Denton: Magic-Celtics Postgame Analysis
By John Denton
February 7, 2010
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
BOSTON – Much like last spring, when the Orlando Magic gashed the Boston Celtics in a Game 7 in the playoffs, TD Garden was left mostly silent and half empty by the time the final horn sounded on Sunday.
And, no, Celtics fans weren’t trying to get home early to see the Super Bowl. They evacuated the premises early on Sunday afternoon after yet another Magic beatdown for the ages.
Orlando delivered its best stretch of offensive basketball of the season in the third quarter –- a shocking 19-0 run -- and did just enough in the fourth quarter for a 96-89 defeat of the stunned Celtics.
When Rashard Lewis made a tough runner with zeros on the shot clock and 18 seconds on the game clock, it sent the fans scurrying for the exits and locked up one of Orlando’s biggest victories of the season. Orlando also secured a 3-1 edge in the season series, something that could come in handy for homecourt in the playoffs if the Magic (34-17) and Celtics (32-17) finish tied.
``That was most definitely a statement game for us to show everybody that we’re still a good team,’’ said Lewis, who had 14 points, two 3-pointers and that runner where the degree of difficulty was off the charts. ``Even though we make mistakes and lose games we shouldn’t lose sometimes like we did against Washington. But don’t mean we’re not a really good team. There’s no perfect seasons, but that was a really good win for us.’’
Orlando won just two days after a the disastrous loss to Washington, a game where it blew a 21-point lead because of a 39-17 third quarter. This time, it was the Magic who smashed the Celtics in the third quarter to the tune of 36-11. Included in that run was the game-turning 19-0 spree by the Magic.
``In a matter of three days, it’s the worst quarter we’ve had since I’ve been here (in Orlando) in three years and the best now in three years,’’ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy marveled. ``We played great.’’ Did they ever? They were great offensively (46 percent shooting, five starters in double figures scoring), great defensively (held Boston to 42 percent) and their timing wasn’t so bad either (held the Celtics to 35 percent after an ugly first half).
The manner in which the Magic smothered the Celtics defensively and broke their will with one big shot after another was reminiscent of last May when Orlando won 101-82 in Game 7 in Boston. That night, Orlando hit 13 3-pointers and shot 51.4 percent, and this one showed a tremendous amount of growth from the Magic.
``That’s a game where over the last few weeks when we weren’t playing well that we wouldn’t have won,’’ Magic guard J.J. Redick said. ``We’ve gotten tougher and we’re winning tougher games now. The huge challenge for us now consistency and playing like that every night.’’
Orlando got a breakout game from slumping guard Vince Carter (20 points), a big second-half effort from foul-plagued center Dwight Howard (16 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks) and an improved defensive effort from Jameer Nelson (15 points) against Rajon Rondo.
``That was a big, big win for us,’’ Nelson said. ``In that third quarter we came out with a purpose. We really stuck with the game plan and sometimes we tend to get away from it when things are working. To hold them to 11 points (in the third quarter) was impressive because they have great players. Keeping Rondo out of the paint was my main focus and I did a better job of it in the second half.’’
The Magic are back at Amway Arena Monday night to face the New Orleans Hornets at 7 p.m. After that, Orlando has two more games before breaking for the NBA All-Star Game – Wednesday in Chicago and Thursday in Cleveland.
Here’s a look back at the good, the bad and the ugly from Sunday’s big win for the Magic.
THE GOOD
---- A Kevin Garnett jump shot midway through the third period put Boston up 57-46, the Celtics’ biggest lead of the afternoon. But for whatever reason the Magic suddenly snapped out of their funk and went on one of their most impressive stretches of basketball all season.
Over the last nine minutes of the third quarter, Orlando outscored Boston 30-5 to go from 11 points down to 14 up (76-62) by the start of the fourth period.
Included in that impressive stretch was a 19-0 run in which Orlando had four 3-pointers (two each from Carter and Lewis). And from the 7:15 of the third period, Orlando outscored Boston 25-2 to bring out a chorus of boos from the fans at TD Garden.
Orlando made 12 of 17 shots in the third quarter (70.6 percent), including four of five 3-pointers and added eight free throws in nine attempts. To make matters even better for the Magic, they limited the Celtics to four of 14 shooting and forced eight turnovers in the third period alone.
``We got back in it step by step and not with everybody trying to do it at once,’’ said Mickael Pietrus, who had eight points and four rebounds. ``To do what we did on the road against a really good team, it shows how good of a team we are and how good we can be this season.’’
