They couldn't make it all the way back in game 1, but they pulled it off this time.
The Celtics played very, very poorly in the first 3 quarters and I kept waiting for the Magic to put the game away, but they simply didn't do it. The teams were trading baskets in the early 4th quarter with the Magic leading by double digits and they couldn't close the deal.
Never, ever, ever, ever count this team out.
Celtics win.
- Celtics leading scorer: Big Baby with 22 (he's all grows up now)
- We don't have the option of coming back to win this if Marbury doesn't score 12 points in the 4th quarter alone. I knew he'd come in handy eventually.
- Ray had a horrible game through 3 quarters, but a shooter never hesitates and he hit a big one when we needed it.
- Just a poor game for Rondo too, but the team overcame it. Heads up loose ball play throwing it off Howard for the possession.
- I'm sorry but this Magic team can't close out anyone. They play scared when the Celtics make a run. Who is their go-to guy in the clutch? Why can't they get a stop in the clutch?
- Solid all around game for the Captain; 19 points, 9 boards, and 8 dimes.
- Up 3 with seconds left and Doc had them foul. Like it or not, it worked to perfection.
- Another "ugly win" game, but it counts as a W so no complaints here.
Here are some quotes from the Celtics twitter account:
- Doc: "I really thought Marbury and Baby kept us alive, gave us hope. The tough call was going back with the starters. It was a gamble..."
- Doc on Steph: "He keeps working every day. He's been very patient. He's handled it well and been a great teammate."
- Doc on Ray's big three: "We trust [Ray]. I told David Aldridge [in third quarter], we absolutely are going to Ray. He's a shotmaker."
- Doc: "We just grinded this game out. There were a lot of times we could have quit, but they just didn't."
- SVG: "I thought we played really well for 44 minutes. We just quit playing, we looked like we were trying to run the clock out."
Update: Can't believe I didn't mention this before now, but regarding the call with the ball grazing the rim: I don't know if it hit or not, but how is it we didn't get a better camera angle than what we got? Angles from above the rim and below the rim aren't going to tell us much. We needed a side angle. Regardless, I'm glad we got the call. That's all I have to say about that.