Game 5: Bostons Celtics 92, Orlando Magic 88

This script sure sounds familiar.

14-point lead in the fourth quarter. Gut-wrenching loss at the end.

It is no secret Orlando has not been able to hold on to leads this postseason. This team simply does not have the killer instinct to put games away. And with a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Magic gave up 15 straight points, including a 3-pointer from Ray Allen that gave the Celtics a one point lead.

A questionable (I will get to the referees later) call and an offensive rebound later, the Magic found themselves down three and parading to the free throw line as Boston held on for a 92-88 win to take a 3-2 lead in the series.

The Magic have played well with their backs to the wall. Well, their backs are against the wall now.

Once again, for three and a half quarter, Orlando was simply brilliant. Hedo Turkoglu, Rafer Alston and Rashard Lewis all attacked the basket with fierceness and either scored or made good passes out to the perimeter. The defense did a good job rotating and doubling Paul Pierce and kept him from dumping it down to Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis.

But 36 minutes is not 48 minutes, and Boston showed its resiliency and started to rally behind Stephon Marbury. Marbury had eight points in the final frame and set up the run that ultimately would force Orlando out of the lead.

Doubt must have been creeping into the Magic's mind late in the fourth quarter. I know I thought about the blown leads in the postseason as they held the lead in the fourth quarter, just hoping they would stay aggressive and hold on.

The aggression did not stop, per se. Alston continued to attack the basket as did Turkoglu and Lewis. The shot quality did not go down. But Boston definitely turned up the defense and when push came to shove, the Magic could not find their star -- Dwight Howard.

Howard finished with 12 points and 17 rebounds on five of 10 shooting. He did not really touch the ball -- Turkoglu forced a pass into Howard late in the game, that led to a wide open 3-pointer for Alston, which he promptly rushed and missed -- late in the game. The Magic have to rely on their star in this situation. He has proven he can hit big free throws late in games. Orlando must rely on him, even on his off nights.

The Celtics put on offensive display in the fourth quarter. They scored 33 in the final frame, outscoring the Magic by 12 points, and shot well over 50 percent after struggling for most of the night.

Orlando just does not seem to have the will to put teams away. What that means is unclear. But the heart and desire needed to close out these playoff games is not there.

Yes, there were two egregious calls in this game -- both of which I expect and demand an explanation from the NBA for.

Rajon Rondo's desperation 3-pointer with two minutes left came nowhere near touching the rim, but the 24-second shot clock violation was waved off and Boston got another chance to take the lead.

And a Ray Allen 3-pointer in the second quarter was not reviewed despite TNT replays clearly showing his foot on the line. That changes the complete complexion of the game in the fourth quarter with Orlando down two instead of three.

But neither of them should have mattered.

A 14-point lead midway through the fourth quarter in the Playoffs should be insurmountable. Orlando is really missing its closer and its calming presence in Jameer Nelson. I do not think he allows this team to relax in these situations. And I think the Magic are heading home up 3-2 with Nelson in the lineup.

Now, the Magic are picking up the pieces and trying to figure out how to make things right with their backs to the wall.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Celtics Game Five

-In the aftermath of a game-winning shot, Glen Davis pushed aside an innocent young boy. Now his father wants an apology. This has the opportunity to be the overblown mini moment of this series. Don't blame Davis for releasing his emotion, but give the kid a nice autographed basketball and a hand shake if he happens to be at Game Six. He has backed off some of those comments now. And Glen Davis apologized for hurting anyone after getting caught up in the moment. There all settled.

-Dwight Howard is keeping the faith that the Magic can close it out in six.

-No secret Glen Davis is not the greatest shooter in the world. Most of his makes are put backs and stuff around the basket. But as Henry Abbott of TrueHoop analyzes, Davis hit his big shot where he likes it most. It still needed a nice kick off the front rim to go in and completely change the complexion of this series.

-Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel believes it is time for Stan Van Gundy to make a change and start Courtney Lee over JJ Redick and use Anthony Johnson more (although, it was peculiar that neither Johnson nor Rafer Alston were playing a lot in the fourth quarter Sunday). Redick has played superb defense on Ray Allen even though he is struggling to shoot. Might be a risky move although it would boost offensive production most likely.

-No easy task to beat the Celtics in Boston, but the Magic have to do it at least once to win this series.

-Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel looks to far ahead into the future and wonders if Orlando could still take Cleveland the way the team is playing. One step at a time... but the answer is, we will see.

-Woody Womack of Orlando Magic Daily wonders how much momentum the Celtics got from Glen Davis' shot. The best caricature? Instead of being asked about how the series is potentially over after Game Four, the questions were directed on their resiliency.

-Brian Scalabrine missed shootaround this morning with an undisclosed illness and Kendrick Perkins practiced the full time, according to the Boston Globe. I would expect both to play.

-Rajon Rondo is perhaps the most important player in the series for Boston, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes.

-Confidence is not an issue according to Stan Van Gundy.

-Leon Powe, who is out for the playoffs, received the NBA's Community Assist Award for the month of April. Thought I would recognize it.

-Boston did a rare thing Sunday, according to Zach Lowe of Celtics Hub. The Celtics won the game after hitting just one 3-pointer. It shows the value of the 3-pointer for both these teams as we enter the crucial Game Five.

-Making big shots is nothing new for Glen Davis and other notes from The Orlando Sentinel.

-Courtney Lee should be back in the starting lineup tonight according to the Boston Globe and other notes.

-Defense from the bench was a key to the Celtics win. Even when they are not scoring, their play is key to an undermanned Boston team, Frank Dell'Apa writes for the Boston Globe.

-Game Five is pretty big. Whoever wins, is one step away from going to the Eastern Conference Finals. Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com breaks down five keys to Game Five.

-Mike Moreau of Scouts Inc. says to expect the most physical game of the series as Boston has done a good job pushing Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis from their favorite spots. The Magic still got what they wanted offensively, don't expect them to shoot so poorly again.

-John Caroll of Scouts Inc. (Insider only) is scratching his head wondering why Orlando has allowed Boston to tie the series at two. As far as he is concerned, the Magic can be the much better team, but continue to shoot themselves in the foot. Sorry it is Insider only folks.

Game Five Adjustments: Magic-Celtics

Sorry I did not get to write a whole lot last night. It was late, my voice was hoarse from the game and family was still in town (plus, I had to print out my ticket back to Chicago, sleep and get on a plane and such).

But here are some more thoughts on a game that is probably already being overanalyzed:

1) Take less 3-pointers: the Magic are built on 3-point shooting. But, admittedly, I have never been comfortable with this strategy. The threat of the 3-point shot is more deadly than the actual 3-pointers themselves.

This is the shot Boston wants to give up. And Sunday night the team was happy to give them up as Orlando shot a poor five of 27 from beyond the arc. Stan Van Gundy said he probably thought most of them were good looks -- and for the most part they were.

But, again, the Magic struggle most when they take too many 3-pointers and do not attack. I do not have the stats, but that seems to be what changed in the fourth quarter. Orlando attacked and erased Boston's lead.

Then when the Magic needed to execute down the stretch, they got their points by attacking the basket. They could have very easily taken the lead much earlier in the game, but a few missed threes and a few ill-advised shots from Hedo Turkoglu led to some consternation.

Orlando's 3-pointers need to come off extra passes and ball rotation. They cannot come early in the shot clock or contested. The Magic used it most effectively in Game Three, it simply cannot be the shot they settle for.

2) Force Pierce to the corners: Paul Pierce made a concerted effort to attack the basket in Game Three and his scoring output showed that. Pierce is the consummate attacker. He wants to get to the basket and if he cannot, he will pull up at the free throw line and take the short jumper. He is also really crafty at drawing fouls. This makes things very difficult for a defender.

