Celtics Win Their Third Straight Game Since Rondo Got Hurt, 97-84 Over Magic

The Celtics couldn't have picked two better teams to adjust to life without Rajon Rondo than bottom feeders Sacramento and Orlando. Tonight, Boston (23-23, 16-9 home) rolled to a 97-84 win over the Magic (14-32, 6-16 away) at TD Garden. Apparently the C's have won three straight games since Rondo went down (he was a last minute scratch against Miami on Sunday) although I'm not sure if beating Orlando at this juncture should count as a full victory.

Jeff Green led the Celts with 17 points and three blocks off the bench. More please! Kevin Garnett (14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Paul Pierce (14 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) each had double-doubles while Courtney Lee added 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Isn't it amazing what happens when a team shares the basketball, rather than let one guy do everything offensively? Jason Terry (5 assists) and Leandro Barbosa both tossed in 12 points off the bench.

Everybody in the NBA has injuries but it's hard to imagine a team more rocked by them than the Magic: their top three players (and three of their top four scorers) all missed at least part of tonight's exhibition. Glen Davis is out for the season with a broken foot, Arron Afflalo has a strained calf so he sat out then Jameer Nelson left with an arm injury in the first half and never returned.

Oy vey, it's all up to you J.J. Redick (15 points, 5 assists, 2 steals). To say he doesn't currently have much help around him would be too kind: rookie Andrew Nicholson (14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Nikola Vucevic (14 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks) had double-doubles. Former Celtic E'Twaun Moore filled it up in garbage time, finishing with 14 points while rookie Kyle O'Quinn notched 11 points.

Boston held Orlando to 35 points in the first half and 37.9% shooting from the field for the entire game. The Celtics had 11 more assists than the Magic (30-19) because true point guards are overrated.

Things figure to get much more exciting on Sunday (1 p.m., CSN) as the Clippers (34-14, 1st in Pacific Division) come to the Garden in a tasty pre-Super Bowl appetizer. MVP candidate Chris Paul has missed LA's last six games with a knee injury and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that they are not nearly the same team without him, for example: they suffered a season-worst 98-73 loss in Toronto tonight. Yes Toronto. Like the Kings earlier this week, the C's will be looking for more revenge after the Clippers embarrassed them 106-77 on December 27 in LA during the California road trip from hell.

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Celtics Survive Overtime In Orlando, 116-110

I'm not saying that it's right but it is at least understandable that the Celtics would have a letdown after their emotional win against the Thunder on Friday-their best victory of the young season. Luckily for them, tonight they played the Magic and not a better team that probably would have beaten them.

Boston (8-6, 4-3 away) needed overtime at the Amway Center but they outlasted Orlando (5-8, 4-3 home) 116-110. Kevin Garnett had a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 23 and Rajon Rondo just missed out on a triple-double with 15 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds.

Brandon Bass (13 points, 12 rebounds) added a double-double while Leandro Barbosa (15 points) and Jared Sullinger (11 points, 6 rebounds) were stellar off the bench for the Celts.

Some of the Magic took a time machine back to their college days as J.J. Redick had a team-high 21 points off the bench, Jameer Nelson scored 20 while Arron Afflalo had 15 points and seven assists and former Celtic Glen Davis added 15 points and seven rebounds. Josh McRoberts had 14 rebounds and former Celtic E'Twaun Moore notched eight points.

For once, Boston dominated inside-something which is very rare these days. They outscored Orlando 60-34 in the paint, grabbed nine more rebounds (51-42) and had eight more points off turnovers (23-15) thanks to Rondo's excellent performance.

The Celtics return home for a few days of practice followed by a rematch with the Nets (8-4, 2nd in Atlantic Division) on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., CSN). It'll be basically two weeks (Thursday, November 15) since Brooklyn edged Boston 102-97. They are a quality team now and not the pushover they have been in recent years.

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Celtics Win The Atlantic Division, Clinch No. 4 Seed In The Eastern Conference

Tonight's Celtics-Magic game had a slight feel of a JV game since both teams were missing their best players (Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard respectively) but that didn't stop Boston from picking up a very meaningful win.

With their 102-98 triumph at TD Garden, the Celts (37-26, 22-9 home) clinched the Atlantic Division title (their 5th in a row) and also the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Woo homecourt advantage (for one round at least)!

The Celtics are 22-9 since the All-Star break.

Right now, Orlando (36-26, 16-14 away) is in sixth place, meaning that Boston would face No. 5 Atlanta (37-25) in the first round. There are still three games left for the C's and four for the Magic and Hawks to sort that out.

Paul Pierce (29 points, 14 assists) played point forward with Rondo sitting and he set a career-high in dimes in the process, not too shabby. Avery Bradley scored 23 points and Brandon Bass had 21 points. Kevin Garnett put up 15 points and nine rebounds.

Glen Davis (27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) played like this was the most meaningful game in his life and knowing him, it probably was. Jameer Nelson had 21 points and nine assists, J.J. Redick had 13 points, Ryan Anderson notched 12 points and nine rebounds while Jason Richardson scored 11 points.

