By Karsceal Turner
Two days ago I said you could stick a fork in the Magic…I along with many loyal patrons of Central Florida’s home team was simply expressing my disgust at their lack of effort. Oh how I am enjoying eating those words as Orlando finally took care of business and will return to “Jamlando” Wednesday evening for what is sure to be a barn-burner. Magic fans will be in a frenzy and I will be right along with them.
Head Coach Stan Van Gundy told his team they would have to play harder, play tougher, and keep going despite any set-backs (such as a late Boston rally and subsequent overtime period). Hey, it took a lot of provocation and an extra quarter of basketball but I think the guys got the message. The final result? Magic 96, Celtics 92 in overtime.
Another question I asked was if the Magicians could collectively pull a rabbit out of their hats. They answered in kind.
I’ve got to say, it was nice to see some fight in the Magic. The looks on their faces throughout the game said it all. This, my friends is what we have been waiting on since Game one.
Dwight Howard revealed an all but too simple game plan. “It starts with me and Jameer,” he said. “We showed our leadership by playing hard. We’ve got to be the leaders for this team. It’s not about points, but just showing everybody, ‘Hey, follow us and we’ll lead the way.”
The duo combined for 55 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists
Nothing to smile about
Howard is scary when he isn’t smiling. For Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he had a scowl on his face Orlando Magic fans are not acquainted with…as a result of his game-face, he dropped 32 points brought down 16 boards and added 4 swats block.
Orlando’s floor general Jameer Nelson also stepped it up and finished with 23 points, five boards, and nine assists. He was spectacular in the win and effectively got the proverbial “Monkey off the Magic’s backs”. Nelson silenced many of his critics by finally showing some gutsy play thereby leading the way for the Magic to swing things back their way. Wow that rhymed!
Stan Van Gundy praised his point guard for his intestinal fortitude and lots of guts.
“He is a tough comp and played with aggressiveness. We kept fighting and fighting and fighting and that is what it took to take an overtime win,” Van Gundy said. “We guarded well for the first time in this series; it was the first time we made it tough for them. The hardest thing was going down. We stayed in the fight and did what we had to do to get a very tough win,” he added. “From the beginning, both he and Dwight knew it was on their shoulders to show by example.”
Van Gundy was ecstatic. You could see it in his eyes and hear it in the crack of his voice that he was elated to live and fight another day.
As a result of those two gentlemen turning it up a notch, I’m forced to tell those ladies and gentlemen of Boston…to put those damn brooms away! The chants of “Beat LA” have been silenced for now.
The rest of the Magic showed some grit too. Rashard Lewis earned some of his salary by rising out of his shooting funk to score 13 points followed by J.J. Redick with 12, and Matt Barnes with 10 and seven rebounds. Even Brandon Bass contributed after earning some early playing time. Bass scored three points, had two rebounds, and logged one personal foul. The numbers aren’t impressive but his presence on the floor was.
One question I must pose is where the hell was Vince? You know, Vince Carter…the closer? He has been in a funk but his teammates took up the slack. Imagine what this day of practice is going to do for him. He is after all, going back home. Carter shot 1-9 and scored 3 funky points WTF? He was supposed to be the clincher, the closer, the go-to guy especially after the Magic gave up Courtney Lee and Hedo Turkoglu last June. There were a few times I held my breath when he had the ball in his hands or was on defense. Vince’s mind simply wasn’t in the game.
Boston flat, unfocused, complacent
Paul Pierce still balled. He had 32 points and 11 rebounds, and Kevin Garnett had 14 points and 12 boards for Boston. Ray Allen finished with 22 and hit consecutive 3-pointers in overtime, but Pierce missed two tries in the final minute. Rajon Rondo was not his usual self Monday night. He left the game with his third foul late in the first half, he went to the locker room with muscle spasms and returned for the start of the third quarter but finished with only nine points and eight assists.
Kevin Garnett was called for that tech and it inspired the crowd and invigorated the Celtics. I’m sure there was a collective feeling of ‘oh here we go again’. Thankfully Orlando handled the surge. It wasn’t pretty but it was effective.
Can you dig the nerve of those Celtic fans, supporters, and band-wagon jumpers? They already had the shirts and hats printed, they already were chanting “Beat L.A.” during the warm-ups, and they totally dismissed Orlando. Well, kill that noise…for now.
Silence is Golden
Here is a recap of some of the trials the Magic overcame Monday night. They silenced doubts about their heart and criticism of their coach for starters.
They overcame the uncanny bashing by the TNT Analyst crew of ‘During the NBA Fast-break pre-game’ show; Magic Johnson, Jon Barry, and Michael Wilbon were certain the Magic would be swept, they made it plain. After the game they were dumbfounded and were forced to eat those words. Stuart Scott was the only analyst who kept his opinion to himself which is why he really was able to give the other guys the business.
They overcame the stigma of thousands of Celtic fans with brooms and the collective opinion that they were finished and silenced those critics, at least for another 24 hours.
Most of all, the Magic overcame the embarrassment of being swept by this gritty but aging Celtic team. They silenced everyone in the TD Garden and around the nation Monday night.
Comebacks not so uncommon
I would be remiss if I did not shed some light on the fact that the Philadelphia Flyers were down by 0-3 in their hunt for the Stanley Cup. In Game 7, Philadelphia rallied to win the series 4-3.
J.J. Redick referenced the Boston Red Sox comeback in 2004 over the New York Yankees in which they overcame an 0-3 deficit.
Now, chew on this, the Celtics have been in 3-0 series 11 times but have never been forced to a game six. They have to win in Orlando or it goes to six games…hmmm.
Bottom line…you’ve still got to believe. The Magic earned that much at least.
