Defending champs face Magic in yet another Game 7
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The Boston Celtics are headed home for a do-or-die game after failing to wrap up a series in Game 6.
They're getting used to that pattern.
Dwight Howard had 23 points and 22 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic overcame a poor shooting night to beat the Celtics 83-75 on Thursday and force a decisive game in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Celtics also failed to close out Chicago in Game 6 of their first-round series, a triple-overtime epic, but they never were in trouble in Game 7. Boston will now go the distance in each of its first two series for the second straight year.
"We're comfortable with Game 7s," forward Paul Pierce said. "A lot of players in this league have never played a Game 7 in this league, knowing that you if you lose, you go home. We're a confident group. But we're not an overconfident group, because you have to go out there and play the game."
The Celtics are 32-0 in seven-game series when they have held a 3-2 lead, and they are 17-3 in Game 7s on their home floor heading into Sunday.
"You can't lean on a Game 7 being at home," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "You have to go play. Just because you're in Boston doesn't mean you're going to win the game."
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy doesn't believe in most records. He even threw out something familiar to Boston fans: The Red Sox's historic comeback from a 3-0 deficit to win the AL championship series over the Yankees in 2004.
"I don't think it means anything," he said. "In other words, I know it was a different sport, but when it was Yankees-Red Sox, nobody had ever come back from 3-0 before."
Rajon Rondo finished with 19 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, and Pierce scored 17 for the Celtics, who led by 10 points in the second half before falling apart.
The two days off before Game 7 should give an older, worn out Boston team a chance to rest its tired legs. It's still not enough for Rivers.
"I would take a week off and do it like the Super Bowl," Rivers joked. "That would be terrific. But that's not going to happen."
Boston had its chances.
The Celtics held the Magic scoreless for more than five minutes to start the third quarter, building a 10-point lead on a jumper by Glen "Big Baby" Davis. The Magic shot just 37 percent to the Celtics' 42 percent for the game.
But Howard led the Magic back, with a backspin alley-oop from Turkoglu that highlighted a spurt to end the third quarter. Orlando took its first lead with 8:38 remaining in the fourth.
Pierce hit three straight jumpers to give Boston a 73-72 lead with about four minutes to play, but the Celtics were done in by their 3-for-18 shooting from 3-point range and 19 turnovers. Ray Allen missed all seven attempts from behind the arc.
"The offense definitely struggled," Pierce said. "But we still played enough defense to win the game. We turned the ball over too much."
Howard blamed Van Gundy for not getting the ball more after the Magic's Game 5 collapse, when they blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.
"You've got a dominant player, let him be dominant," Howard said.
He came out trying to back up his strong words, scoring the first eight points of the game for the Magic, including a pair of dunks that pumped some life into the home crowd. He finished 9-for-16 shooting.
Orlando's do-it-all center said he thought little of his comments before Game 6.
"Coach said, 'Give all you got tonight, because we're going to have tomorrow off,"' Howard said, laughing. "I was thinking about that."
Van Gundy said he didn't change his strategy at all, and compared Howard's comments to an argument between himself and his wife.
"When she gets on me for something, my first reaction is to blame someone else," Van Gundy said. "To make an excuse. To do something else, because I don't like being criticized. And I think when Dwight gets into a game, his first thing is, 'I don't want the blame.' This is just my guess.
"But when you step back and look at it, I usually realize the person who's been on me has a point. And then it's time to step up and do the job."
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Enlarge this image
Related Article Links
More Magic-Celtics articles
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The Boston Celtics are headed home for a do-or-die game after failing to wrap up a series in Game 6.
They're getting used to that pattern.
Dwight Howard had 23 points and 22 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic overcame a poor shooting night to beat the Celtics 83-75 on Thursday and force a decisive game in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Celtics also failed to close out Chicago in Game 6 of their first-round series, a triple-overtime epic, but they never were in trouble in Game 7. Boston will now go the distance in each of its first two series for the second straight year.
"We're comfortable with Game 7s," forward Paul Pierce said. "A lot of players in this league have never played a Game 7 in this league, knowing that you if you lose, you go home. We're a confident group. But we're not an overconfident group, because you have to go out there and play the game."
The Celtics are 32-0 in seven-game series when they have held a 3-2 lead, and they are 17-3 in Game 7s on their home floor heading into Sunday.
"You can't lean on a Game 7 being at home," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "You have to go play. Just because you're in Boston doesn't mean you're going to win the game."
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy doesn't believe in most records. He even threw out something familiar to Boston fans: The Red Sox's historic comeback from a 3-0 deficit to win the AL championship series over the Yankees in 2004.
"I don't think it means anything," he said. "In other words, I know it was a different sport, but when it was Yankees-Red Sox, nobody had ever come back from 3-0 before."
Rajon Rondo finished with 19 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, and Pierce scored 17 for the Celtics, who led by 10 points in the second half before falling apart.
The two days off before Game 7 should give an older, worn out Boston team a chance to rest its tired legs. It's still not enough for Rivers.
"I would take a week off and do it like the Super Bowl," Rivers joked. "That would be terrific. But that's not going to happen."
Boston had its chances.
The Celtics held the Magic scoreless for more than five minutes to start the third quarter, building a 10-point lead on a jumper by Glen "Big Baby" Davis. The Magic shot just 37 percent to the Celtics' 42 percent for the game.
But Howard led the Magic back, with a backspin alley-oop from Turkoglu that highlighted a spurt to end the third quarter. Orlando took its first lead with 8:38 remaining in the fourth.
Pierce hit three straight jumpers to give Boston a 73-72 lead with about four minutes to play, but the Celtics were done in by their 3-for-18 shooting from 3-point range and 19 turnovers. Ray Allen missed all seven attempts from behind the arc.
"The offense definitely struggled," Pierce said. "But we still played enough defense to win the game. We turned the ball over too much."
Howard blamed Van Gundy for not getting the ball more after the Magic's Game 5 collapse, when they blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.
"You've got a dominant player, let him be dominant," Howard said.
He came out trying to back up his strong words, scoring the first eight points of the game for the Magic, including a pair of dunks that pumped some life into the home crowd. He finished 9-for-16 shooting.
Orlando's do-it-all center said he thought little of his comments before Game 6.
"Coach said, 'Give all you got tonight, because we're going to have tomorrow off,"' Howard said, laughing. "I was thinking about that."
Van Gundy said he didn't change his strategy at all, and compared Howard's comments to an argument between himself and his wife.
"When she gets on me for something, my first reaction is to blame someone else," Van Gundy said. "To make an excuse. To do something else, because I don't like being criticized. And I think when Dwight gets into a game, his first thing is, 'I don't want the blame.' This is just my guess.
"But when you step back and look at it, I usually realize the person who's been on me has a point. And then it's time to step up and do the job."
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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