"We have GOT to keep our composure!!!!"

I was unable to sleep Monday night. I was busy thinking about the opportunity the Celts pissed away. Despite consuming double digit beers on my couch, I woke up this morning feeling much better than I thought I would.  I fully expected to turn on sports radio and hear all the schmucks in the area calling up, mentioning the Bruins, and how they choked, yada yada yada.

Well, Boston did not disappoint me.  The classic fans who were nowhere to be found when the Celts hit a rough stretch at the end of the season– finishing 27-27  in their last 54 games– suddenly became experts on this team, and how it’s going to fare moving forward.  I fully expected the negativity, but it still pissed me off.  Everyone needs to CALM THE F*CK DOWN!  Yes the Green lost last night. Yes, it sucked and it was painful–but for god’s sake, let’s not lose our minds here.

Orlando played out of their mind last night (outside of Vince “A-rod” Carter, who was once again absent in a big game).  They did everything they needed to do to keep this series going.  I’ll be honest, I was impressed when the game went into overtime, and the Magic answered.  I figured Dwight was ready to go back to doing movies (awesome trailor by the way for “Just Wright” staring Howard and Queen Latifah, seriously, looks like a classic).  I figured Matt Barnes was ready to go back to the slums and sling the crack rock, but no, they answered.

They hit a couple lucky shots in the overtime, and ended up on top.  That is not the point of this entry.  You will see all the highlights in the coming days of why the Celts will choke, and comparisons  to the Bruins, etc.  I am here to tell you that there is no way its going to happen.  Hockey is not basketball, and these C’s are not an overacheiving Bruins team that was running on fumes a little over a week ago.  Below are 10 reasons the Green will end this series Wednesday night in Orlando.

10.  The Green will not shoot that badly from 3-point land again – Yes, Ray Allen was money down the stretch and in overtime, but they still shot around 30 percent from 3 from the game, and nobody outside of Allen hit one all game.

9.  Rondo will return to form – Rondo had an off game last night.  He was not controlling the tempo, he did not play great defense, and he did not put pressure on the Orlando defense.  He is allowed one stinker in the last 10 playoff games because he has been our MVP, but mark my words, he will not throw up another 9 point, 8 assist game.  I would expect no less than 17 points and 13 assists next game (accompanied by him once again taking Jason Williams’  manhood).

8.  Perk will play better defense – I don’t know if  his knees are killing him or what, but Kendrick Perkins just wasn’t as effective on Howard last night. Glen Davis probably played the best D on Howard, and we barely even saw Perk in the 4th quarter.  He will come back to show everyone why he is the best post defender in the league.

7.  Jameer Nelson will not get to the paint that easily again – Nelson had his way with the Celtics on the perimeter, and knifed into the lane whenever he wanted.  Whether he was pulling up for bull shit 3′s (that bank 3 in overtime was just complete horseshit) or drving into the lane off balance and throwing the ball up in the air for Howard, Nelson dominated.  Rest assured, Doc will not let that happen again.  Look for Nelson to be bottled up by Tony Allen and Rondo, who will only give Nelson looks from the perimeter.

6.  Nobody Sweeps in David Stern’s Conference Finals – I’m typically not one of those guys that buys the rumor that the NBA is fixed, but last night got me thinking.  When Pierce got mauled more than 2 times going to the basket without a call in the 4th, and when Howard was not issued a technical after getting

in a skirmish with KG, you have to wonder.  Sterney doesn’t want to miss out on some precious revenue back in Orlando.

5.  Tony Allen will not revert back to 2006 TA again – Allen looked like he did back when the C’s were in the lottery last night.  Dribbling off his foot like an idiot, and commiting stupid fouls that sent Orlando to the line.  He needs to get back to bringing the energy and slicing to the basket.

4.  Orlando has Vince Carter - If anyone knows Vince Carter, they know he is miserable when the lights are at their brightest.  That’s why he has never taken a team to the Finals.  He is lazy, soft, and a selfish ball player.  He doesn’t do anything tough and disappears when his team needs him most.  Hell, J.J. Redick got more time than him last night…nuff said.

3.  Speaking of J.J. Redick, no way he keeps up this pace – Reddick has been the most consistent players for Orlando in this series.  He has knocked down open jumpers, gotten to the foul line, and played good defense.  Redick is a solid bench player in the NBA, no more, and he will not continue to hurt the Celts on the offensive end.  Plus when I was in college I used to work with a kid who went to Duke and said JJ loves banging fat chicks…..just a little tidbit.