Pierce is one of the top talents in the league. I think the best way to defend him -- and limit his options -- is to force him to the corners. More or less it is the strategy of keeping him from going middle. He is a pretty good passer and will get it to open defenders if doubled. But Orlando has to try and limit his field of vision and use the baseline as an extra defender.

Pierce is going to get his points. It is important to keep him from getting others involved.

3) Dwight Howard must be a superstar: Howard looked to be aggressive early in the game. He got hit with a foul in the first minute of the game and it deterred him from being as aggressive as he was in Games One and Three in the paint.

He certainly did not fold like he did in Game Two though. Howard was still very active. And give the Celtics credit for continuing to attack him defensively and passing it off underneath to Glenn Davis underneath (and he did a fantastic job finishing).

Offensively, Kendrick Perkins did a good job pushing Howard away from the basket. He never looked comfortable underneath. But he was still very aggressive in trying to score -- a pretty encouraging sign.

Howard has to continue to be aggressive and try to work toward the basket. The Celtics do a very good job keeping him from the basket -- and even were using two guys to box him out, definitely an opportunity there if Stan Van Gundy leans that way.

Part of this comes from the spacing created by making 3-pointers. But great to see Howard attacking throughout the game.

Game 4: Boston Celtics 95, Orlando Magic 94

Stan Van Gundy made a mistake.

It was not a huge mistake. But it cost the Magic a Game Four win.

Orlando erased a nine-point fourth quarter deficit and took the lead with 11 seconds left with two Rashard Lewis free throws. Then, the team cut off Ray Allen on a flare screen, kept Rajon Rondo from driving the paint and forced Paul Pierce to pass the ball.

To a wide open Glenn Davis who buried the shot and tied the series at two.

No reason to hold your head down on that. It was the exact shot you did not mind giving up in that situation and it happened to fall.

It was a fantastic game and the O-Rena was rocking once again. Could not have asked for anything more from the fans.

The big takeaway from this game is that the Magic played close to the Celtics despite not having their shots falling. It was a very concerted effort offensively, sometimes the shots do not fall. At the end, Orlando executed nearly flawlessly.

The defense was the problem tonight. Boston had a much more concerted effort to get Paul Pierce the ball and Pierce attacked the basket every time he touched it. Orlando had a difficult time keeping him out of the paint and Dwight Howard was on his guard defensively the entire game because of an early foul he received.

The Magic lost their first game that they actually played well in this series.

A lot of things in this game will not happen again, that is for sure.

What They're Saying: Celtics vs. Magic Game 4

-David Whitley of NBA Fanhouse says the Celtics are running out of time. The Magic clearly have control of the series at this point with another game at home.

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily has figured out what is wrong the Magic. They don't do so well with expectations. They are high now, time to perform and break that trend.

-This sounds real familiar. Road team gets upset win and then takes Game Three for a 2-1 series lead. The Magic learned from the last series against the 76ers, Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel reports, that this series with the Celtics is FAR from over.

-Physical? Stan Van Gundy says this series is not physical.

-Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel reports: JJ Redick will start. Rafer Alston, maybe not. But he probably will.

-Matt Moore of NBA Fanhouse goes over five things to watch in today's Playoff games.

-Tim Povtake of NBA Fanhouse says the Celtics will go as Ray Allen goes. The sharpshooter needs to start hitting shots for Boston to move on.

-Comments before Game Four from the Magic.

-Bill Russell tells Marc J. Spears of the Boston Herald that the dragged out situation between Stephon Marbury and the New York Knicks may have psychologically damaged the former All Star. Marbury responded by saying that getting those feelings out in words from a legend like Russell has helped him relax and integrate into his role with the Celtics.

-Doc Rivers tells his team the amazing is still possible, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reports.

Game 4 Adjustments: Celtics-Magic

-Pull back on the reigns, Dwight: Dwight Howard is clearly the key to the series defensively. The difference between Games One and Two was Howard's presence in the paint.