Carter had nine points in the third period, while Lewis had eight. Jason Williams, who has been a master for the Magic all season at end-of-quarter situations, drew a foul from Eddie House with three-tenths of a second remaining and hit two free throws to close out the spectacular quarter.
---- Carter’s shooting woes have been well-documented for weeks, but for whatever reason he continued to play well against the Celtics. He made seven of 13 shots, three of four threes and carried the Magic for long stretches while Howard was out in foul trouble.
In four games against the Celtics this season, he’s averaged 19.8 points and given the Magic a perimeter weapon to combat Boston’s tough interior defense.
``It’s been a long time coming and I told the guys that with the beginning of this month that it was a new me,’’ Carter joked of his January struggles when he averaged just 8.7 points on 28 percent shooting. ``(The poor shooting) wasn’t something that bothered me or worried me, but when the month changed, I just felt like, `Whew, whatever.’ I’ve never been afraid to step in front of (the media) about my percentages. But it was never from a lack of confidence.’’
Carter also should be credited with a big assist. He says that he told Howard at halftime that the second half would belong to him and that he should go out and play like the best center in the NBA.
``The one thing I said to Dwight at halftime was, `Take over and dominate by any means necessary,’’’ Carter recalled. ``He responded.’’
And what is it about playing so well against the Celtics? ``It’s a nice place to shoot,’’ Carter said with a smile.’’
THE BAD
---- Howard was on the floor just one minute in the second quarter and just 7 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. But he rectified his troubles after halftime and stayed in the game even after he picked up his fourth foul with 5:58 to play in the third period.
Van Gundy made the call that the Magic were going to sink or swing with Howard on the floor. Because Howard had played so little in the first half, he didn’t want him sitting in the third quarter as well and then trying to flip the switch in the fourth quarter.
Howard picked up just one foul the rest of the way, and played masterfully on both ends of the floor. He swatted two shots and changed probably another half-dozen shots with his enormous wingspan. Van Gundy deserves plenty of credit for sticking with Howard after he picked up his fourth foul and letting him play through it.
``We’re behind to begin with and if he picks up his fifth foul we’re just going to have to deal with it because I think our chances of winning if he’s limited to 20 minutes are (poor),’’ Van Gundy said. ``He’s a smart guy and you sort of gamble that’s going to be able to play through it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But to me it wasn’t much of a decision.’’
---- Boston coach Doc Rivers was furious with his team’s play in the third quarter, saying that his Celtics too often free-lanced on both ends of the court and made silly decisions. Rivers fumed that the Celtics simply aren’t an elite team right now because of their inability to win consistently at home and their 1-7 mark against Orlando and Atlanta.
``We were getting what we deserved. I thought we played like crap,’’ Rivers said. ``In the third quarter everything that we did in the first half we decided not to do. We were making up our own coverages defensively. The second half, (the ball) stayed on the outside. There was overdribbling. … I thought we lacked discipline.’’
THE UGLY
---- The Magic shot the ball well enough to have a huge early lead on Sunday, but instead they were up just 23-22 after one period because of an ugly turnover problem.
Orlando made 56 percent of their shots in the opening period and buried three 3-pointers. But seven early giveaways sabotaged any chance the Magic had of building a sizeable cushion.
Nelson had three first-quarter turnovers, twice on bad passes and another time when he lost his dribble against Rondo. Lewis and Matt Barnes both had two turnovers in the first 12 minutes. Said Van Gundy: ``I really thought we were beating ourselves in the first half. We finally stopped turning the ball over so much.’’
---- As was the case in Friday’s loss to Washington, the second period was a big problem. The Magic got outscored 27-17 in that period, in large part, because they made just five of 20 field goals.
Magic general manager Otis Smith pointed out before the game that the Magic’s second unit, the group that predominantly handles the minutes in the second period, is prone to erratic highs and lows because it depends on jump shooters. And because Howard was in early foul trouble and unavailable much of the second period it only exaggerated the Magic’s lack of a true post game and their dependence on jump shots.
Lewis, Nelson and Mickael Pietrus combined to miss all 10 of their shots in the second quarter. Howard, who dominated the second half of Orlando’s win against Boston a week ago, had just one first-half field goal and it came on a put-back play.
But in the end, Orlando came through with a monstrous third-quarter performance that won’t soon be forgotten to win yet again in Boston.
