This was why Orlando never scared me. The Magic have little to no killer instinct. They're good, but when they have their opponent down, they let up. When they themselves are down, they let up. The Celtics could very easily be eliminated by now, considering Davis' buzzer-beater in Game 4, and this comeback in Game 5. But the Magic don't know how to finish off a good team, and the Celtics know a thing or two about playoff comebacks.
The Celtics were down by 10 with 4:43 left. Some solid defense, and sloppy Orlando offense, allowed for the comeback. Davis, Perkins, Pierce, Allen, and House all hit big baskets.
Glen Davis led the Celtics in scoring (how often has that sentence been typed?) with 22 points. Pierce was just shy of a triple-double with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Ray Allen started slow, but finally hit some threes, and finished with 13 points. Rondo had an off night with only 6 points and 5 assists, he was 3/12 from the field. It's always nice to win when a key player has a bad game.
And how about Stephon Marbury off the bench? 12 points for him, as well as 8 for Eddie House, and 6 for Scalabrine.
Do you think this game by Scal will be played on ESPN Classic along with Michael Jordan's flu game?
The Magic led this game most of the way, but they're like the hare racing the tortoise. They get a good lead, then fuck around, and all of a sudden: they've lost.
Game 6, Thursday night, in Disney World.
Source:
ESPN.com
Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
AP Photo/Elise Amendola
I think you hit the nail on the head about killer instinct. I think the Magic can win game six but no way can they close out the series.
ReplyDeletePredictions:
Celtics in 7
Cavs in 4