Magic beat Celtics in Overtime to avoid sweep


The Magic finally showed up and avoided a sweep with an overtime victory 96-92.  Dwight Howard was dominant with 32 points and 16 rebounds. He also had two put backs at the end of the game to seal it. Boston really needs to foul him harder and make him earn it from the free throw line. I don't care if you have to throw Scal in there with his street clothes on, just don't let the guy get easy layups. Jameer Nelson was the difference maker for most of the night driving and kicking to open shooters and hitting two clutch threes in overtime.  He's actually a pretty solid player when he plays smart.

Paul Pierce had a great game with 32 points and 11 rebounds but did his usual hero act at the end of regulation.  How many times does this have to happen  before he realizes that Ray Allen is the man at the end of games?  Speaking of Ray, he hit a clutch 3 in regulation to force overtime, then two more threes to almost pull out another victory.  Pierce is our set up guy and Ray is the closer, it's as simple as that.

Rondo had a rare off game not looking like his usual aggressive self. He was in foul trouble for much of the game which is rare for him.   Glen Davis was the only contributor off the bench with 7 rebounds and some great defensive plays. Rasheed came back to earth with 4 points and 3 boards and a technical foul.  Nate Robinson actually had a few solid minutes off the bench as Tony Allen was clearly ailing with an ankle injury.

The Magic won the 50/50 balls tonight for the first time. Dwight Howard was a beast on the boards and played like the superstar he is touted to be. I sincerely doubt he can do that two straight games. J.J Reddick hit some huge threes for them, and I think Van Gundy was smart to keep him in at the end of the game.

I was dissapointed with the Celtics execution at the end of regulation and overtime. A veteran team needs to have better time management.  You can't end quarters dribbling off your foot and shooting off balance threes. Just unacceptable.

The refs called everything, and though it may have been a bit in the Magic's favor, that isn't why Orlando won. I really wish they would just let these guys play.  There is no rhtyhm to an NBA game now and this is why games last 3 hours.  Just let the guys settle it on the court. That being said, the Celtics have pulled out a couple games in this series because of superior foul shooting. Still, all these calls take the joy out of the game.

The Magic played like the desperate team they are and should get credit for this win.  Coming in to this series we knew this wouldn't be a sweep, but everyone caught the fever after the Game 3 trouncing.  Look, Boston is still up 3-1 and going back to Orlando isn't going to scare them.  The Magic aren't going to play that well again most likely, and Rondo will be his dominant self once again next game.  It's a shame we had to waste such a great game from Pierce, but those things are going to happen.  Let's just come out with energy and get another win in Orlando Wednesday night.