark from 3-point territory. This will not discourage the Magic from launching 3 balls all night Tuesday. Shooting the rock is how they got this far, and it won’t stop due to 1 bad performance.

This series promises to be a battle. Expect a much cleaner game from the Magic Tuesday as they tie the series up and go back to Boston with a chance to get back home court advantage.

Related posts:

1. Hawks keep pressure on Magic in Game 2
2. Magic Try to Take Advantage of Banged Up Celtics in Game 6
3. Magic and Hawks Square Off in Game 1 of Semi-Finals
4. NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Boston vs. Orlando
5. Celtics Look to Closeout Magic in Orlando

Comments