``The only statement we made today was showing everybody that we know how to play well together as a team,’’ Howard said. ``I told (the media) it might be January or February before we started playing our best basketball because we had so many new guys. I really think we’re starting to come together now and play well.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard each week on ESPN 1080 AM. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonFebruary 7, 2010
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
BOSTON – Much like last spring, when the Orlando Magic gashed the Boston Celtics in a Game 7 in the playoffs, TD Garden was left mostly silent and half empty by the time the final horn sounded on Sunday.
And, no, Celtics fans weren’t trying to get home early to see the Super Bowl. They evacuated the premises early on Sunday afternoon after yet another Magic beatdown for the ages.
Orlando delivered its best stretch of offensive basketball of the season in the third quarter –- a shocking 19-0 run -- and did just enough in the fourth quarter for a 96-89 defeat of the stunned Celtics.
When Rashard Lewis made a tough runner with zeros on the shot clock and 18 seconds on the game clock, it sent the fans scurrying for the exits and locked up one of Orlando’s biggest victories of the season. Orlando also secured a 3-1 edge in the season series, something that could come in handy for homecourt in the playoffs if the Magic (34-17) and Celtics (32-17) finish tied.
``That was most definitely a statement game for us to show everybody that we’re still a good team,’’ said Lewis, who had 14 points, two 3-pointers and that runner where the degree of difficulty was off the charts. ``Even though we make mistakes and lose games we shouldn’t lose sometimes like we did against Washington. But don’t mean we’re not a really good team. There’s no perfect seasons, but that was a really good win for us.’’
Orlando won just two days after a the disastrous loss to Washington, a game where it blew a 21-point lead because of a 39-17 third quarter. This time, it was the Magic who smashed the Celtics in the third quarter to the tune of 36-11. Included in that run was the game-turning 19-0 spree by the Magic.
``In a matter of three days, it’s the worst quarter we’ve had since I’ve been here (in Orlando) in three years and the best now in three years,’’ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy marveled. ``We played great.’’ Did they ever? They were great offensively (46 percent shooting, five starters in double figures scoring), great defensively (held Boston to 42 percent) and their timing wasn’t so bad either (held the Celtics to 35 percent after an ugly first half).
The manner in which the Magic smothered the Celtics defensively and broke their will with one big shot after another was reminiscent of last May when Orlando won 101-82 in Game 7 in Boston. That night, Orlando hit 13 3-pointers and shot 51.4 percent, and this one showed a tremendous amount of growth from the Magic.
``That’s a game where over the last few weeks when we weren’t playing well that we wouldn’t have won,’’ Magic guard J.J. Redick said. ``We’ve gotten tougher and we’re winning tougher games now. The huge challenge for us now consistency and playing like that every night.’’
Orlando got a breakout game from slumping guard Vince Carter (20 points), a big second-half effort from foul-plagued center Dwight Howard (16 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks) and an improved defensive effort from Jameer Nelson (15 points) against Rajon Rondo.
``That was a big, big win for us,’’ Nelson said. ``In that third quarter we came out with a purpose. We really stuck with the game plan and sometimes we tend to get away from it when things are working. To hold them to 11 points (in the third quarter) was impressive because they have great players. Keeping Rondo out of the paint was my main focus and I did a better job of it in the second half.’’
The Magic are back at Amway Arena Monday night to face the New Orleans Hornets at 7 p.m. After that, Orlando has two more games before breaking for the NBA All-Star Game – Wednesday in Chicago and Thursday in Cleveland.
Here’s a look back at the good, the bad and the ugly from Sunday’s big win for the Magic.
THE GOOD
---- A Kevin Garnett jump shot midway through the third period put Boston up 57-46, the Celtics’ biggest lead of the afternoon. But for whatever reason the Magic suddenly snapped out of their funk and went on one of their most impressive stretches of basketball all season.
Over the last nine minutes of the third quarter, Orlando outscored Boston 30-5 to go from 11 points down to 14 up (76-62) by the start of the fourth period.
Included in that impressive stretch was a 19-0 run in which Orlando had four 3-pointers (two each from Carter and Lewis). And from the 7:15 of the third period, Orlando outscored Boston 25-2 to bring out a chorus of boos from the fans at TD Garden.
Orlando made 12 of 17 shots in the third quarter (70.6 percent), including four of five 3-pointers and added eight free throws in nine attempts. To make matters even better for the Magic, they limited the Celtics to four of 14 shooting and forced eight turnovers in the third period alone.
``We got back in it step by step and not with everybody trying to do it at once,’’ said Mickael Pietrus, who had eight points and four rebounds. ``To do what we did on the road against a really good team, it shows how good of a team we are and how good we can be this season.’’
