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.

Superman got knocked down. Can he beat the 10-count tonight?

After losing Game 3 by 23 points, and putting themselves in an 0-3 hole that no NBA team has overcome, Orlando appears to be a drowning team.  Boston has come at Orlando in unrelenting waves of vocal defense, fluid offense, and total concentration.

Rajon Rondo’s now famous diving steal/ layup has become a microcosm of the series: Boston is outhustling and outworking a surprisigly blase Orlando Magic team.

This series has reminded me a lot of a boxing match. In Game 1, Boston punched the Magic in the collective mouth, sending them sprawling to the canvas. Orlando was not ready for Boston’s physicality, especially Dwight Howard who struggled with Kendrick Perkins’ physical defense and Rasheed Wallace’s judo-chops.

In Game 2, Orlando came back, cuts healed, energy restored, ready to avenge their round 1 knockdown. Boston and Orlando exchanged punches all game long, but, at the end of the game,  Vince Carter missed two crucial free throws with Orlando down three and Kevin Garnett and Rondo proved to be too much .

After losing the second round–the second game– on points, Orlando came out for Game 3 and promptly took a 27-12 beating in the first quarter. All of the sudden, the cuts reopened, the Magic’s legs collectively wobbled and Rajon Rondo knocked Orlando down once again with what has become the highlight of the playoffs.

The Orlando Magic still haven’t gotten up off the mat. So what do I expect to happen in Game 4? I think Orlando will throw in the towel. Nothing the Magic have said or done since getting knocked down by Rondo suggests a miraculous comeback. The Magic appear to be a dead team– ready for golf, fishing, and the off season.

Notebook:

Rajon Rondo has turned his cell phone off for the entire playoffs so that he can focus 100% on basketball…Brian Scalabrine praises Tom Thibodeau and says he’d be a great fit in Chicago…Paul Pierce thinks the Orlando Magic miss Hedo Turkoglu…Dwight Howard told a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel that “there is no need for us to be down”

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.

Jameer Nelson missed a desperation three-pointer as time expired and Boston held on to win 95-92, taking a convincing 2-0 lead as the series heads back to Boston for two games.

From the tip, it was obvious that game 2 was going to be a much tougher contest than game 1. Early on,  both Boston and Orlando were playing tenacious, physical basketball, the crowd was electric, and the referees swallowed their whistles long enough to let the competitive juices spill over.

After Dwight Howard  earned a flagrant foul late in the second quarter, however, the referees predictably overcompensated by calling the game extremely tight. For the Celtics, Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins ultimately fouled out, while Howard and Vince Carter were limited with foul trouble for the Magic. In total, 54 personal fouls were called in the game.

Despite all the foul problems, the game was played with a blistering intensity that was very fun to watch.  Pierce led the way for Boston with 22 first half points (28 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists for the game), while Rajon Rondo torched the Magic defense for 25 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds. Howard led Orlando with 30 points and 8 rebounds, but Stan Van Gundy and the Magic helped the Celtics cause by relying on Howard too much offensively.

The game plan for the Celtics has been obvious from the start– single cover Howard, while staying home on the perimeter shooters. The message: make Howard a scorer, but don’t let the Magic shoot any open threes. Coach Doc Rivers’ clearly believes Howard is not a developed enough offensive player to beat the Celtics by himself, and so far, the results have proved him correct. After forcing Orlando into 5-22 3P FG in game 1, Boston held them to 7-18 3P FG in game two.  Howard rebounded from his awful game 1 with an impressive 9-13 FG, but shooters Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter combined to shoot just 7-24 from the floor.

J.J. Redick once again provided an unexpected lift off the bench, adding 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, while providing a good defensive effort on Ray Allen. Allen had his worst game of the playoffs, finishing with just 4 points on 1-6 FG, 0-5 3p.

Despite leading for most of the game, Boston gave Orlando life in the fourth quarter by turning the ball over six times. Kendrick Perkins fouled out with eight minutes left and the Celtics up six points. Over the next four minutes, Carter and Howard made a mini-run that culminated in a Carter jump shot that gave Orlando the lead, 90-89. On the next possession, however, Kevin Garnett made his patented turn around, fade away over the outstretched arms of Howard with the shot clock winding down and Orlando never led again.

Now, Orlando has the unfortunate task of trying to come back from a 2-0 disadvantage with the next two games being played at the TD Garden in Boston. Game 3 is on Saturday night at 8:30 ET on ESPN. The Celtics have struggled at home for most of the season, but they look to put a nail in the coffin with a win Saturday night. On the other hand, the Magic look to keep the championship hopes alive with a win that would guarantee at least one more home game for the Magic.