True, the perimeter defenders have to do a great job keeping their guys in front of them or setting up Howard better, but Howard has set the tone early for each games.

Howard had a couple of early blocks -- statement blocks at that -- and that really set the tone for the rest of the game. But Howard's penchant for shot blocking opened up a lot of holes in the Magic's interior defense. A few times, Rondo got inside and was able to pass the ball to Kendrick Perkins or Glenn Davis.

It will be tough for the Magic to repeat the performance they had with Howard in foul trouble in the fourth quarter.

I think Howard's presence is enough to deter these drivers. He needs to make sure Perkins or Davis do not get a free pass to the basket. These are difficult points for Boston to get, but an easy hole to exploit.

-Continue to use the 3 as a result of drives: Orlando is built on post and kicks or drive and kicks. The Magic really run into trouble when they stand around the 3-point line and just jack up shots.

That is what they did in the latter parts of Games One and all of Game Two. That is not what they did in Game Three. Game Three was a completely different story.

All the 3-pointers came off of ball rotations and drive and kicks. The team made the extra pass and took open 3-pointers and got good look at the baskets. That is how the Magic's offense works. They cannot forget this and have to copy their success in Game Four with a much more concerted effort from Boston expected.

-Remember you have accomplished nothing... stay hungry!: the thing that has amazed me about Boston is the team's confidence no matter the situation. The Celtics feel they can erase any deficit and play hard in almost any situation.

They are undermanned in this series without Kevin Garnett. But Boston continues to fight and fight no matter what. The team continued to fight until Orlando burst past them in the fourth quarter and Doc Rivers called off his dogs.

The Magic have had their fair share of focus issues in this series (read: postseason). They have really struggled to finish off teams. The guys over at TNT thought Orlando packed up in Game Two and headed home happy to take one game in Boston.

The Magic cannot have that attitude in Game Four. Winning two games in a playoff series does not win the series. There is still plenty of work to do and it is no time to rest on their laurels (if they even have any).

The Magic have to expect the Celtics to come out with more fire and intensity in Game Four. Their season virtuatlly depends on taking the second game in Orlando. Orlando has to match that and beat it. Simple as that.

Game 3: Orlando Magic 117, Boston Celtics 96

Dwight Howard left the game with his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter. Boston had been cutting into a 20-point lead and had it down to single digits as Marcin Gortat hopped off the bench.

This seemed to spell doom as the Magic seemed to be faltering with another big lead in the playoffs.

History would not repeat itself this time.

Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu took control of the offense and ensured an Orlando victory and a 2-1 series lead. Lewis scored 28 points and Turkoglu added 24 to as the Magic scored 39 points in the fourth quarter to run away with a 117-96 victory.

It was a great team effort from Orlando especially without Rafer Alston, suspended for that head-slapping incident in Game Two. It was clear from the start that this game was going to be vastly different from the previous one.

The effort was simply there this time. The defense was moving and active. And more importantly, Dwight Howard was patrolling the paint more actively and playing the role of dominator. He kept people from attacking the rim and set the tone early for the Magic's defense.

He was key in that regard.

What was key offensively was getting Howard some good looks in the post -- and he was going after the glass and trying to score -- and attcking the basket. For the first time all series, the Magic did not settle for 3-pointers. Lewis was attacking the basket as well and the 3-point looks the Magic got were all good looks.

Orlando shot a surprisingly efficient nine for 18 from beyond the arc. That is the kind of effort the team needs -- not the nine for 25 efforts they sometimes have.

Also interestingly, the Magic found themselves at the line a lot more than the Celtics. This seems to be the BIG key to the series. Orlando shot 36 free throws, hitting 30 of them, while Boston had 26 attempts. The disparity was even larger as the Magic bulit the lead in the second and third quarters.

Boston did not really have an answer for Orlando's increased efforts. It was clear that the Celtics were trying to get Paul Pierce more involved. He was able to get to the line (14 of 14) and scored 27 points.