Carter had nine points in the third period, while Lewis had eight. Jason Williams, who has been a master for the Magic all season at end-of-quarter situations, drew a foul from Eddie House with three-tenths of a second remaining and hit two free throws to close out the spectacular quarter.
---- Carter’s shooting woes have been well-documented for weeks, but for whatever reason he continued to play well against the Celtics. He made seven of 13 shots, three of four threes and carried the Magic for long stretches while Howard was out in foul trouble.
In four games against the Celtics this season, he’s averaged 19.8 points and given the Magic a perimeter weapon to combat Boston’s tough interior defense.
``It’s been a long time coming and I told the guys that with the beginning of this month that it was a new me,’’ Carter joked of his January struggles when he averaged just 8.7 points on 28 percent shooting. ``(The poor shooting) wasn’t something that bothered me or worried me, but when the month changed, I just felt like, `Whew, whatever.’ I’ve never been afraid to step in front of (the media) about my percentages. But it was never from a lack of confidence.’’
Carter also should be credited with a big assist. He says that he told Howard at halftime that the second half would belong to him and that he should go out and play like the best center in the NBA.
``The one thing I said to Dwight at halftime was, `Take over and dominate by any means necessary,’’’ Carter recalled. ``He responded.’’
And what is it about playing so well against the Celtics? ``It’s a nice place to shoot,’’ Carter said with a smile.’’
THE BAD
---- Howard was on the floor just one minute in the second quarter and just 7 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. But he rectified his troubles after halftime and stayed in the game even after he picked up his fourth foul with 5:58 to play in the third period.
Van Gundy made the call that the Magic were going to sink or swing with Howard on the floor. Because Howard had played so little in the first half, he didn’t want him sitting in the third quarter as well and then trying to flip the switch in the fourth quarter.
Howard picked up just one foul the rest of the way, and played masterfully on both ends of the floor. He swatted two shots and changed probably another half-dozen shots with his enormous wingspan. Van Gundy deserves plenty of credit for sticking with Howard after he picked up his fourth foul and letting him play through it.
``We’re behind to begin with and if he picks up his fifth foul we’re just going to have to deal with it because I think our chances of winning if he’s limited to 20 minutes are (poor),’’ Van Gundy said. ``He’s a smart guy and you sort of gamble that’s going to be able to play through it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But to me it wasn’t much of a decision.’’
---- Boston coach Doc Rivers was furious with his team’s play in the third quarter, saying that his Celtics too often free-lanced on both ends of the court and made silly decisions. Rivers fumed that the Celtics simply aren’t an elite team right now because of their inability to win consistently at home and their 1-7 mark against Orlando and Atlanta.
``We were getting what we deserved. I thought we played like crap,’’ Rivers said. ``In the third quarter everything that we did in the first half we decided not to do. We were making up our own coverages defensively. The second half, (the ball) stayed on the outside. There was overdribbling. … I thought we lacked discipline.’’
THE UGLY
---- The Magic shot the ball well enough to have a huge early lead on Sunday, but instead they were up just 23-22 after one period because of an ugly turnover problem.
Orlando made 56 percent of their shots in the opening period and buried three 3-pointers. But seven early giveaways sabotaged any chance the Magic had of building a sizeable cushion.
Nelson had three first-quarter turnovers, twice on bad passes and another time when he lost his dribble against Rondo. Lewis and Matt Barnes both had two turnovers in the first 12 minutes. Said Van Gundy: ``I really thought we were beating ourselves in the first half. We finally stopped turning the ball over so much.’’
---- As was the case in Friday’s loss to Washington, the second period was a big problem. The Magic got outscored 27-17 in that period, in large part, because they made just five of 20 field goals.
Magic general manager Otis Smith pointed out before the game that the Magic’s second unit, the group that predominantly handles the minutes in the second period, is prone to erratic highs and lows because it depends on jump shooters. And because Howard was in early foul trouble and unavailable much of the second period it only exaggerated the Magic’s lack of a true post game and their dependence on jump shots.
Lewis, Nelson and Mickael Pietrus combined to miss all 10 of their shots in the second quarter. Howard, who dominated the second half of Orlando’s win against Boston a week ago, had just one first-half field goal and it came on a put-back play.
But in the end, Orlando came through with a monstrous third-quarter performance that won’t soon be forgotten to win yet again in Boston.
``The only statement we made today was showing everybody that we know how to play well together as a team,’’ Howard said. ``I told (the media) it might be January or February before we started playing our best basketball because we had so many new guys. I really think we’re starting to come together now and play well.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard each week on ESPN 1080 AM. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
