Celtics (3-1) at Magic (1-3) Game 5 5/27

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Boston Celtics (3-1, 11-4) at Orlando Magic (1-3, 9-3)
Wednesday, May 27
8:30 PM ET
Playoff Game Game #15 , Road Game #8
TV:  ESPN     
Amway Arena



Probable Starters
Point Guard - Rajon Rondo


Shooting Guard - Ray Allen
 

Small Forward - Paul Pierce


Power Forward - Kevin Garnett 


Center - Kendrick Perkins 


Reserves
Rasheed Wallace
Nate Robinson
Shelden Williams
Michael Finley
Brian Scalabrine
Glen Davis
Tony Allen
Marquis Daniels
Tony Gaffney
Oliver Lafayette

Injuries
Tony Allen (ankle) will play
Kendrick Perkins (wrist) will play
Rajon Rondo (leg spasms) will play

Player to Watch

Rondo struggled somewhat in game 4 and as Rondo goes, so go the Celtics.   He went to the locker room at half time with spasms in his legs.  He said he was fine, but they obviously were bothering him because he didn't have his explosiveness or his aggressiveness. Also compounding his troubles was being in foul trouble most of the game.   The Celtics need Rondo at his best for the Celtics to be their best. 




Probable Starters

Point Guard - Jameer Nelson


Shooting Guard - Vince Carter


Small Forward - Matt Barnes


Power Forward - Rashard Lewis 


Center - Dwight Howard
 

Reserves
Marcin Gortat
Mickael Pietrus
JJ Redick
Ryan Anderson
Brandon Bass
Anthony Johnson
Adonal Foyle
Jason Williams

Injuries
None 

Player to Watch

Vince Carter has been all but invisible in these playoffs.  He is one of the few players on the Magic who can drive to the hoop and get his own shot but he has been ineffective in doing both other than a few flashes here and there.  The Magic will need to get more from Vince if they want to win this series. 

Key Matchups

Perk has been limited by a wrist injury,sore knees and constant foul trouble but is still the Celtics best bet to slow down Howard.  Perk needs to shake off the injuries and somehow smile more at the refs to be able to stay on the floor.  If the Celtics can slow down Howard with single coverage, they stand a good chance of winning the game.


Jameer Nelson was the Magic's second best player in their first two rounds.  Rondo has succeeded in slowing him down in games 1, 2 and 3 but with Rondo struggling in game 4, Nelson took advantage and led his team to victory.  Rondo must once again make Nelson a non-factor on offense while being aggressive and leading the Celtics offense. 

Honorable Mention
vs
Stan Van Gundy made some adjustments for game 4 and motivated his team  and they got the win.  Now it's time for Doc to make counter adjustments and fire up and motivate his team to take the advantage back.  Check and check mate. 

Game Notes
The Celtics had a chance to close out the Magic at home but instead slacked off and allowed the Magic to get the win and gain some confidence.  The defense just wasn't there for the Celtics as they allowed dunks and open shots all night long.  The Celtics also started playing "hero ball" and the ball movement was stagnant.

In the previous 3 games, the Celtics won the battle for the 50-50 balls and for the rebounds.  They played like they wanted it more and they showed an urgency that just wasn't there  in game 4. 

Now, the series shifts back to Orlando for game 5.  The Celtics have played well there, winning games 1 and 2 at Amway Arena and so they can be confident going in that they can win there.  But they have to put out the same effort that they put out in those first 2 games if they expect to win and they have to play a lot better than they did in game 4. 

If the Celtics allow the Magic to win game 5,  the series will be at 3-2, the same as it was last season when the Magic won the final two games to win the Eastern Conference Championship.   That has to be in the backs of the minds of the Celtics.  The Celtics must come out strong and play their game on both ends of the court.  They need to finish this series off now.

Keys to the Game
Defense -  I may sound like a broken record, but defense is always the biggest key to winning.  It is the key to winning this game and the key to winning Banner 18.  The games that the Celtics have lost in the playoffs, including game 4, were all lost because they didn't bring the same defensive intensity to the game. In the first 3 games, the Celtics limited the Magic's 3 point shooting and that was key.  In game 4 they allowed them too many open looks and they made 10 of their shots from beyond the arc.   If the Celtics bring their defense from the opening tip and don't let up, they give themselves a very good chance to win it.  Their offense often feeds off of their defense.

Rebounding - The second most important key is rebounding.  The team that is more aggressive on the boards will get more second chance baskets and more fast break points.  In game 4, the Magic was the team that consistently got inside for put backs.  The Celtics must do a better job of boxing out and keeping Howard and Barnes, in particular,  off the boards.   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 the win more will show it in their rebounding numbers.

