The well rested Orlando Magic beat the tired Boston Celtics, 95-90 in Boston, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Tonight, May 6, the Celtics hope to bounce back in Game 2, which is a must WIN as the Magic now have home court advantage. NBA oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com have the Celtics as -4 point home favs over the Magic with the over/under set at 188 points. Be sure to get your 2009 NBA Playoffs Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics Prediction in now at Sportsbook.com
The Magic outhustled, and outrebounded, the Celtics to take a commanding 65-37 lead going into the third quarter, but they allowed them to come within four points by the end of the game. They almost doubled the amount of points in the paint than the Celtics had. The 25-point comeback from a 28-point deficit is no consolation for Celtics coach Doc Rivers. The Magic’s top scorers were Rashard Lewis with 18pts, while Dwight Howard added 16pts 22 rebounds and Mickael Pietrus contributed 17pts off the bench. As a team they made 35 of 81 (43.2%) from the field, 9 of 27 (33.3%) from the arch and 16 of 21 (76.2%) from the line. The Magic can’t relax after just one win, they have a history of coughing up big leads against the Celtics. The Celtics cut a 22-point lead to three on March 8 and a 16-point lead to one on March 25, but the Magic won both games. Celtics All-Star Kevin Garnett missed the first game and left the second one after 16 minutes; he hasn't played since. The Celtics haven’t beaten the Magic without Garnett.
The Celtics Paul Pierce doesn't understand why anyone is surprised. "The teams that are left are the top four teams in their conferences. Every series is going to be competitive," he said. "Whatever you did in the regular season, it's a whole new ballgame." Their top performers in Game 1 were Paul Pierce with 23pts, while Rajon Rondo added 14pts 10 rebounds and Ray Allen had a low 9pts after making 2 of 12 from the field and 1 of 7 from the arch. As a team they made 30 of 78 (38.5%) from the field, 8 of 23 (34.8%) from the arch and 22 of 26 (84.6%) from the line. To say they had a bad shooting night is an understatement. "You try to feel each other out for the first couple of rounds. But we would have been knocked out, clearly," he said. "I look at last night as a loss. That's more important to me than the fact that we had a fool's gold run at the end of the game. That didn't do it for me. That meant nothing."
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.
- Magic are 4-12 ATS in the last 16 meetings in Boston.
- Underdog is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
- Road team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
- Celtics are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS loss.
2009 NBA Playoffs Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics
When: Wed, May 6, 2009 8:00 PM ET
Line: Sportsbook.com
Pick: Celtics -4
Point-Spreads.com 2009 NBA Playoffs Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics
The Bottom Line: The Celtics can cover if they don’t give up so many rebounds to Howard. They’ll bounce back with an improve shooting game tonight. Go Celtics! Be sure to get your 2009 NBA Playoffs Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics Prediction in now at Sportsbook.com and receive a 10% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit
