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.