Eddie House did not match his effort from Game Two, but he did get free a few times. Rajon Rondo was largely kept out of the paint, and Howard worked as a deterrent.

I think the Magic found the formula to beat the Celtics, now it is about copying it with effort and finishing the series off.

What They're Saying: Celtics vs. Magic Game 3

-Hardwood Paroxysm goes through the weaknesses of the eight remaining teams. Orlando's weakness? Inability to force turnovers and crash the offensive glass. Boston's turning the ball over. Fun.

-John Hollinger (Insider only) has some thoughts on Rafer Alston suspending himself (Stan Van Gundy pretty much ejected him after that slap, benching him for the game) and the resurrection of Boston's bench. Plus, for the first time all season, the Magic actually scored against the Celtics. Now if they could only play that pesky defense.

-Sean Stancill of Bleacher Report believes the return of Courtney Lee brings one of the most intriguing matchups of the series. That between Lee and Eddie House.

-Rafer Alston has been suspended for Game Three. That certainly changes the strategy.

-John Hollinger argues that the Magic's 3-point shooting makes them a title contender rather than a pretender as many people think.

-Mike Moreau of Scouts Inc. breaks down the adjustments for Game Three. He expects Orlando to be more active defensively and play with more of a "hop in their step" to use a cliche. Losing Rafer Alston makes things even more interesting, but Moreau believes losing Alston's somewhat scattershot style of play might settle the Magic down. He predicts and Orlando win in Game Three.

-Courtney Lee is expected to play tonight, according to Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel.

-Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse reports Stan Van Gundy accepts Alston's suspension, but is still a little peeved that Alston was suspended after Rajon Rondo was let off for his shove against Kirk Hinrich or his hit across the face of Brad Miller. Just saying.

-Ben Q Rock of 3rd Quarter Collapse breaks down the numbers from the past six quarters of futility from the Magic. The difference is actually astonishing... but not as bad as one would think. This is going to be a close series, that is the one thing for sure.

-Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm reviews a history of elbows and the suspensions that did or did not come with them.

-Celtics coach Doc Rivers admits it, when Eddie House gets going he gets his team going and get under his opponent's skin. He thinks JJ Redick could do the same.

-George Diaz of The Orlando Sentinel writes about Doc Rivers the family man and Orlando resident. Because this city is as important to him as the city where he coaches, if not more.

-erivera7 of 3rd Quarter Collapse compares Anthony Johnson's playoff stats to Rafer Alston's. It is clear that both have played about the same. Johnson is not as good against the quicker point guards -- and that is what he will have to deal with tonight. But thinking back to that dark time immediately after Jameer Nelson got injured... and Johnson did well in spots. Not against Chris Paul though.

Magic Wands: May 8, 2009

-Hardwood Paroxysm's ode to Tracy McGrady finally "making" it out of the first round.

-Inside Hoops reported last Friday that the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league will not be played this summer in Salt Lake City. That means the Orlando Pro Summer League (at RDV Sportsplex) and the Las Vegas Summer League are the only ones left. Could this mean Orlando's summer league might be open to the public this season?

-So I decided to be a tool and play around with the NBA's Playoff Highlight Vault. It is actually pretty cool and they have some nice and obscure highlights to go through. They are sprinkled around the page (trying to get rid of all this boring text, right?).

-A mock draft already? Wow, a little early Tom Ziller of NBA Fanhouse. We have not even had the lottery yet. But I will bight.

-Follow your favorite athletes on Twitter.

-If you ever get the chance to learn more about Red Auerbach take it. I have read John Feinstein's book on Red Auerbach and I am sure I will get around to reading Bill Russell's (one of my all-time favorite players) thoughts on Red.

-Jewish law states that tattoos are rejecting the body God gave you. Now Daily Thunder contends, tattoos are a rejection of the basketball skill God gave you... or a nice way to cover them up.

-Ball Don't Lie ranks the national NBA announcing teams. Really think Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Breen and Mark Jackson should be ranked higher.

