Having survived an epic first-round series with the Bulls, the Celtics now face an Orlando team that’s much different in terms of style, temperament and expectations than Chicago. If the Bulls were playing as if there was nothing to lose and everything to gain, the Magic will have tremendous pressure to break through and advance to the conference finals against the wounded Celtics.
Orlando didn’t exactly distinguish itself in its first round series win against Philadelphia. After losing the first game and trailing 2-1, the Magic were able to rally and ultimately close out the series -- without Dwight Howard who was suspended for Game 6. But not before carelessly blowing leads in several games and exhibiting the sorts of tendencies that test coach Stan Van Gundy’s patience.
More than anything, this series will present a contrast in matchups, for while the Celtics will have to come up with an approach to guarding Howard, Orlando’s makeshift backcourt will have to deal with Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen.
If the Celtics felt the loss of Kevin Garnett’s pick and roll defense against Derrick Rose and the Bulls they will really feel KG’s absence against long-range gunner Rashard Lewis. Not surprisingly, the Celtics won both matchups with Orlando when they had Garnett at full strength and lost both when they were without Garnett and had him for limited minutes at the end of his comeback attempt.
“We didn’t win either game without Kevin,” Doc Rivers said. “And so we’re going to have to go and find out why. We have homecourt. Other than that, they’re very, very tough.”
THE MATCHUPS
Rajon Rondo vs. Rafer Alston: When the Magic lost Jameer Nelson, they lost more than an All-Star point guard. They also lost their on-court leader. Alston, the erstwhile “Skip to My Lou,” was acquired from Houston in a deadline deal and helped stabilize a point guard situation that was held down by veteran Anthony Johnson. But Rafer is no Jameer.
While an underrated defender, Alston is not the scoring threat that Nelson is. Rondo captured the public’s imagination with his play against the Bulls, but he had some struggles at the end of the series. The Celtics will need him to be at his best in this series.
Ray Allen vs. Courtney Lee/JJ Redick: Lee suffered a fractured sinus cavity in the Sixers series when he caught a wayward elbow from Howard and he is not expected to play the first two games in Boston. Van Gundy went so far as to say that if Lee played at all, it would be a “bonus.” That’s a tough loss for the Magic, because Lee took over the starting 2-guard position and had a strong under-the-radar rookie season, posting decent shooting numbers and playing solid defense. Redick is still what he was at Duke -- a good long-range shooter and not much else.
Allen was phenomenal against the Bulls after Game 1 and he should own this matchup. The backcourt is where the Celtics have the biggest advantage.
Hedo Turkoglu vs. Paul Pierce: Turkoglu is something of an enigma; skilled and talented, but also prone to doing odd things at odd times. Witness his end of game performances against Philly. In Game 3, he forced a deep 3-pointer that missed and drew Van Gundy’s ire, and in Game 4 he schooled Thaddeus Young to drain the game-winner.
Turkoglu has bothered Pierce at times in the past with his reach, but Pierce is clearly the better all-around player. The great unknown is how much gas does the captain have left in his tank? He looked sharper in Game 7 against the Bulls than he had at other times in the series and the Celtics need that player on the floor.
“It’s similar to last year,” Pierce said when asked about the quick turnaround. “We never got a break in the playoff series last year. For me, I’d rather keep playing anyway. I think you get three, four days off you kind of lose it a little bit. Hey, just like the regular season, you play every other (day), let’s keep it going.”
Rashard Lewis vs. Big Baby Davis: Lewis is technically a “four” because he’s 6-foot-10 and because he and Turkolgu are the Magic’s best forwards so one of them has to be. He’s not much of a presence inside, but he is a
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