Nelson led the Magic past the Celtics with 23 points, 9 assists in Game 4. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

“They are the Eastern Conference Champions until somebody beats them,” Doc Rivers said at halftime on ESPN.

And– for one more day at least–after a 96-92 OT win–the Magic are still the Eastern Conference Champions.

Jameer Nelson spearheaded the effort with 23 points, and– more importantly– 9 assists. Nelson controlled the pace of the came, continuously finding Howard for lobs and bounce passes off the pick-and-roll and Redick for threes.

Nelson’s back-to-back threes in overtime secured the victory for Orlando.

Paul Pierce had a vintage game–attacking the rim from all angles– but it was not enough for Boston. Pierce shot ten first half free throws– scoring 19 points. Pierce finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds for the game.

Rondo went into the locker room with 1:16 left in the first half with what turned out to be muscle spasms. Rondo played noticeably worse in the second half and finished with just 9 points on 3-10 shooting and 8 assists.

J.J. Redick provided a spark off the bench again with 10 straight points Magic points midway through the fourth quarter– and at one point was the only Magic player to score over an 11 minute span.

Vince Carter scored just 3 points on 1-9 shooting. Dwight Howard scored 32 points and ripped down 16 rebounds.

After Kevin Garnett and Howard got into a minor scuffle early in the third quarter, Celtics crowd and the team’s energy noticeably increased. Howard elbowed Garnett, who responded by pushing Howard, which quickly earned Garnett a technical foul.

Ray Allen, who made 5-7 threes, hit one big three with 1:41 left in regulation, two more in overtime.

Besides Ray Allen though, Boston was 0-11 from behind the arc. Pierce missed back-to-back threes with about a minute left in overtime which effectively ended the Celtic’s chances.

We’re going to win this game with our effort, our defense, our intensity,” Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said, before the game for ESPN, while miked up in the locker room.

The reigning Eastern Conference champions did just that to hold off elimination.

Howard isn't smiling anymore. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic 94-71, for a sixth consecutive playoff win. The Celtics take a 3-0 series lead and can end the series Monday  in Game 4.

Boston forced Orlando into 17 turnovers and the Magic shot only 37%, tallying just 10 team assists. Meanwhile, Boston turned the ball over just 9 times, shot 47% and passed for 23 team assists. Glen Davis led six Celtics in double-figures with 17 points. Rajon Rondo contributed 11 points, 12 assists, 4 steals, and  a crowd-pleasing, sprint-and-dive  hustle-play early in the second quarter.

“Pure grit; pure hustle,” Garnett said in a post-game interview aired on ESPN. “It was the play of the playoffs.”

Shortly after Rondo’s play warmed the Garden crowd, Davis scored 7 straight points, moving the lead to 43-19, sending the crowd into a frenzy, all but dashing the Magic hopes of a comeback. Orlando was noticeably deflated by the series of events, and gave a lackluster effort the rest of the game.

Magic star Dwight Howard finished with just 7 points and 7 rebounds in 39 minutes of play. Rashard Lewis continued his struggles behind the arc, missing all four of his 3-point shots in the game. Lewis is 1-12 on 3-point field goals for the series.

Game 4 is in Boston on Monday at 8:30 ET on ESPN. A potential Game 5 would be Wednesday in Orlando at 8:30 ET on ESPN.

Play of the Game: Early in the second quarter, Orlando lost the the ball into the backcourt. Jason Williams loafed to the ball, seemingly the only player with a play on the ball. But Rajon Rondo never gave up on the play; he sprinted into the forecourt, dove past Williams, outfought him for the basketball, picked it up and finished the layup–to the the delight of the raucous TD Garden fans.

“I just wanted it,” Rajon Rondo said.

Game Notes: Glen Davis lead the Celtics in scoring for the first time all season, tallying 17 points (he also added 6 rebounds). With the Celtics up 36-19 early in the second quarter, Davis scored 7 straight points, moving the lead to 43-19 , all but dashing the Magic hopes of a comeback…In the third quarter, Paul Pierce tipped a made Magic basket back through the other side of the hoop, trying to pretend the ball didn’t go in. He continued the act even further by not taking the ball out–until the referees stopped the charade and made Boston in-bound the ball. On the next play, Matt Barnes retaliated by shoving Kevin Garnett right into his coach, Stan Van Gundy, who received a solid forecheck from KG…Boston Celtics were up double-digits in points since 3:30 left in the first quarter.

BIG win leaves empty feeling.

Gino danced and the Celtics celebrated early, but Boston’s blowout win was unsatisfying.

Boston beat a pitiful Pistons team into submission with a 31-15 first quarter, and the beating continued except for a typical Celtics yawn in the third quarter.

Seven players scored in double-figures while the Celtics shot a staggering 62%. No starter played more than 28 minutes while 12 Celtics played-  each scoring.

So why am I still so unsatisfied? ( Rounders reference for any poker junkie.)

Because I know the Celtics aren’t capable of doing this to a good team, and quite frankly, Detroit looked abominable. Uncontested baskets and easy driving lanes made the game look a Harlem Globetrotters production rather than an actual NBA game. Tonight, Detroit played like a D-League. And I feel bad for offending the NBDL and its league.

The Celtics aren’t back. The Celtics didn’t snap out of their slump. The Big Three didn’t find their elusive rhythm.

Boston played a relatively strong first quarter against a weak-willed opponent. Detroit threw in the towel as soon as they realized they were on the road against a team in need of a win.

Don’t read any more into the win. Remember the feel of a blowout win: what it’s to like to see Gino, watch the Celtics celebrate, soak in the feeling of a win. But be careful of thinking of a Boston rebirth of basketball.

Play of the Game:

Nate Robinson’s exclamation dunk with 43.5 seconds left on an off-the-backboard alley-oop from Tony Allen

The Celtics rode great play from Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo and came away with their third straight win, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 96-86. Read more »

What is the significance of 39? Is it the amount of points Paul Pierce scored last night? Is it the amount of three point shots Rasheed Wallace missed last night? Is it Ben Wallace’s free throw percentage? No- it’s the amount of points the Celtics bench scored last night. Read more »

The Boston Celtics- Los Angeles Lakers game ultimately came down to the one player who didn’t play: Kobe Bryant. With under a minute left, down one point , multiple Lakers possessions resulted in zero points. Boston won 87-86.

Boston scored only 11 fourth-quarter points, but stole the road win with tenacious, vintage defense, surrendering only 39 second-half points. Early on, the referees allowed physical play and the game was played with playoff-like intensity throughout the fourth quarter. Boston desperately needed a quality win, so they bullied their way to a victory. Los Angeles, leaderless, had no response.

The win, however, hardly heals the Boston Celtics. Los Angeles had their chances to win without Kobe, and would have won had he played. The Lakers frontline out-rebounded the Celtics and had little trouble scoring: Pao Gasol (22), Ron Artest (15), Andrew Bynum (14), and Lamar Odom (13) all reached double figures in points.

Still, Boston moves to 2-0 on the all-important four-game West Coast road trip. Kendrick Perkins (13 pts, 14 rebs) and Rajon Rondo (14 pts, 11 asts) both had double-doubles. Ray Allen broke out of a prolonged shooting slump to make four three-pointers on his way to 24 points. Amazing, what a little  job stability will do for a man’s jump shot.

Boston’s next opponent is the Portland Trailblazers Friday 10:30 ET, on a quick turnaround. Newly acquired Nate Robinson will likely be unavailable to play until Sunday, but hopes to spark some energy into our aging offense when he arrives.