Orlando Magic Boston Celtics Game 6 Predictions
Written May 14, 2009 by Jason Lowry
The Orlando Magic looked as though they had game 5 wrapped up, as they had a 10 point lead with just a little over 5 minutes to play, but the defending champion Boston Celtics came through when it mattered most and stole the game 92-88. The win for the Celtics made sure that worst case scenario there will be a game 7 in Boston. In game 5 the Celtics got another big game from Glen Davis, as he dropped in a game high 22 points. Paul Pierce continued to play well with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Ray Allen struggled once again scoring just 13 points on 3-11 shooting, but did hit a crucial 3-pointer late in the game. The two biggest surprises for the Celtics was Stephon Marbury coming off the bench to score all 12 of his points in the 4th quarter and the fact that Rajon Rondo scored just 6 points on 3-12 shooting. For the Magic they got 19 points from Rashard Lewis, 18 from Hedo Turkoglu, and 16 from Rafer Alston, but the big story was Dwight Howard scoring just 12 points on 5-10 shooting. Game 6 takes the series back to Orlando, where the Magic will try and keep the series alive and force a game 7. Here is a look at what I think each team needs to do to win this game, plus my prediction on who comes out on top against the spread.
What the Celtics have to do to win: If there is one team that knows how to play team basketball in the playoffs this year, it’s the Boston Celtics, as they seem to have a new star emerge for every game. The Celtics have proven they can win with some of their best players struggling, including last game where Allen and Rondo combined for just 19 points on 6-23 shooting, not to mention Kendrick Perkins continues to struggle against Dwight Howard, as he had just 6 points in game 5. In this series Pierce and Davis have been the two consistent players for this team, but to win in Orlando this team is going to need either Allen or Rondo to have a much better shooting night, and the bench has to provide some sort of offense when the starters are resting. The only thing that scares me about this team, is it seems to be relying on the 4th quarter to turn it on, and I think they need to have a much better start to game 6, or the Magic could run away with this one. Bet the Celtics +7 to win at Sportsbook.com.
What the Magic have to do to win: I am not quite sure who is to blame on Howard getting only 10 shots in game 5, but someone other than Howard needs to realize that this guy is the best player on their team and needs to get the basketball more if they want to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. I understand that late in the game its hard to give it to Howard because he is such a poor free throw shooter, but I would much rather him shoot from the line than some of the shots the rest of the team was putting up late in the 4th quarter. Both Lewis and Turkoglu played well, but the biggest problem this team has is they don’t have a go to guy late in the game. I will be shocked if Howard doesn’t get the ball more often in game 6, cause if they don’t get him the ball they could very well be playing their last game of the season. Bet the Magic -7 to win at Sportsbook.com.
My Prediction: Magic -7. I think not only will head coach Steve Van Gundy make sure the team puts more focus on Howard, but the rest of the players will realize he is the one that is going to take them in the finals if that is where they want to go. I look for a minimum of 20 points from Howard in game 6, and I like the Magic to roll past the Celtics and take the series back to Boston.
For those of you looking to do some NBA betting on the game, be sure to check out our expert NBA picks and grab the latest NBA odds for all the big playoff games at Betfirms.
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