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Orlando Magic (0-3,8-3) at Boston Celtics (3-0,11-3)
Monday, May 24
8:30 PM ET
Post Season Game #14, Home Game #7
TV: ESPN
TD Garden 
Probable Starting MatchupsPoint Guard
vs
Rajon Rondo 18.0 PPG 6.3 RPG 11.1 APG 2.1 SPG 3.4 TO/G
Jameer Nelson 20.5 PPG 2.6 RPG 5.3 APG 1.6 SPG 1.4 TO/G
Shooting Guard 
vs
Ray Allen 17.4 PPG 3.0 RPG 2.8 APG ..425 3P%
Vince Carter 16.9 PPG 4.5 RPG 2.4 APG .250 3P%
Small Forward 
vs
Paul Pierce 16.3 PPG 5.1 RPG 3.5 APG
Matt Barnes 7.4 PPG 4.8 RPG 1.6 APG
Power Forward 
vs
Keven Garnett 17.6 PPG 8.3 RPG 2.3 APG 0.7 BPG
Rashard Lewis 14.7 PPG 4.9 RPG 2.6 APG .5 BPG
Center
vs
Kendrick Perkins 6.3 PPG 7.3 RPG .9 APG 2.3 BPG
Dwight Howard 15.4 PPG 11.3 RPG 1.9 APG 3.9 BPG
ReservesRasheed Wallace
Nate Robinson
Shelden Williams
Michael Finley
Brian Scalabrine
Glen Davis
Tony Allen
Marquis Daniels
Tony Gaffney
Oliver Lafayette
Injuries none
Key Player
Rajon Rondo makes the Celtics go. He has been key to the Celtics offense, defense and even rebounding. His hustle and intensity set the tone for the Celtics in game 3 and they will need that from him again in game 4 if they are to win it.
ReservesMarcin Gortat
Mickael Pietrus
JJ Redick
Ryan Anderson
Brandon Bass
Anthony Johnson
Adonal Foyle
Jason Williams
Injuries Pride
Key Player
Rashard Lewis has been invisible in this series and the Magic need to get more from him if they want to win this game.
Game Notes The Celtics come into game 4 up 3-0 and with the chance to sweep the once heavily favored Magic. However, closeout games are always the hardest and the Magic are going to be playing for pride as well as to keep their season alive. The Celtics can not afford to become complacent and expect the Magic to just lie down and let them win. They won 59 games this season and swept their first rounds for a reason. They are a good team, even though they haven't shown that side against the Celtics defense in this series.
So far, the officials haven't been a factor in this series. They have missed calls on both sides but haven't been terribly one sided. Hopefully it will stay that way in this game. Even Bennett Salvatore couldn't de-rail the Celtics focus in game 3.
History is on the Celtics side with a 3-0 lead. 93 times in the league's history, teams have gone up 3-0 in a series. In those 93 series, no team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win the series. 57 times, the series ended in a sweep and 27 of the series were won in five games Only nine series have gone to 6 games or more and 3 series have gone to 7 games.
The Celtics can also look to recent Boston history to know that they can't afford to let up. The Bruins were up 3-0 on the Flyers in the hockey playoffs this season and allowed the Flyers to come back and win the series in 7 games. On the other hand, the Red Sox became the first team in baseball history to rally from a 3 game deficit to win the 2004 World Series. Last year, the Celtics were up 3-2 on the Magic, with home court advantage. No Celtics team had ever lost when holding a 3-2 advantage and we all know how that one worked out.
If the Celtics come out with the same intensity that they did in game 3, they have a very good chance of winning this game and getting the sweep.
Key Matchups 
vs
Kendrick Perkins vs Dwight Howard
The key to beating the Magic has been the Celtics' ability to play Howard with single coverage. This allows the Celtics defenders to stay home on the Magic players on the perimeter. Perk has been the target of the referees' whistles and has had to sit out quite a bit of time with fouls, but Big Baby and Sheed have both stepped in and done a great job of limiting Howard's affectiveness.
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Jameer Nelson
Rajon Rondo has been absolutely amazing in these playoffs. In game 3, he set the tone for the game right from the beginning and hustled after loose balls, played great defense and ran the Celtics' offense to perfection. The Celtics need more of that from Rondo for the Celtics to get this win.
Honorable Mention 
Coming into the series, the Magic bench was considered to be one of their strengths. The Celtics have gone basically with an 8 man rotation, using primarily Big Baby, Sheed and Tony Allen, who have come up big for the Celtics in this series. The Celtics will need another strong showing from their bench in order to win this game.
Keys to the GameDefense - Defense wins championships isn't just a saying. It is an absolute fact. The Celtics' defense has been absolutely amazing. They have been able to stifle the Magic's 3 point shooters and they have also been able to defend Howard one on one and take away his effectiveness. Defense is the key.
Rebounding - Second to defense is rebounding. The team that is more aggressive on the boards will get more second chance baskets and more fast break points. So much of rebounding is effort and desire as is evident when the shortest guy on the court comes up with a lot of rebounds and the team that wants it more will show it in their rebounding numbers.
Hustle and Intensity - The Celtics must go after every loose ball and every rebound. They have to set the tone with their hustle and their intensity. If they do that, they can take the Magic out of the game early as they did in game 3. The team that wants it more and gets the hustle plays will get the game.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics must come out with focus early and get the jump on the Magic right from the start. They can't let the Magic get off to a fast start or to build a lead. The Celtics must also not let up. They have to keep their foot on the pedal from start to finish as they did in game 3. They can't give the Magic any hope. The Magic are good enough that if the Celtics allow them to think that they have a chance, it might energize them to pull out a win.
X-FactorHeart of a Champion and who wants it more.
Topic: Magic (0-3) at Celtics (3-0) Game 4 5/24 (Read 85151 times)