-The Magic are 16th in NBA social media. Not having a Facebook is hurting.

-John Hollinger (Insider only) wonders who picked the NBA Defensive Team. There were some fishy votes in there (including who left Dwight Howard off the first team besides Stan Van Gundy, who is required to do so?)

-Introducing the best game of Sporcle ever! Enjoy.

Game 3 Adjustments: Celtics-Magic

1) Play Aggressively- Orlando simply came out flat in Game Two. I do not think any of the strategy was bad. I do not think any of the basic principles were bad. It was flat out execution and focus which the Magic struggled with.

Boston was the aggressor in Game Two. Rajon Rondo attacked the basket and got where he wanted in the paint which enabled everything to open up for the Celtics. Orlando struggled to do the same and struggled to free up open shooters.

The Magic simply looked like they did not want to be at the TD Banknorth Garden on Wednesday. It said that in the way they moved their feet defensively and the way Boston scored at will on them.

The Celtics are too good of a team defensively for the Magic to rely on their offense to dominate every game like it did in the first half of Game One.

If Orlando goes out and plays aggressively on both ends of the court, the team has shown that it can play with and suppress Boston. Right now the Celtics are playing with an extreme amount of confidence and the Magic simply do not have that.

They have to regain it and play like the better team. Right now, Orlando is letting Boston dictate tempo. The Celtics wanted this game more and it was clear from the opening tip.

Paul Pierce was in foul trouble the entire game. That should have been an opportunity for the Magic to really push their style of play and dictate tempo. They did not do that. They were not aggressive and let the Celtics settle into a nice groove with Eddie House filling in for Pierce's production.

The aggression even comes in simple things like leaning toward the basket on shots and not falling away. Orlando played tight and that is no way to win under any circumstances.

2) Make Free Throws- It does not get much more basic than that. The Magic did a great job of getting to the free throw line. But they failed to convert from the free throw line. Every point Orlando misses at the line came back to haunt them as the Celtics built the lead in the second quarter.

Dwight Howard is going to miss his free throws. He has gotten better this postseason, but really he is the only player excused from missing a lot of free throws. Everyone on the team struggled with free throws and I think this really affected the team.

They were attacking and getting to the line pretty well, but not converting at the line. This can be very disheartening especially when your shots are not falling and nothing seems to be going right.

The Magic very much had a chance to cut into this lead in much the same way the Celtics did, but missed free throws from Hedo Turkoglu, Rafer Alston and Mickael Pietrus really killed any chance at a comeback.

This all goes back to the idea of finishing that Orlando has struggled with. The team cannot miss free opportunities like this.

3) Keep the ball moving- Orlando is most successful when the ball is constantly moving inside-out, around the perimeter and into Dwight Howard.

What the team got stuck doing in the Philadelphia series was standing around and watching Howard too much. Its patented perimeter passing was gone. That returned with the dominating performance in Game Six.

The same thing happened in Game One. The Magic did a great job keeping the Celtics defense off balance and got great open looks inside for Howard and outside.

The only time Orlando did that in Game Two was early when Rafer Alston found some drive and kicks for JJ Redick. Redick did a great job taking advantage of open spaces in the first quarter and that helped the Magic stem the tide of their bad shooting and poor play.

That disappeared quickly.

Boston has one of the best defenses in the league -- with or without Kevin Garnett. When you let a defense like that get set, it becomes increasingly difficult to play against. They rotate really well and did a good job of doubling down Howard and forcing Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis into corners where they can be trapped and stopped.

Orlando had the right idea in driving into the lane and kicking out. But the team had too difficult of a time finishing around the basket or getting good looks off of drives.

The Magic the rest of the game were content to try getting Lewis and Howard standing post looks rather than getting them looks in motion where they can really pin down their defenders. They stood around the 3-point line and reset too much off of those drive and kicks.

Orlando's offense works best when the ball is constantly moving, whether toward the basket or around the perimeter.