2.  KG will not hit a wall again - KG started 5-5 from the field and looked great, but then he hit a wall.  He missed 8 of his last 9 shots and looked generally tired in the overtime.  This is probably because Perk was out for so long and Garnett got so worked up over his skirmish with Howard.  Anyway, he will get back to what he has done over the last 2 weeks.  A solid 16 point 9 rebound effort, and the best pick-and-roll defender in the league.

1.  Pierce is going to close this out – Pierce can’t be happy with how he finished last night.  Puking away that final possession in regulation, and missing 2 wide open 3′s in the overtime.  I know he had 32 points and kept us in this game, but knowing the captain, he is going to be dialed in and ready to give a big F*ck you to the Orlando faithful.

This one ain’t comin back to Boston.  On a side note, does anyone else want to shoot themselves when they hear Mark Jackson say “mama there goes that man.”  We get it buddy–you’re from New York and grew up playing at Rucker Park, but it gets old when you say it 10 times.

Notebook: Rajon Rondo was limited by muscle spasms in Game 4, but told reporters he is feeling better tonight…Rashard Lewis has been battling a stomach virus all series long, and will take intravenous fluids before Game 5…Magic coach Stan Van Gundy expects J.J. Redick to continue to contribute and play big minutes…Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau will likely be offered the head coaching job for the New Orleans Hornets sometime soon.

Don't be so glum, guys. You'll still win this series.

After yesterday’s game, I started thinking to myself (a scary thought, I know):  What does the loss mean?

I had figured Orlando would roll over and die, so I was quite surprised when they landed the first punch and then kept punching.  For the first time all series, it seemed, the Magic showed a little heart.  In the second half, at least, both teams played at their absolute highest intensity level.  The play wasn’t always pretty, but it was gritty — just two teams duking it out with a Finals berth on the line.  If you couldn’t admire the tenacity being displayed yesterday on both ends, you shouldn’t be watching basketball.  Period.

But what did it mean that Orlando won a game, in Boston, with both teams playing as hard as possible?  That should be a bad thing, right?  Right?

That’s what I thought at first, before contemplating anything.  Before I let this game sink in, I was worried about the whole “If the Magic win Game Five, pressure’s on Boston for Game Six” thing.  I’d just seen my Celtics suffer a heart-wrenching defeat, so I was in a bad mood in the first place.  Couple that with Orlando’s intensity boost and I was in full-blown ut-uh mood.  In my bothered state, I forgot about a couple things:  One, the Celtics are still leading 3-1.  It’s going to take three more wins for Orlando to turn this series on its side.  Unlikely, even if the Magic were clearly the better team.  They aren’t.

The other thing?  The Celtics played poorly, very poorly, yesterday.  Rajon Rondo was not himself, Paul Pierce was great but fell into full-fledged “hero” mode, and the C’s generally posted one of their worst offensive offerings since the playoffs began.  It wasn’t that nobody made plays — some Celtics did, at times.  But the ball wasn’t moving, only Pierce was attacking, and Rondo was non-existent.  The Celtics executed as poorly as possible (“It’s amazing how poorly we played and yet were still in the game,” Doc Rivers said) and STILL could have won that game.

Why did they still have a chance, despite playing so poorly?  Because Orlando doesn’t have enough offensively.  It sounds weird to say because the Magic were one of the best regular-season offenses in the NBA, but they don’t have enough offense to consistently score against Boston.  Jameer Nelson is their only player who can consistently create offense for himself or others… and even he doesn’t do it on a consistent, game-to-game basis.  He was fabulous yesterday, but Orlando can’t expect that type of effort out of Jameer night in and night out.  And Vince Carter, brought to Orlando be the Magic’s Mariano Rivera, is more like Harry Houdini — the man disappears, especially when it matters most.  Actually you can’t say he disappears, because everyone knew he was on the court.  But we only knew he was there because he played so horribly.  Never a good thing.

The Magic’s lack of creators was the reason why yesterday’s game went to overtime and the reason why the Celtics lost a heart-wrenching game rather than a blowout.  Whenever the Magic seemed poised to pull away they hit a dry spell and Boston would come storming right back.  Even when the game was tied and Orlando had the ball with 28 seconds left, I felt no fear.  Honestly, I turned to my brothers and said, “Who do they go to right here?  If it’s Vince, they’re screwed.  If it’s anyone else, they’re just as screwed.  There’s no way they score right here.”  And they didn’t.  Jameer Nelson settled for an ugly jumper and the Celtics were granted another opportunity to steal a win.  They didn’t, of course, but only because the C’s showed no poise — literally none — on the offensive side of the court.  Had the Celtics kept their heads, even a little, they would have won last night and been waiting L.A. or Phoenix in the Finals today.

