Well, the Celtics took care of business last night and sent Lebron and the Cavs packing much sooner than everyone expected for the second consecutive year. Give the Celtics credit…this team has done its best phoenix impression (the mythical bird, not the team) and risen from the ashes to return to the conference finals. Waiting for them, however, is the same team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year…
#2 Orlando Magic vs #4 Boston Celtics
Honestly, before I watched Game 6 of the Cavs-Celts series last night, I was pretty convinced that I was going to have the Magic advancing rather easily past whichever team emerged from that series. But after watching the Celts last night, I am getting the feeling that I may have been too quick to crown the Magic as the Beasts of the East. The Celtics are playing their best basketball since Kevin Garnett injured his knee last season, and recall that last season they took the Magic to 7 games in the second round without the services of Garnett. The Celtics have what it takes to stop Dwight Howard inside, so the series will probably hinge on whether or not they can force enough Orlando misses from the outside.
While some may say that a (somewhat) rejuvenated Kevin Garnett will swing this series in the favor of Boston, let me remind you that this time around the Magic are sporting a healthy (and red hot) Jameer Nelson. In the playoffs, Nelson is averaging 20.5 PPG on 52% shooting (40% from downtown) to go along with 5.3 assists, 1.6 steals and only 1.4 turnovers per game, making him much more of a threat than Rafer Alston was last season against the Celtics. Also, believe it or not Vince Carter has quietly exceeded Hedo Turkoglu’s production from last season, and while he is past his prime, he is a more than capable secondary piece for this team and is capable of exploding on the offensive end at any time.
I stated in my second round preview that if the Celtics wanted to defeat Cleveland, they needed KG to return to form, and it was his performance in Game 6 that really sparked the Celtics (22 points, 12 boards, 3 assists). While this was hardly vintage KG (the layup he missed in transition during the third quarter that he should have jammed home says it all), the Celtics would be thrilled with this kind of production against the Magic. What I’m sure is worrying Celtics fans more is the declining production of Paul Pierce in the playoffs thus far. Pierce is still stroking it fine from distance (36% in the playoffs), however he is only shooting 40% overall and looked lost several times during the Cleveland series. Obviously they need him to play better if they want to return to the finals.
This series to me is more interesting than the Lakers-Suns series. Are the Celtics really “back”? Are the Magic as good as everyone is giving them credit for? Will Mickael Pietrus take any two-point shots in this series? I’m going to go out on a limb and say no, yes, and I sure hope not (when you’re shooting over 50% from beyond the arc during the playoffs, fire away please).
Prediction: Magic in 6
-The BOMB
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