Boston Celtics Orlando Magic Game 5 Predictions
Written May 12, 2009 by Jason Lowry
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It was a spectacular finish to game 4 for the Boston Celtics, as Glen “Big Baby” Davis hit the game winning jump shot to give Boston a 95-94 win over Orlando Magic. With that shot the Celtics not only tied up the series at 2 games a piece, but took back home court advantage as well. While Ray Allen continued his struggles, scoring just 12 points on 6-13 shooting, Paul Pierce led the way with 27 points and Rajon Rondo and Davis each dropped in 21 points. The Celtics also got 12 points from Kendrick Perkins, but that was it, as Stephon Marbury was the only bench player to score, and he had just 2 points. The Magic were led by Dwight Howard, who had 23 points and 17 rebounds. Rashard Lewis chipped in 22, while Hedo Turkoglu and Michael Pietrus each added 11 points. With Game 5 heading back to Boston, here is a look at what I think each team needs to do to win, plus my prediction on who comes out on top against the spread.Â
What the Magic have to do to win: As always it starts with Dwight Howard, as he is the biggest part of this Magic team, but other than him and Lewis the rest of the starters were ice cold in game 4, as Rafer Alston, JJ Redick, and Turkoglu combined to go 6 for 28 from the floor, compared to Lewis and Howard who went 16-28. It was a good thing the reserves came to play, as the Magic’s bench outscored the Celtics bench 31-2. Its hard to lose a game when your bench nearly scores 30 more points than the other team, but because so many of the starters struggled, the Magic were in a dogfight that just didn’t go there way. Another surprising stat was Alston had just 2 assists, and for a point guard that just isn’t acceptable. If the Magic want to win game 5 on the road, they are going to need more offensive production from Turkoglu, as he went from scoring over 20 to barely breaking 10 points. Defense is also important as always, and they need to continue to be in attack mode to keep getting the Celtic’s star players in foul trouble. Bet Magic +2.5Â to win at Sportsbook.com.Â
What that Celtics have to do to win: If the Davis had not hit that shot, this series would be pretty much over, but now with the series all tied up the Celtics actually look like the team in charge. That will all change if this team is unable to come away with a win at home in game 5, and in order for that to happen, they need another similar outing to game 4. Its scary to think about how good this team could be if Allen were to get his shot going, but he is really struggling to get going in this series. Rondo was once again a force in game 4, and he seems to be the deciding factor for the Celtics, when he plays well the Celtics normally win, and when he plays bad the Celtics tend to lose. Pierce battled foul trouble, or he might of scored close to 40 in game 4, and he needs to stay on the floor for nearly the entire game if they want to win. Lastly the Celtics will not win game 5, with their bench scoring just 2 points. Some of that had to do with the fact that they just didn’t get that much playing time, and I am a little surprised that they didn’t see more minutes. After going off in game 2 and 3, Eddie House took just 1 shot in game 4, and they need his scoring off the bench if they want to win this series. Bet Celtics -2.5 to win at Sportsbook.com.
My Prediction: Magic +2.5. I don’t think the Magic are to happy with the celebration the Celtics gave after winning game 4, and I think this team responds with a big win on the road in game 5. The Magic have been the better team in this series, as they have had a bunch of big leads against the Celtics. I also think the Celtics starters are going to wear down late in this game, as this team has been in so many close games to start this postseason.Â
For those of you looking to do some NBA betting on the game, check out our expert NBA picks and make sure you have the best NBA odds for the game at Betfirms.
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One Response to “Boston Celtics Orlando Magic Game 5 Predictions”
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I think we will see a big game from Ray Allen tonight, Eddie will get more time off the bench. The Garden will be crazy. The Magic always fold under pressure. Celtics will win by 4 points.
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