What you can take out of last night’s game is that the Celtics will improve.  They will play better.  They will sharpen their execution and move the ball rather than see it stick in one person’s hands.  Rondo will attack and run the offense more smoothly.  The Celtics will be better.

At the same time, I’m not sure the Magic have another level to obtain.  Jameer Nelson played out of his mind, Dwight Howard was as monstrous as he ever will be and J.J. Redick got hotter than the Ecuadorian sun.  Sure, Vince Carter was awful and could play a whole lot better but — if you’re a Magic fan — do you actually trust that he’ll do anything besides shit the bed in Game Five?  Me neither.  The Magic played pretty well last night while the Celtics played as poorly as possible, and the game STILL went to overtime.

If the Celtics don’t win Game Five, even on the road, I’ll be shocked.  Seriously.

I hope you guys enjoy this picture as much as I do.  Best caption wins a quart of Rocky Road ice cream.

Yesterday’s winner: BobM.

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Woj sure does know how to rub losses in. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

Ron Borges, Boston Herald – “Sitting in a near-silent Amway Arena yesterday morning, Paul Pierce spoke about one of his favorite things – hearing once raucous fans in opposing arenas grow silent and then slink away after the final buzzer. Last night, he made that a stunning reality. ‘See you next year,’ Pierce snarled in the direction of several sad-faced Orlando fans as he walked off the Amway floor following a 95-92 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.”

Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel – “‘They brought the fight to us in a lot of ways. I thought we withstood the hits,’ Rivers said. Pierce led the Celtics with 28 points, hitting three 3-pointers, scored 22 in Game 1. He was asked what has been the difference since his poor offensive output against the Cleveland Cavaliers. ‘I didn’t have to guard LeBron James,” cracked Pierce, who quickly added, ‘Nothing against Vince [Carter].’”

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe – “This is, as Doc says, the Paul Pierce the Celtics must have if they are to keep advancing. He is by far their best one-on-one player, the best, in fact, in the history of the franchise. (Some day, perhaps, stubborn old-timers will finally admit this obvious truth). He can get something at all times. It may not be pretty always, but he gets it, and many of those ugly maneuvers result in a trip to the free throw line. He long ago realized that there are no style points in this game. The only question for the guy throwing the ball toward the basket is, ‘Did it go in, or didn’t it?’ That, or ‘Did you get the friendly toot?’ Pierce is a truly a combination of the best the 21st century has to offer, combined with the best tricks of the old school. A defender never knows exactly what he’s going to do, because just when you think he’s setting you up for the step-back, he can spin a foot or two farther and take a face-up jumper. Or he can fake one way or the other, put the ball on the floor and go to the basket. Or he can torture his man with an up-fake, or two, or three, perhaps capped off by a lean-in that draws contact. And at the end of it, he hits the floor as if run over by the entire field of the Kentucky Derby, just in case the referee hasn’t already gotten the message. All this chicanery is making him one of the most despised players in the league. I’m not talking about the players, who appreciate what he can do, but the fans, many of whom have never before seen someone with a playing style that seems to have been superimposed from 1959. What he’s doing would be nothing special at Convention Hall, Cobo Arena, the old Madison Square Garden, or Chicago Stadium.”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “Put it this way: If the Bruins played hockey as well as the Celtics did last night, they’d still be playing. ‘Ooh, real tough,’ Glen Davis said of the 95-92 victory against the Magic in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. ‘Man it was a fight. We don’t worry about how pretty the game is. We leave that to the pretty boys. We just go out and play the game like it’s supposed to be played.’ It is supposed to be played like this in the postseason. Fifty-four fouls that were called and 54 more that were missed. ‘It was a great game intensity-wise,’ coach Doc Rivers said. ‘It was a game of runs, very physical. They got the better of us in that, I thought. They brought the fight to us in a lot of ways. I thought we withstood the hits, and that’s something you’ve got to keep doing.’”