Ball Movement - The Celtics must move the ball and find the open man.  When the ball is moving and the Celtics are racking up assists, their offense is hard to stop.   They can't play the score or play the clock if they get a lead.  They must keep pushing the ball and working to get good shots on every possession.   In game 4, we saw too many players trying to do it by themselves and they weren't running their offense.  They allowed the Magic defense to take them out of their game.  They have to do better with ball movement, running their offense and playing as a team. 

Hustle Plays
The Magic won the hustle plays for the most part in game 4.  The Celtics just didn't seem to have the same energy that they had in games 1, 2, and 3.  They have to hustle after every loose ball, every rebound and every 50-50 ball.  They can't be complacent and expect the Magic to let them win.  They have to go out and take it.

Bench Play
The Celtics bench must continue to contribute.  Sheed has to do his job on defense and he also has to do better than 2-7 from the field.  Big Baby and Tony have to continue to bring energy and hustle when they come into the game.  If Rondo again is limited, Nate must do a better job of filling in for him.  Doc played Michael Finley 9+ minutes to try to get more offense on the floor and he didn't take a shot.  The bench players must make the most of their minutes. 

X-Factors
Fatigue and Officiating
The Celtics looked tired at the end of game 4.  Now they are playing on one day's rest and traveling in between games.  Hopefully if Dwight Howard hits KG in the head twice again, the refs will call the T on the correct player.  Hopefully the refs will call a fair game and won't let Dwight swing his elbows at will or throw players to the ground trying to dislocate their shoulder without calling him on it. 

[kg is king]

UNBUTU!

[RebusRankin]

Celtics need to attack Cater on offense.

[thebat]

Show your might Celtics!
ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!
No more mercy!
Kill 'em all!

[Celtics Fan]

The Magic will come into this game feeling good, what do we need to do to pull this out, all this Hockey crap with the Bruins is bothering me and the comparing it to the Celtics with a 3-0 lead. Tommorow what do we do?

[3ptAndOne]

Ray needs to get more involve on offense in the first quarter. The flow of the game is much smoother when Ray is involved in plays.

The players know how important this game 5 is. I feel they will show it with their play and pull out a win.
 
Go Celtics!

[Change]

What ever happens, JJ can't blanket Ray the way he did in game4. Get ray involved early and often. Find ways to post-up KG. And for Rondo, ATTACK....ATTACK....ATTACK.....ATTACK

[Bahku]

Great set-up as usual, FlCeltsFan (TP) ... I think the first half will be crucial ... we can NOT let the Magic get an early lead ... we need to come out strong, build it steadily, and keep the pressure on ... then have a rest until the Finals!

Go Celtics!

[makaveli]

Go for the kill shot, lock them down early. I expect a huge game again from Paul. I think the Magic had an objective of not being swept and I don't think they have enough motivation to take another game against the Celtics.
CELTICS!!!!

[P2]

I think the Magic had an objective of not being swept and I don't think they have enough motivation to take another game against the Celtics.

They're playing at home, that's enough motivation.

[ACF]

TP for the last game thread before the Finals 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocTNtgCKXKQ

Go Celtics!

[twinbree]

Seeing as how we're wrapping up every round faster than we've done in the past I'm hoping we follow the trend and finish this in 5 and on the road. I hope Rajon and TA are ready to go. Stick to the game-plan on both ends of the floor. Start strong, stay focused and finish hard. No 4th quarter letdown and NO MERCY!!! TP FLCF. Gooooo Celtics!

[WeMadeIt17]

Need a strong performence from KG tonight, bench as well. I think if we can get KG going, Ray and Paul can get going whenever. I think Celts win with great D tonight. 97-85

[Dr H]

I'm sooo pumped for the game tonight. As long as the Celts come out strong, by knocking down their shots and/or by keeping the Magic under 20 pts for the quarter, I'll have full faith in them to win the game. Of course it would help too if our bench got some good production in..I'm looking at you, TA and Sheed. I'm confident Rondo will be playing more productive than in game 4 as well as KG.

Let's go CELTS. IMO Doc should've brought out that great quote again towards the end of game 4: "I know you guys want to win, but you gotta do it TOGETHER!"

edit: As much as I would've loved if they swept Orlando, I think it's kind of good they lost a game. Brings them back down to Earth and reminds them that anyone can lose, and that they HAVE to play with extreme intensity and focus. They do say it gets harder and harder to win, the more games you win[in a row]

[lovely_20]

TP to FL for a fantastic job as always.    As long as the Celtics keep their focus, forget about game 4 and come out as they did in games 1,2 and 3, they should be fine and pull out with the win.  Ray does need to get more touches though, and I would love to see not so many iso plays.

Let's Go Celtics!!