Can Boston be up 3-0? And play focused and with urgence at home.

[ManUp]

I don't think the Magic can beat us unless Vince slashes and creates open threes. If they continue to rely on Howard to open things up on the perimeter they won't have much luck. That is unless the games are called differently from game 1 and Perk isn't allowed to be physical with Howard. I think it's easier for us to defend them than it is the other way around.

[j804]

Yes.

And pressure is on them.

[celticinorlando]

i am hoping boston treats this like a game 7. i think boston will do a better job on carter. i prefer letting him fall in love with the long jumper.

continue doing what you did on lewis. he is the guy i feel cannot get going. must keep him quiet

gotta work harder on screen and roll with nelson. they did well in the first half but let off in the second.

and for the love of god...don't let guys like reddick, barnes, williams and gortat beat you

[nyceltsfan]

continue doing what you did on lewis. he is the guy i feel cannot get going. must keep him quiet

TP.  I think Lewis was the guy that flat out beat us last year.  We could not deal with his length and speed.  Now with KG around to defend him from all spots on the floor, we can nullify his game.  Similar to Pierce against Cleveland, KG's offense is not needed this round if he can shut down Lewis.If Perk and KG can shut down Howard and Lewis, I love our chances.

[Coach]

The officials will be a huge wild card in Game 2.

I'm not talking about good/bad or fair/unfair.  I'm talking about style.

They allowed good physical play in Game 1, without a lot of ticky-tack calls.  

If they call it the same way on Monday it favors the C's.  If they call it tighter it can take the C's out of their game.

I can't see anything else that could hold them back.

Agree 100% with this, and in another thread, I predicted that the C's 3 man big rotation of Perk, Sheed, and Baby will have at least 8 fouls against them first half, causing major problems for the Celtics.

Btw..the reffing we've gotten from game 3 of the Cleveland series on has been a big reason why we've been successful.  The phantom calls for LBJ/Howard have gone away,and the refs have allowed the C's to be at their defensive best.

Given the media attendtion that the fouling of Howard has gotten, I don't anticipate that trend continuing in Game 2.  The NBA doesn't want another sweep!

[celticinorlando]

Scott Foster   Jason Phillips   Greg Willard are on the floor tonight suns vs the lakers....why do i feel like we will have bennette or beveta tomorrow night?

[slamtheking]

The officials will be a huge wild card in Game 2.

I'm not talking about good/bad or fair/unfair.  I'm talking about style.

They allowed good physical play in Game 1, without a lot of ticky-tack calls.  

If they call it the same way on Monday it favors the C's.  If they call it tighter it can take the C's out of their game.

I can't see anything else that could hold them back.

I was thinking the same thing.  it's all about who's calling the game and how close they call the fouls. 

If the game starts out with tight officiating, particularly against Perk covering Howard, it'll be a long night. 

[Ed Teach]

Vince Carter is the only guy on the Magic that scares me.
Don't think that he can do it for the entire series, but he still has a big game or 2 left in the Tank.
I could see him going off for 30 plus.  But he also is no match for Pierce on defense; Pierce could end up in a shoot out with Carter.  Could end up in some high scoring games.

[celticinorlando]

i also think we could easily see KG go for 15 plus and rondo go for 15 plus...those 2 combined for only 16 points in game one. i feel confident PP can get any shot he wants vs carter...all about the defense for boston

[JHTruth]

Not to sound overconfident but the Celtics are just a terrible matchup for the Magic. There is not a single expolitable match-up anywhere on the floor. The C's can guard Howard straight-up. The Magic can't even hit Lewis hard like they did last year. They will try to creat offense via the pick and roll however the C's P&R defense is among the best in the league.

It's like us and Atlanta, there are just certain teams you don't match-up well with and this is one of those situations for Orlando. It will be very interesting to see where Orlando tries to find a favorable match-up..

[Q_FBE]

Not to sound overconfident but the Celtics are just a terrible matchup for the Magic. There is not a single expolitable match-up anywhere on the floor. The C's can guard Howard straight-up. The Magic can't even hit Lewis hard like they did last year. They will try to creat offense via the pick and roll however the C's P&R defense is among the best in the league.

It's like us and Atlanta, there are just certain teams you don't match-up well with and this is one of those situations for Orlando. It will be very interesting to see where Orlando tries to find a favorable match-up..

That will come off the bench. Gortat vs Sheed or Baby. Pietrus against Tony Allen. Reddick vs Tony Allen. Jayson Williams vs a tired Rondo.

Of course if Perkins, Stubby, and Rasheed get the Whistle, this could work against us too.

Magic have enough resources to test the Celtics.

[dark_lord]

yes they could.  the sky is the limit for this team if they play consistent for 48 min, play celtic defense, and get solid contributions from the bench.

[jackson_34]

They certainly can, just have to stop playing the clock so early in the game and keep their foot on the Magic neck.

[MaxwellSmart86]

GUARANTEED:

Pierce or Perk or BOTH will have 2 fouls in the first 2 minutes of this game.

[CoachBo]

Gah.

We might get Anti-Boston Bennett and the Cryptkeeper together tomorrow night.