The Celts are off until Friday when they travel to Atlanta for their final road game of the regular season. Doc Rivers should pull a Gregg Popovich and not even let the Big 4 travel with the team. Their work is done for the next week.

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The Orlando Magic still do not scare me

We all enjoyed the Boston Celtics' 14-game win streak but it came to a crashing halt yesterday afternoon as they went ice cold in the fourth quarter and lost 86-78 to the new-look Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.

At least it happened on Christmas so you either didn't watch, didn't really pay attention or were too drunk on egg nog and gift giving to care.

As bad as both teams played for most of this game, this was one that the Celtics (23-5) let get away. Other than going down 13-0 in the first quarter (which they quickly answered with a 13-0) spurt of their own, they led for almost the entire game until they couldn't hit a shot or make a play in the fourth quarter and the Magic (18-12) suddenly couldn't miss.

The reason I don't fear the Magic is that we beat them in the Eastern Conference Finals last season and that was with a severly limited Kevin Garnett (22 points). Everything that Orlando does is built around Dwight Howard (6 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks) but he still is in his infancy as far as post moves and his offensive game (outside of dunks) is concerned. Shaq fouled out in 13 minutes yesterday and zombie Jermaine O'Neal returned and we still completely shut him down.

Paul Pierce added 18 points and Glen Davis had 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

For the Magic, Brandon Bass (21 points, 9 rebounds) was the spark for them when Howard was in foul trouble and generally couldn't get anything done offensively. Hedo Turkoglu had 16 points and Jameer Nelson added 12 points.

Off the bench, J.J. Redick (11 points) and Ryan Anderson (10 points) did a solid job.

In all the games that Rajon Rondo has missed, it is easy to point to this one as the game in which they missed him the most. Nate Robinson (7 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 of 15 shooting) was miserable and without Delonte West, the Celts offense was out of whack.

Boston led 20-19 after the first quarter and 46-36 at halftime. The Celts were up 63-57 after three quarters before they fell apart in the fourth (29-15 Orlando).

The Magic shot 39.4% which is normally grimy but it was more than enough yesterday. Boston shot a pitiful 34.6% and even worse, the Magic hit seven more 3-pointers (11-4). Orlando had six more rebounds (45-39) and six more blocks (9-3).

The Cs will try to start a new win streak on Tuesday when they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers.

Oh my, not again

For a team up 3-1, with another chance to close out and get to the NBA Finals (for the second time in three years), it's hard to imagine a more batshit crazy game than last night's Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 between the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic.

When the dust had settled on a wacky and shady contest, the Magic had won 113-92 at Amway Arena, sending the game back to Boston for basically a must-win Game 6 tomorrow night at the TD Garden.

Things are complicated by the fact that Glen Davis and Marquis Daniels both sustained concussions last night, Rasheed Wallace fouled out but then left the bench with back spasms and Kendrick Perkins was tossed for two technical fouls. Since Perk has seven, he could have been suspended for Game 6 but the NBA wisely rescinded one of the two pathetic calls.

Got all that?

The refs were a joke and did nothing to dissuade anyone from saying that the NBA is rigged. Still, Orlando dominated this game physically and found their game (going 13-for-25 on 3-pointers).

I'm doing my best not to make a Bruins reference but the similarities are eerie. The team down 3-0 wins Game 4 in OT then in a Game 5 blowout. Yikes. And for a playoff schedule that is ridiculously long, it figures that the Celts have no time to rest as their bodies pile up on the sidelines.

For the second game in a row, Jameer Nelson (24 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) and Dwight Howard (21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks) were the two best players on the floor. Rashard Lewis even found a way to brave his stomach virus and was effective with 14 points and seven assists. J.J. Redick continued to outplay Vince Carter, adding 14 points.

Sheed actually led Boston with 21 points in just 18 minutes. Rajon Rondo (19 points, 6 assists) and Paul Pierce (18 points) but they shot a combined 12-for-29 from the field. Kevin Garnett (10 points) and Ray Allen (9 points) were non-factors.

This was a game that the Magic owned from start to finish; they led 31-27 after one quarter and 57-49 at the half. The C's were able to cut it to six a couple times in the second half but with their lack of healthy, in rhythm players, they were cooked.

Orlando owned all the numbers: shooting 52.2% to Boston's 43.1%. The Magic made six more threes and five more free throws with 17 more rebounds.

The fact that Shelden Williams and Brian Scalabrine could see minutes in the most important game of the season is horrifying but here we are. Big Baby said after the game that he'll play but after losing a tooth and stumbling around the court last night after being elbowed by Howard, he clearly was messed up.

Care to change your NBA finals pick?

The Celtics pulled off a first in franchise history (which is really saying something) as they won the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals on the road.

Last night's 95-92 Game 2 win at Amway Arena in Orlando was further validation that the Celtics are back while conversely the Magic are frauds (just like LeBron and the Cavs).

