Are the Boston Celtics Better than the Orlando Magic?
Yesterday, the Boston Celtics walked into Orlando and absolutely dominated the Orlando Magic, until the end of the third quarter when Orlando was able to make a tight game out of a 20 point deficit. Nevertheless, the Celts were able to hold on for a victory.
Are the Celtics better than the Magic? That is, will we see games resembling the first part of the game, or the second part, when the Magic were dominating.
My answer is neither. There will rarely be occasions where you see the Magic or Celtics dominate each other as much as they did last night. Expect games to resemble the second quarter and the end of the fourth period, where the teams were going back-and-forth, with last minute plays playing a major part in the game’s outcome.
How can I say this confidently?
Well, looking at the game, the Magic had about a week before they had to play, and they have not played a legitimate game in almost a month.
Before playing the Celtics, the Magic had yet to lose a playoff game, and they were clearly rusty from their layoff after sweeping the Hawks.
They pulled it together in the 3rd, but were still rusty throughout parts of the game, missing open threes they generally drained (especially Rashard Lewis), while Dwight Howard could not get his and-1s to drop.
Expect similar defensive battles, however, as Dwight Howard and his Magic are a hellishly good defensive team, and KG’s defense is not a slacker either.
After seeing Game 1, I think the Celtics win in six games.
Paul Pierce has the ability to go one-on-one against Mikael Pietrus, Vince Carter or Matt Barnes and absolutely unload, as does Ray Allen, who was getting open at will beyond the arc.
Last year, you will remember, Ray Allen could not shoot the three against the Magic, so having him playing well will be a boost for the C’s (who also have KG).
Also, Rajon Rondo owns Jameer Nelson, and Hedo Turkoglu, who presented matchup problems for the Celtics, is in Toronto.
Lastly, Rasheed Wallace has proved over his career to be Dwight Howard’s Kryptonite, as his long arms and rebounding abilities test Superman’s.
Both the Magic and Cavaliers built their teams to best suit their needs against each other, meaning they expected to play each other in the playoffs.
Unfortunately for them, the C’s built their team to face the Cavs and the Magic, so Boston has a fundamental advantage.
The Celtics are healthy, and by winning game one in Orlando, have effectively earned home court advantage for the series.