John Hollinger, ESPN – “You can’t just turn it on for the playoffs … um, right? Maybe you can, after all; at least if you’ve done it before. The Boston Celtics, champions in 2008, limped through the final two-thirds of the regular season and were mostly counted out heading into the playoffs. Magically, all that changed once the postseason started. Boston blew past Miami in five games, shocked Cleveland by winning the final three games — including a 32-point rout in Game 5 — and continued its stunning run by beating Orlando 95-92 on Tuesday to take a 2-0 series lead in their best-of-seven series. Game 3 is Saturday in Boston. The Celtics have won five straight games against the East’s two regular-season heavyweights — Boston’s first five-game winning streak in more than half a year — and as a result has one foot in the NBA Finals and is six wins away from claiming a second championship in three years. So … did they just turn it on for the playoffs? ‘I know it’s starting to look that way,’ said Paul Pierce, who scored a team-high 28 points and shook off a second-quarter chop to the face from Dwight Howard that resulted in a flagrant foul. But he insisted that the Celtics’ charge really began in the final 10 games of the regular season. The results weren’t there yet — they lost three times to lottery teams — but the spirit was.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “Here’s how it unfolded: Garnett missed a 20-foot jumper with little less than eight seconds to play in a three-point game. J.J. Redick came down with the rebound, but waited an extra moment or two before signaling for a timeout. It might have cost his team a true opportunity for a tying shot. ‘I think he was just trying to call timeout to one of the refs, but the ref really couldn’t see him,’ explained Howard. ‘But Coach says, as soon as we got the rebound to call a timeout. So, you know, when you’re playing in a big game like this, it’s the little things that get you wins. Boston, they did all the little things to get the win tonight.’ Van Gundy was far more pointed in his assessment than Howard. ‘It would have made a big difference [calling timeout quicker], because if you watch the last play, Rashard [Lewis] got open,’ said Van Gundy. ‘But because we were inbounding in the backcourt, [Michael] Finley was back in the passing lane and we could not make the pass.’”

Michael Vega, Boston Globe – “‘We’re going to have to win these next two games if we want to win this series,’ Redick said. ‘But we got to start by winning one. At this point in time, it’s going to take a supreme effort to win anywhere. We could play at a neutral site and it’s still going to take a supreme effort.’ Now, the Magic must cling to the belief that the road will be a kinder and gentler place than home in the first two games of this series. Orlando, after all, won twice during the regular season at TD Garden. ‘That was the regular season; this is the playoffs,’ Howard said. “We know we can win, but we have to put it together 48 minutes against a good Boston team. This series is not over. I won’t stop believing that. I won’t let my teammates stop believing that. We’re going to keep fighting. We’re going to do it.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “Forget “Ubuntu,” Boston has got its swagger back. And that may be far more important in deciding if the Celtics are ultimately able to win a world title than any humanist philosophy aimed at promoting team unity. These Celtics aren’t exactly the feel-good type. Boston wants to beat you up and then they’re going to take your lunch money, too. In an ultra-physical Game 2, the Celtics endured every haymaker Howard and Co. offered, and bounced back with two of their own. The Magic tried desperately to even this series with a late rally, and the Boston team of a month ago would have crumbled under the adversity. Not now. These Celtics have put together five consecutive postseason wins and are headed back to Boston with a commanding 2-0 series advantage. Also packed on their carry-on: an undeniable confidence.”

Frank Dell’Apa, Boston Globe – “‘I always say, when you’re bad, it takes just something small to turn you around, you’re not that far from being good,’ guard Ray Allen said before last night’s Eastern Conference playoff game against the Magic. ‘And vice versa — when you’re good, you can just tank it, immediately. You never have it figured out. And, as a team, you have to figure you get a break in the schedule somewhere, there’s so many different variables. So, you just try to take it one day at a time. As a coach, it’s like let’s hold on, you’ve got to keep cementing what everybody is doing.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “Most of Vince Carter’s 16 points were empty and when he could have made the loudest statement of the night with two free throws, he missed them both, allowing the Celtics to retain their 95-92 lead. And when the Magic desperately needed a hoop when trailing, 93-90, Jameer Nelson launched a 3-pointer off a fastbreak that caromed off the rim and right into the waiting hands of Ray Allen. ‘We played a lot harder tonight,’ Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. ‘But we don’t sustain what works. We won’t stay with it. Our shot selection was terrible and we didn’t play smart enough. It’s not a matter of digging out of this. It’s a matter of going up there and you have to win a game. There’s no magic [when] you’re in a hole, 2-0. You have to go win a game.’”

