So it has been a while since I wrote another article here--I'm sorry for that. End of the semester was hectic and all, but I'm trying to get back into it! The perk of not writing any articles for a little while is that there are many things to be spoken about!
I could focus on Dallas Braden's no-hitter a week and a half ago or I could talk about how Javier Vasquez might be moved to the Yankee bullpen or I could talk about how my NBA predictions busted horrendously (to my defense; Nuggets' George Karl was diagnosed with Cancer--so he stopped coaching, LeBron clearly did not put everything he had into the series--probably because he will get a blockbuster 6-year contract this off-season, the Bobcats did not scratch the Magic and that's probably because Stephen Jackson would be taken out of the game prematurely--but who am I to defend my predictions, they were wrong). What I will focus on today is the Magic and Celtic series at hand.
I would describe the teams as a half-court set offensive pair of a squads. Each team has a solid go-to big men and a sufficient supplementary shooters on the perimeter. The Magic are well known for their long-range snipers, but 22.7% will not cut it--as evidenced by Game 1.
The home-court advantage Magic lost 92-88. Unfortunate for Orlando--yes, is the series over, most definitely not.
The 30 point fourth quarter for the Magic (compared to the 18 point Celtic fourth quarter) was a great indicator of the Magic's true ability to score in spurts. The Magic gradually became comfortable with the ball--they started off scoring 14 in the first, 18 in the second, 26 in the third and 30 in the fourth. They progressively recovered their game, but by the end--they just were not able to restrict the Celtics from the clutch shots that Pierce made.
Although the Celtics won the first game, I cannot see the Magic losing in less than 7 games. Especially after seeing how the Magic improved within Game 1. Stan Van Gundy might not be the most articulate speaker in terms of the media but he designs beautiful plays to combat any defense. The day off will help him figure out how to attack using Howard.
Dwight Howard had 13 points and went 3-10 from the field after being A student from the field. He was able to grab 12 rebounds and block 5 shots (one of them being the clutch block towards the end of the game on Rondo) but he also had 7 turnovers. It is unacceptable and unexpected. Howard is a force, and I'd take it a step further and say the force in the Magic. If Perkins and Wallace did not frustrate him the way they did--his low post game would have spread the floor for a a bit more open three-point attempts for Carter and the crew. Instead, technical fouls were paraded to Wallace and Howard--causing Howard to get even more flustered. The issue here is that Wallace is a supplementary player to the Celtics, Howard is the focal player. Gundy knows that and so I'm sure that will be the main issue to tackle over the next day--but will Howard play composed?
Howard's downfall throughout the year has been his foul trouble and his passion--and at the same time, his passion has been his salvation. If he can orchestrate his temper a bit more positively--there will be more meandering of the scoreboard than a dominant one-sided game.
However, this is not to downplay the Celtic's skill or win. The rotation by the Celtics were flawless and articulate. I just see more depth with the Magic, which lead to greater amount of plays. The Celtics have Pierce, Garnett, Allen, Rondo and Wallace who are all offensive forces that play pretty much the entire game. Michael Finley who was once the Maverick star was used for SEVEN SECONDS during the game--why? There are simply too many solid shooters. The Magic have a variety of shooters but the shooters are not as trigger-happy as the Celtic players. Do not get me wrong, the Celtics have a great balance of shots by all the stars--but the dominant players are shooters (with the exception of Garnett but not even Garnett will be able to muscle Howard! and of course Rondo can penetrate but we saw what happened when he tried to drive in on Howard). The Magic have a solid big man surrounded with some silky shooters--that difference might be enough to put the Magic over the edge, I certainly think so. Problem is, my other NBA predictions have not fallen through--will this one?
