2010 NBA Playoff Eastern Finals: Magic vs. Celtics Game 3 Prediction & Preview

The Orlando Magic came into the NBA Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics riding a wave of confidence after dismantling their first two opponents with relative ease. Entering the 2010 NBA playoffs with the second best record in the NBA, the Magic were not only undefeated in the 2010 playoffs, but the defending Eastern Conference champions had won 14 straight games. That all changed over the last four days as the Magic dropped the first two games to the visiting Celtics. The Magic find themselves in a 2-0 hole going into game 3 in Boston on Saturday, May 22^nd.

Celtics Dominance
In Game 2 the Celtics held the Magic to just 39% shooting from the field and once again relied on a total team effort in defeating Orlando. Paul Pierce led Boston with 28 points, and Rajon Rondo added 25 leading the Celtics to a 95-92 victory over the Magic on Tuesday night.

Dwight Howard improved on his sub-par game 1 performance by scoring 30 points and grabbing 8 rebounds, but it was not enough to overcome the Celtics. Vince Carter, who missed two key free-throws in the waning moments of the game, and J.J. Redick each scored 16 points for the Magic. Much like in Game 1, Boston jumped out to an early lead with Orlando fighting back and overcoming an 11-point deficit to take a brief lead in the fourth quarter. Boston responded with a Kevin Garnett jumper and after Orlando mismanaged their last possession by allowing several seconds to run off the clock, the Celtics walked away with a three-point victory. This second Orlando loss makes the Game 3 contest a must-win situation for the Magic.

Orlando Needs More From Rashard Lewis
Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy must find a way to involve Rashard Lewis in the Magic offense if his team has any hope of turning this series around. Lewis was held to 5 points (9 points below his playoff average) on only 6 shots in the game 2 loss, as Kevin Garnett put on a defensive clinic in guarding the Magic forward. Lewis has scored in the single digits on only three occasions during the 2010 NBA playoffs, with two of those games being in this series.

It appears that all of the momentum is with the resurgent Celtics, and though most national experts initially picked this series to go to 6 or 7 games, it is hard to believe that Boston will not close this out sooner than later. One bright note for the Magic is that there is a 3-day break between games. This may help to slow down Boston's recent streak and provide the Magic with time to assess what the need to change in order to make this series competitive. They can look to the fourth quarters of both games, and may also draw encouragement from the play of J.J. Redick. With a very confident Celtics team returning home on Saturday, it seems that the stars are aligned in favor of Boston. Orlando will have to approach the remainder of this series one game at a time.

My Game 3 Pick
I am going against the conventional wisdom and picking Orlando in game 3. We haven't seen their best game yet, and I believe that the break will provide them with time to re-group. Expect another close game, but this time with the Magic pulling out a win. Prediction: Magic by 3

SOURCES

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2010/matchup/_/teams/celtics-magic

http://www.nba.com/magic/

http://www.nba.com/celtics/

http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=300518019