Paul Pierce predicted a Celtics win via his Twitter account, paulpierce34, earlier today.

Pierce tweeted, “You know we going crazy tonight. Sorry Dwight.”

Pierce’s cocky prediction is like a shot of adrenaline for this Celtics fan. I was already looking forward to Game 2, but after Pierce’s prediction, I’m counting down the minutes until tip-off. If you’re a Celtics fan, this twitter trash talk has to give you a lot of confidence. Pierce is a player who plays his best when he is confident, and he sent the message loud and clear with this tweet that he feels pretty good about tonight’s game.

In the game 1 victory over Orlando  a slumping Pierce finally broke loose for 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, and it seems that was enough to rebuild his confidence. Well, that and being defended by Vince Carter. Pierce loves a challenge, and now he has to go out and back up his prediction with another stellar game. Look for Paulie to come out agressive from the tip, attacking the rim, looking to get Dwight Howard in foul trouble.

Van Gundy will have to do more than yelling if he hopes to win Game 2.

Game 2 is going to come down to which coach can push the correct buttons and make the right moves. I could talk about all the different match-ups at each position, but these teams know  each other well, and I believe the series will come down to who game-plans and executes the best from the sidelines.

In game 1, the Celtics executed their game plan to perfection.  You could tell from the start that their plan was to force Dwight Howard away from the basket (easier said than done) and maul him whenever he gets close , sending him to the line. In addition the green wanted to keep pressuring Rashard Lewis off the three point stripe, forcing him to make moves and beat them from off the dribble.  Lewis is a borderline all-star player, and he has shown at certain points in his career that he can make those plays from the dribble, but versus a great defensive unit like the C’s it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Matt Barnes was supposed to be the defensive stopper, but it looks as if back spasms are going to limit his play (he only played 22 minutes in the first game).  I  thought Barnes would be a problem, whether he  guarded Pierce or Allen to start.  Barnes started guarding Allen, and Allen showed that he can run even some of the best defensive players in the league ragged by piling up 25 points.  It will be interesting to see how Van Gundy adjusts to the Barnes injury, and how his team is affected from a defensive perspective.  While  Matt Barnes looks like he is much better suited to sell crack on Dorchester Ave in South Boston rather than be a reliable NBA player (sweet neck tattoos), when healthy he is a very serviceable defender.

Van Gundy failed to make the adjustments necessary to get his team over the hump in Game 1, and judging from how the game played out, I  wonder if Orlando can match up with Boston.  I know we have a long way to go in this series, but as Rasheed Wallace said after the game, “It looked like their butt holes tightened up.”  In order for the Magic to win, Magic studs Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson will have to lead the way in Game 2.  If the Magic plan to tie this series up, they will need to get  out of a half court game, and speed up the tempo, while getting Dwight involved with some easy buckets early.  Howard and Nelson are at their best when they feed off each other, and when Howard doesn’t get involved early, he has a tendency to disappear from games.

Rivers’ game plan is working true to form, and if they can make Howard beat them from the line, while keep Lewis and Carter in check, Boston will dominate the series. Surprisingly, the Celtics won game 1 without a significant contribution on the offensive end from Rajon Rondo or Kevin Garnett.  You have to believe– with the way those two have been playing– that won’t happen again.  KG was missing open looks, but Rondo really seemed to struggle with having the man with the tiniest head in the NBA (Dwight Howard) waiting for him whenever he beat Nelson off the dribble.  I am curious to see how Rivers devises some  creative ways to get Rondo more involved.

Regardless, Game 2 is as close to a must-win game for the Magic as possible. As good as the Green are playing, they cannot afford to go back to Boston down 2-0.  The key will be how Stan Van Gundy plans to get Howard more touches close to the basket.  If that happens, Howard gets going, the crowd gets going, Nelson gets going, and so go the Magic.

With the way Boston played in game 1 it seemed to me that they were fed up with all the crap going on with ESPN/ABC.  The Celtics were sick of seeing bullshit puppet commercials featuring Lebron and Kobe, sick of seeing stupid halftime segments of Dwight Howard interviewing himself as Superman. Boston is a blue collar team that is peaking at the right time, and if they play Howard the way they did in Game 1, they will be looking at a 2-0 series lead.  My prediction: 99-92 Celts……and maybe Matt Barnes gets caught with a crack rock in the locker room (seriously, you can’t tell me that guy doesn’t do some illegal shit, its a rule, more than one neck tattoo, you are a scumbag, see Delonte West).