Frank Dell’Apa, Boston Globe – “Rondo totaled 25 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds in a 45 1/2-minute stint. He also outdueled Orlando point guards Jameer Nelson (9 points) and Jason Williams (3 points). Rondo might have seemed to be carrying much of the Celtic load, but he did not consider it to be exceptionally heavy lifting. ‘I played 45 minutes but Paul [Pierce] had a lot of isos, he was very efficient,’ Rondo said. ‘So, on the offensive end of the floor I wasn’t always making the plays. Kevin [Garnett] made the plays, Ray [Allen] made the plays, as well. I don’t want to take my eye off the defensive end but on the offensive end I didn’t have to do as much as it may seem.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Garnett shot 5 of 16 from the floor for 10 points and had nine rebounds. He hit a handful of big shots, including a pair of jumpers and a dunk in the third quarter to fuel a 9-1 Celtics’ burst. But his pinch defense on Howard was key. ‘Overall he did a great job with his length,’ Rivers said. ‘Kevin knows he’s not going to win a muscle contest with Dwight Howard, but he does have length, and he stretched him out and he made him change some shots.’ ‘We had a ton of foul trouble today. That’s what I’m happy about, obviously winning the game, but winning the game with different guys in different positions, and everybody pitching in.’ ‘Dwight had 30 points and still had trouble,’ said Marcin Gortat. ‘All those guys — [Kendrick] Perkins, KG, Rasheed [Wallace] — do a great job.’”

Have a link I might want to look at? Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter.

Mr. May? (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “It’s taken six months and maybe a little longer, but the world has finally aligned with Rasheed Wallace’s orbit. In retrospect, his 17 points in Game 2 against the Cavs was a little bit of fool’s gold. Points aren’t what are at a premium for the Celtics big free agent signing. Defense and savvy intelligence are what’s needed now. ‘Hell, yeah this is what I enjoy,’ Wallace said. ‘It’s nut-busting time.’”

Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports – “The Celtics’ frontline beat on Howard, yes, but they don’t let him get angles and they don’t require the guards to come and double Howard for them. They just keep their chests into him and challenge Howard to beat them with a back-to-the-basket game he doesn’t have down nearly as well as his dance steps. This allows the Celtics to stay out on the perimeter and protect the 3-point line. Orlando missed 17 of 22 3-pointers and they’ll never beat the Celtics unless those shots start to drop for them. ‘A lot of them jump shots, the buttholes get tight,’ Wallace declared. He was talking about the playoffs, about the time of year that he lives for at his advanced age of 35. He doesn’t take particularly good care of his body, but his mind is forever sound for the playoffs. When the Celtics were constructing a 20-point lead in the third quarter, Wallace had Howard so flustered that he completely lost his composure, his mind. Within 2½ minutes left in the third quarter, Wallace inspired Howard to get a double technical foul for tangling with him. Howard got a three seconds call because he was trying so hard to get into low-post position. Howard also tried to rush an offensive move on Wallace and got called for a travel. And, for good measure, Wallace completely crushed Howard across the arms when he had to give a foul. ‘He did some old tricks that were just terrific,’ Rivers said.”

Shaun Powell, NBA.com – “This was defense, the kind Howard hadn’t felt in these playoffs, the kind the Celtics threw his way throughout Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Sure, the Bobcats and Hawks ran bodies at Howard, too, but difference is, Boston’s bigs know what they’re doing. It begins with Kendrick Perkins, who’s both clumsy and clever all at once. And Big Baby Davis, who looks (and probably feels) like a Hummer. And finally, Sheed, who bumbled through his first season in Boston, who knows he’ll be judged for what he does (or doesn’t do) right now. When it counts. Collectively, they dared to check Howard one-on-one and the Celtics lived to tell about it. Gone is Orlando’s win streak, which had reached 14, dating back to April 4. Ditto for the Magic’s clean run through the playoffs. And now, the Magic must deal with a Celtics team knowing it has the equipment to slow the game’s most lethal inside player.”

Dick Scanlon, NBA.com – “‘They came out ready to play,’ said Vince Carter, who led the Magic with 23 points. ‘They jumped on us early, offensively and defensively. We fought like heck to get back in the game. Unfortunately, when you’re down that many points with about nine minutes to go, and with them defending like they did, it’s going to be tough.’ It was the Magic’s first loss in the playoffs, their first loss at home since March 14 and their first loss of any kind of since April 2. ‘It’s been that long since they lost a game?’ asked Pierce, who needed only eight shots to score 22 points. ‘We honestly didn’t realize that.’”

