...because we didn't win. Down 28 points, they clawed all the way back to within 3 points but couldn't finish off the comeback.
It feels a bit like deja vu to me because the last time these two teams played, the Magic built a double digit lead, watched Boston come roaring back only to fall short in the end. Back then Magic fans were rattled and Celtics fans were emboldened by the "good loss." The thinking was that the Celtics proved that the Magic were just hot at the start and if we could just play a more even game, we'd win.
Well, at some point we have to stop getting down by double digit deficits so we don't have to mount furious comebacks that may or may not save the day.
Then again, this may be the nature of the beast playing against the Magic. If their shots are falling, they are a tough out. If they are not falling, they can be beat. Today we saw both sides in the same game.
Oh well. Once again, so much for home court. Now we have to turn around and beat them in Orlando.
Other quick hit notes:
- Scalabrine was a +22 on the floor (with 10 points) - he played very well
- Ray Allen was a -15 (with only 9 points) - didn't see that one coming
- Rondo was up and down like a roller coaster - didn't see that one coming either
- Pietrus with 17 big points for them - say it with me, ...didn't see that one coming either
I'll leave you with a final good note: Between this game and the Bulls series and even tossing in the record setting Finals comeback game from last year; it all leads me to the same conclusion. This team is never, ever, ever out of it for sure until the buzzer sounds. We have Paul and Ray and championship defense and a whole lotta pride, so you can never count this team out.