Paul Pierce scored 28 points with five rebounds and five assists while Rajon Rondo notched 25 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Kevin Garnett had 10 points and nine rebounds while Kendrick Perkins scored 10 points in limited time before fouling out. Glen Davis added eight points and six rebounds off the bench and Rasheed Wallace hit two important 3-pointers.

Dwight Howard had a breakout game (30 points, 8 rebounds) but his teammates didn't offer much help aside from Vince Carter (16 points) and J.J. Redick (16 points).

Boston led this one for over 45 minutes and it was Orlando that made the key mistakes down the stretch (Carter bricking two free throws, Redick hesitating to take a timeout and Jameer Nelson taking a stupid pull up three on a fastbreak that he missed).

Orlando led 28-27 after the first quarter but Boston was up 53-51 at the half. The Celts came out stronger in the third quarter (25-19) and for the second straight game, were able to withstand a desperate push by the Magic in the fourth (22-17).

Boston outshot Orlando 45.9% to 39.4%, which let them survive seven more made free throws by the Magic (29-22).

Game 3 is on Saturday night at the TD Garden and since I'll be in Las Vegas for a bachelor party, it'll be tough to avoid putting all the money I have on the C's to win the NBA title.

I thought last night was a must-win for Orlando so needless to say if they lose on Saturday, they'll probably get swept.

Orlando is a bunch of frauds

The Orlando Magic are soft. You know it, I know it and Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy knows it.

The Celtics blew out Orlando, 112-94 last night at the Garden in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The series is now tied at one game apiece.

Eddie House had the game of his life as the sharpshooting guard dropped a career-high 31 points (hitting 11-of-14 shots). It was one of the greatest shooting displays I've ever seen at any level. He couldn't miss. And the degree of difficulty seemed to increase with each make.

Rajon Rondo was back to his dominating self, notching his fourth triple-double of the playoffs. He had 15 points, 18 assists and 11 rebounds.

Ray Allen dropped 22 points, Kendrick Perkins (16 points, 9 rebounds) outplayed Dwight Howard (12 points, 12 rebounds) and Big Baby had 13 points.

Probably the craziest part of this satisfying win was that Paul Pierce scored three points. He was limited to 15 minutes since he got in early foul trouble so he could never get into a rhythm. It's a great sign for the C's that they played so well without Pierce doing anything.

Rashard Lewis led Orlando with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Mickael Pietrus had another great night off the bench with 17 points. J.J. Redick scored 15 points before fouling out and Hedo Turkoglu added 14.

Things got so bad for the Magic in the second half that Rafer Alston, aka Skip to My Lou, aka one of the worst players in the league, shoved the back of House's head after Eddie made a 3-pointer.

Howard is a monster defensively and on the glass but his offensive game is still incredibly raw. If he's not dunking, he can't hit shots. And he's terrible at free throws (witness last night's 2-for-8 showing).

Boston shot 51.3% to Orlando's 44.3%. The Celts had seven more boards (41-34) and 15 more assists (34-19).

Orlando also has no depth, they don't really play much defense and they settle for threes all the time.

The Celtics are certainly not without their flaws but I really like their chances against this team. Everyone thinks it's inevitable that Cleveland will roll to the Finals but you never know what can happen.

Game 3 is tomorrow night in Orlando.

I am a homer but the Magic still don't scare me

After barely surviving against the Chicago Bulls in a marathon seven game series, the Boston Celtics predictably laid an egg in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last night at the Garden against the Orlando Magic.

The C's finally closed out Chicago on Saturday night and only had one day of rest before Orlando came to town. They didn't use that as an excuse for last night's sorry showing but I will.

And you know what? Boston couldn't have played much worse (down by 28 points early in the third quarter) but they cut it to four late in the fourth and had a pretty realistic chance to win.

Orlando held on 95-90 and Game 2 is tomorrow night at the Garden.

Dwight Howard was all over the place for the Magic with 16 points, 22 rebounds and three monster blocks. Rashard Lewis added 18 points and seven boards. Hedo Turkoglu scored 15 points. The biggest surprises were J.J. Redick, who scored 12 and Mickael Pietrus, who came off the bench and dropped 17 points. If Boston can shut down those two scrubs a little more, they should be in really good shape over the rest of the series.

Paul Pierce led Boston with 23 points, Rajon Rondo had 14 points (on 2-of-12 shooting and 10 made free throws), 10 rebounds, eight assists, seven turnovers and three steals. Glen Davis scored 12 points before fouling out. Kendrick Perkins notched six points, 16 rebounds and three blocks.

Just like Game 1 vs. Chicago, Ray Allen was M.I.A. with nine points. Another good sign for the series is that the Boston bench had 26 points. Brian Scalabrine scored 10 points and Stephon Marbury added eight points in a quick flurry.

Tomorrow night is pretty much a must-win for the Celts as they have to salvage one game at home before they go to Orlando.