Chris Sheridan, ESPN – “Those schemes limited the Magic to just 14 points in the first quarter and 18 in the second. The Magic then allowed a 20-3 run midway through the third quarter as the Celtics went up 65-45, with Howard and Wallace getting double technical fouls toward the end of the run for getting a little too personal as they untangled their locked arms. ‘That was a wake-up call we really needed, in my opinion,’ said Carter, who was Orlando’s most aggressive player, attacking the paint and trying to create offense. ‘They’re relentless, they’re aggressive, they do a great job of contesting, especially in the paint, and it took us a while to figure it out, but when we did we played a lot better.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “The Magic had taken target practice on the Celtics from 3-point range in the past, but yesterday everything beyond the arc was a wasteland. The Celtics held a team full of snipers to 5-of-22 shooting from distance. ‘They have a list of guys that can beat you,’ Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said. ‘It just comes down to one-on-one defense and everybody helping each other out. You have to contest shots and run them off the three. They are going to shoot 20 to 25-plus threes.’”

John Hollinger, ESPN – “Of particular note was the first 16 minutes, when Boston frustrated Orlando at every turn by getting hands on balls, running shooters off the 3-point line and denying Dwight Howard quality looks on the block. With eight to go in the second quarter, the Magic had amassed the pathetic total of 14 points and already were down 15 points; essentially, they built themselves a hill too great to climb. ‘I don’t think we were prepared for the level they were ready to play,’ said Vince Carter, who was just about the only Magic player to show up in the first quarter and a half and finished with a team-high 23 points. ‘They were ready to go from the jump, and we weren’t on their level from the beginning.’ ‘We were anxious,’ said Howard, who struggled to a 3-for-10 night and was responsible for seven of the Magic’s 18 turnovers. ‘I don’t think we moved the ball like we needed to get them off our bodies. That’s what we have to do to beat this team.’”

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe – “‘We said it going in,’ said Van Gundy. ‘It was what they did to Cleveland in the last series against them; very physical, very tough defensively. Eighteen turnovers. We’re not giving ourselves a chance to win with 18 turnovers.’ ‘Hands were big for us,’ said Rivers. ‘Because of their pick-and-roll game, I think that is one of the underlying keys for us defensively — the deflections and active hands. I don’t know if you saw early in the game, I think it was whoever got a shot, the whole team came down with their hands up because no one had their hands up. They were trying to remind themselves.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “‘Rasheed was phenomenal defensively tonight,’ said Rivers. ‘He’s been good in the playoffs for us and that’s what we wanted from him when we signed him.’ It took six months to deliver upon, but maybe that’s better late than never. ‘Because of the ups and downs, you had to remind yourself of that,’ Rivers said with a smile. ‘Everyone else was reminding me of what he wasn’t doing. One thing I’ll say about Rasheed and he said it throughout, ‘It doesn’t matter what I do in the regular season, I will be judged for what I do in the playoffs.’ I didn’t want him to take that literally throughout the season, but he did. But he’s been terrific. He’s a knowledgeable big who has a lot of game.”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Kevin Garnett was one of several teammates and coaches who have talked with Wallace recently about the need for him to be that player. Message received. ‘His perspective is a little different from how he was looking at it before,’ Garnett said. ‘Plus, ‘Sheed’s a gutty veteran. He responds to when you give two cents, and when you’re being straight and up-front with him. He’s a no bull(bleep) kind of guy. It’s up to ‘Sheed. He’s a big part of when we win. And when we win big, it’s because he’s sound and he’s influenced the game.’ And all the talk Wallace has made about his best stuff coming through in the postseason? There may be some truth to it after all. ‘That’s what he has been telling us all year,’ Rondo said. ‘He’s a man of his word.’ Added Rondo: ‘It’s proven. He’s done it in the past. I haven’t been watching Rasheed all my life, but I’ve seen him recently. He’s a proven player in the playoffs.’”

Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel – “Heading into the game, Howard said he wanted to use his quickness to force Perkins to move his feet. That rarely occurred in Game 1. Celtics players barely gave Howard any room to maneuver. ‘I think I got into a little wrestling match with all those guys,’ Howard said. ‘That’s playing to their advantage. They want me to wrestle and fight with them. That takes me off my game.’”

Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel – “This was as thorough a four-point beating as you’ll ever see. The Magic never led at any point, dug a 20-point hole and looked as if they were caught flat-footed when the Celtics charged out with a Paul Pierce haymaker of a ’3.’ Vince Carter was shaking his head in the dressing room, mentioning the “Celtics’ intensity” several times. ‘You don’t want to make excuses,’ J.J. Redick said. ‘When you don’t do it for a few days, you forget how much you have to put into it, and we didn’t put enough into this game.’”

Zach McCann, Boston Herald – “‘The game most definitely felt different,’ said Magic forward Rashard Lewis, who scored a playoffs-low six points. “Going against the Atlanta Hawks and now to the Boston Celtics, the Celtics are a good team, a veteran team, a championship team.’ Those are the same Celtics who frustrated two of the game’s premier players – Dwyane Wade and LeBron James – in the first two rounds. Now, it’s the Celtics’ chance to frustrate Orlando’s collection of stars. ‘They’re relentless,’ Magic guard Vince Carter said. ‘They’re very aggressive. They work on their strengths. They play well together. . . . They do a great job of contesting, especially when you’re in the paint. And it took us a while to figure that out.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “You can almost picture the scene: The Celtics bunkered down for film study at their practice facility, coming off an intense six-game series with the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, and watching tape of the Orlando Magic essentially waltz through the first two rounds of the 2010 NBA playoffs. But what stands out most is how the opposition offers little in the way of resistance against Dwight Howard, allowing Orlando’s uberathletic center to get to the rim uncontested and convert an array of dunks and layups. The Celtics are half appalled, half salivating. It won’t come that easy against them, they promise each other. And for all 39 minutes he was on the court in Sunday’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, absolutely nothing came easy for Howard as the Celtics took turns hacking away at him en route to a 92-88 triumph at Amway Arena. [...] ‘You gotta be physical, he plays physical,’ said Rasheed Wallace. ‘That was the thing we looked at on film; over the last two series, guys just let him do whatever he wanted to do down there. We’re definitely going to fight him.’”

Michael Vega, Boston Globe – “‘The reason he has an offensive impact is because he draws so much help,’ Rivers said. ‘You have to double-team him. He gets offensive rebounds and he throws them back out for threes. So we did a good job as far as his scoring numbers, but I thought we could do a better job, quite honestly, in helping on Dwight in getting back. You think about the J.J. Redick drives [in the fourth quarter], those are all Dwight Howard-generated. No one wants to leave Dwight, allowing their guards to get all the way to the basket. That’s what I mean, we have to do a better job. They scored 30 points in the fourth quarter. I thought it was mostly Dwight-generated.’ But for Howard to be a more-effective scorer, the Magic know they must help him get his numbers. ‘We’re going to continue to support and stay on him to keep him — try to make sure he’s not frustrated and just play basketball and have fun,’ Carter said. ‘I think he puts pressure on himself because he wants to win. He wants to be perfect or as perfect as possible and do what he has to do to lead this team because he is one, if not the captain of this team. He’s the leader. The leader trying to lead his team. At the same time, we tell him he’s not out there by himself. We’re going to support him. I think when he realizes that he settles down, and he did that later on in the game.’”

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel – “Now we get to see. Now we get to find out. Now we finally learn if the Orlando Magic really and truly are championship material. We know what the high-flying, free-wheeling Magic can do when opponents lay down and play the role of frustrated foot wipes in the playoffs. Now let’s see what the knocked-down, beaten-up Magic can do when they get punched in the teeth during the playoffs. [...] ‘The game plan is a little harder against Boston.’ Van Gundy admits. ‘Against Cleveland, you focus everything on LeBron. With the Celtics, you’ve got to worry about ‘em all.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “‘We were sound for 48 minutes,’ Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said. ‘It was not the type of fourth quarter we would normally like to have, but we were sound, very sound.’ The Celtics improved to 7-0 in the postseason when they receive 18 or more points from Ray Allen, who had a game-high 25 yesterday. But the Celts didn’t hit another basket after Allen’s 3-pointer with 5:34 left. ‘I warned them at halftime,’ said coach Doc Rivers, who told his players to expect a much sharper Orlando team during the last 24 minutes. ‘They had two or three (missed open) 3’s in the first quarter, and they had eight in the second quarter. That’s not a good sign for us, because they didn’t make them, but they got them. Eventually they would make them. That was a concern.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “Judging from the ice packs on both knees – the left one from a hyperextension suffered just before Game 1 of the second round against Cleveland – one might think Perkins would prefer the finesse player after so much pounding. But no way. ‘I’m better against the power player, absolutely that’s what I prefer,’ he said. Perkins acknowledged that the pain persists in his left knee. It was bad enough to keep him out of Saturday’s practice.”

Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel – “Barnes played 15 minutes, 30 seconds in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday, and he acknowledged after the game that he wasn’t as effective as usual. ‘I didn’t really get a chance to get it loose tonight,’ Barnes said. ‘But that’s no excuse. I wasn’t getting the job done, so Coach had to go with someone who was. I’ll keep getting treatment, and I’ll be ready for Game 2.’”

Tania Ganguli, Orlando Sentinel – “‘Ray Allen can really shoot,’ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. ‘And he’s always on the move. He and [ Paul] Pierce both had really good nights … I didn’t think our defense was real good either, to be quite honest. I think we have to make some adjustments there.’ [...] ‘I predict [Pierce] will have a better series than he did against Cleveland,’ Boston forward Kevin Garnett said. ‘And we are going to need it.’”

Gary Dzen, Boston Globe – “The NBA’s second most prolific 3-point shooter of all time, Allen took what the defense gave him in the first quarter, pacing all scorers with 8 points without attempting a three. His two field goals and four free throws in the quarter came on a variety of drives and pull-up jumpers, and for most of Game 1 Allen torched the Magic on something other than his bread-and-butter outside shooting. ‘It was just the plays that I had,’ said Allen. ‘I knew that they were trying to force me away from my shot. Just watching the film all week, they were playing me so high over the top that when I go to the basket I have to keep my head up and look for the ball. I got my shot blocked two or three times. But for the most part, when the shot is not there I need to drive it.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘Coach [Doc Rivers] told me I have to take care of the point,’ Rondo said. ‘It starts with Jameer. A lot of people talk about Dwight, but Jameer, he’s the key. He makes those guys go.’ Nelson missed 10 of 18 shots, never able to leave his fingerprints on the game. ‘He’s more of a scorer,’ Rondo said. ‘He can create his own shot. You’ve got to get in his space, make him take shots over Perk.’ With Ray Allen (25 points) and Paul Pierce (22) providing the offense, it wasn’t necessary for Rondo to put up big numbers in Game 1. ‘If you game-plan for one type of guy, it seems like the other guys do a great job of [scoring],’ Rondo said.”

Kirk Minihane, WEEI – “On Feb. 27 the Celtics lost at home to the New Jersey Nets, who moved to 6-52 with the victory. This humiliating defeat came the day after a blowout loss at Cleveland, which at the time seemed little more than another failed test to see if the Celtics could sit at the NBA’s version of the adult table. They looked lost, old, and disinterested. Any Celtics fan with a even a shred of objectivity on that day would have told you that it was more likely they would get swept in the first round than be in the driver’s seat in the Eastern Conference finals after getting past the Cavaliers (raise your hand if you picked the Heat in the first round — it’s OK, made plenty of sense at the time.) But here we are. I’ve never seen a season like this. The 1968-69 Celtics are the closest template, but they made their run before I was around. Older teams just aren’t supposed to get better during the season. But it’s happened. The Celtics, in less than three months, have gone from a team that surprised no one by losing at home to one of the worst teams in NBA history to being called “the favorites to win” the NBA title by Jeff Van Gundy. And that proclamation probably surprised no one. No one paying attention, anyway.”

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If the Celtics end up beating the Orlando Magic in the next round, it might be because Orlando has no proven crunch time scorer.  Vince Carter is their best option late in games, and the only thing he’s won in his career is the disdain of every basketball purist in the country. 

Here’s a poll from the Orlando Sentinel about the Magic’s most trusted fourth-quarter performers:

In a close game, Orlando can no longer rely on Hedo Turkoglu to make plays and make good decisions.  Now the ball will be in Vince Carter’s hands and I’m not sure that’s a good thing for Orlando.

Notice how Dwight Howard only got one vote?  THAT is why he hasn’t been named MVP, Stan Van Gundy.  It isn’t that the media is committed to giving Lebron James the trophy every season, it’s that Dwight can’t get it done in the clutch.  He’s a fantastic player, but you can’t dump the ball down low to him when the going gets tough.

I don’t trust Dwight with the ball in crunch time, and I don’t trust it in any other Magician’s hands either.  That’s a very good thing, especially when the Celtics have a few proven clutch scorers of their own.