at
Orlando Magic (2-2,6-4) at Boston Celtics (2-2,6-5)
Round 2, Game 5
Postseason game #12 Home Game #7
Tuesday, May 12
8:00 PM ET
TV: TNT
Pre/Post Game: CSN HD 7:00 PM ET, After the Game
TD Banknorth Garden 
Probable Starters
Point Guard 
Rajon Rondo - PPG 18.3 RPG 9.50 APG 10.5 EFF + 27.18
Shooting Guard
Ray Allen - PPG 19.5 RPG 3.70 APG 2.7 EFF + 17.09
Small Forward
Paul Pierce - PPG 22.0 RPG 5.50 APG 2.5 EFF + 18.64
Power Forward 
Glen Davis - PPG 16.4 RPG 6.00 APG 1.9 EFF + 16.55
Center
Kendrick Perkins - PPG 12.5 RPG 11.50 APG 1.5 EFF + 22.09
ReservesStephon Marbury
Mikki Moore
Eddie House
Gabe Pruitt
Bill Walker
JR Giddens
Brian Scalabrine
Tony Allen
InjuredKevin Garnett (knee) out
Leon Powe (knee) out
Kendrick Perkins (shoulder) will play
Probable Starters Point Guard
Rafer Alston - PPG 11.7 RPG 2.90 APG 5.3 EFF + 12.40
Shooting Guard 
Courtney Lee - PPG 11.7 RPG 2.40 APG 2.0 EFF + 11.43
Small Forward 
Hedo Turkoglu - PPG 13.5 RPG 3.90 APG 3.5 EFF + 11.60
Power Forward 
Rashard Lewis - PPG 20.0 RPG 6.40 APG 3.2 EFF + 19.90
Center
Dwight Howard - PPG 20.9 RPG 16.00 APG 1.2 EFF + 31.00
ReservesJJ Reddick
Tony Battie
Marcin Gortat
Adonal Foyle
Jeremy Richardson
Anthony Johnson
Mickael Pietrus
Tyronn Lue
Anthony Johnson
InjuredJameer Nelson (labrum) out
Key Matchups 
vs
Rajon Rondo vs Rafer Alston
As it has been in every game, as goes Rondo, so go the Celtics. He must be aggressive and set the tone for the team. If Rondo comes out flat, so will the Celtics.
vs
Kendrick Perkins vs Dwight Howard
Perk strained his shoulder in the last game but came back to play the last 2 minutes with some key stops on Howard to help give the Celtics the win. Perk is refusing an MRI and says he will play in game 5. Perk is the key to winning this series plain and simple. His ability to cover Howard one on one and make him take shots that are out of his comfort zone, along with limiting his offensive rebounds and put backs is crucial. Hopefully Perk's shoulder will be fine and he will be effective in this game.
vs
Paul Pierce vs Hedo Turkoglu
Paul Pierce started game 4 strong and set the tone for the team throughout. When Pierce is aggressive and looking to take the ball to the hoop and not settling for contested jumpers, good things happen. He also made the assist that led to the game winner by Big Baby showing his trust in his teammates. The Celtics absolutely need another big game from Pierce.
vs
Ray Allen vs Courtney Lee
Ray has been pretty much missing in action in this series. He was 0-5 from beyond the arc in game 4 but shot 6-13 overall for 12 points. He will be putting up a lot of shots between the end of game 4 and the beginning of game 5 to try to get himself on track. The Celtics need his offense and hopefully he can get back on track in this game.
vs
Big Baby Davis vs Rashard Lewis
The Celtics have struggled to defend Rashard Lewis this entire series. Both Big Baby and Scal have struggled to try to contain him. At times they have been successful and other times they have been burned. Big Baby came up big for the Celtics in game 4 with key baskets down the stretch and the game winner. His ability to hit that 15-20 foot jumper has been a key for the Celtics all series long.
Bench vs Bench
The Celtics bench once again struggled to score in game 4. Eddie House who has been on fire was held to just one shot in game 4 because he was smothered by the Orlando defense every time he touched the ball. To his credit, he didn't force up contested shots. The Celtics need to figure out how to get Eddie some open shots in game 5. The only basket from the bench was a runner by Marbury early in the game. The Magic bench has been big for them all series and pitched in 31 points in game 4. Pietrus has especially been effective for them off the bench. The bench players for the Celtics must step up on both ends of the court. They must get more from their second unit.
to the GameDefenseThe number one key to the game has to be defense. When the Celtics commit to defense and make the Magic take tough shots and keep them out of the paint, they win. In the Celtics 2 losses, they allowed the Magic to shoot 51% but in the 2 wins, the Magic averaged only 42%. The Celtics offense keys off of their defense and in the 2 wins they averaged 52% from the floor while in the two losses they shot only 41%. The Celtics must focus on defense and play it from start to finish. The only game they did this was game 2 and they won in a blowout.
Ball MovementThe Celtics must trust the pass. They have to move the ball and find the open man. When they resort to too many iso's and too much dribbling, they struggle to score. When they move the ball, they keep the Magic defense off balance and their offense clicks on all cylinders.
Don't Settle for JumpersThe team that has shot mostly jumpers in each game has lost and the team that focused on getting the ball inside and was aggressive in getting to the basket won. The Celtics must take the ball inside and either get the score or the get free throws.
ReboundIt is key for the Celtics to continue to crash the boards and win the rebounding battle. They need to keep the Magic from getting second chance points and put backs, which is how Howard gets most of his points. They also must give themselves extra possessions by getting to the offensive rebounds. The team that wants the game most will battles hardest on the boards.
Focus and HustleThe Celtics must come out focused from the opening tip and they have to keep that focus throughout the game. They can't afford to get into a hole and have to dig out of it. They also can't let up if they get a lead because the Magic can put up points in a hurry. They have to hustle for loose balls, rebounds and especially on defense. They can win this series, they just have to want it and focus on getting it, one game at a time.
X-FactorHome Court Advantage The Celtics regained home court advantage with their win in game 4. They fought hard for it and now they need to make it work for them. They need to feed off the crowd which is sure to be up for this game.
Topic: Magic (2-2) at Celtics (2-2) Game 5 5/12 (Read 177006 times)