Game 40/82: Magic (26-14) @ Celtics (30-9): Open Thread

Posted by Mike Salvucci on Jan 17, 2011 1494314 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2011%2F01%2F17%2Fgame-4082-magic-26-14-celtics-30-9-open-thread%2FGame+40%2F82%3A+Magic+%2826-14%29+%40+Celtics+%2830-9%29%3A+Open+Thread2011-01-17+22%3A13%3A34Mike+Salvuccihttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D14943

Orlando @ Boston
TD Garden
8:00 PM
TNT

Offensive Efficiency:
Orlando: 105.4 points/100 possessions (12th)
Boston: 105.7 points/100 possessions (10th)

Defensive Efficiency:
Orlando: 98.5 points allowed/100 possessions (4th)
Boston: 97.5 points allowed/100 possessions (2nd)

Probable Magic starters: Jameer Nelson (PG), Jason Richardson (SG), Hedo Turkoglu (SF), Brandon Bass (PF), Dwight Howard (C)

View from opposing bench: Magic Basketball

Thumbnail: Well if there’s one thing that could help ease the pain of New Englanders, it would be a Celtics’ victory against the Magic on national TV tonight. Oh yeah, and the return of a healthy Kevin Garnett. We aren’t 100% sure that KG will play, but if he does, all eyes will certainly be on him. Will he still have that bounce in his step that he had earlier in the season? That’s what will be on the minds of Celtics’ fans, or at least mine. Maybe his first game back is too soon to make any proper analysis, but we’ll have to see.

WHAT THE MAGIC DO WELL:

We already know that Orlando shoots the 3-ball a lot. But I thought this article on Hoopdata had an interesting take on the Magic’s rare combination of strong defense and plentiful 3-point shooting. Typically, teams that shoot tons of 3′s are not top defensive teams. But then again, most teams don’t have Dwight Howard.

WHAT THE MAGIC DO POORLY:

Take care of the basketball. Orlando has the 4th highest Turnover Rate in the league. But as ESPN’s Chris Forsberg points out, the Celtics need to capitalize on those Magic turnovers:

The Magic rank near the bottom of the league in turnovers, giving up the ball 15.1 times per game and their turnover rate of 14.5 percent is third worst in the East. Boston forced 17 turnovers on Christmas Day, but settled for a measly eight points off of them. By comparison, the Celtics committed 13 turnovers during the holiday battle, leading to 18 points for the Magic.

PLAYERS WHO MAKE ME WORRY:

Richardson. In my opinion, the best piece the Magic picked up in that mid-season trade. In comparison with Vince Carter, the scoring output in almost exactly the same. (15.3 ppg for J-Rich vs. 15.1 for Vince). But Richardson is the better shooter and fits more naturally with the Magic offense. Unfortunately, the Celtics no longer can rely on 3-4 wasted Magic possessions per game because Vince decided it was “time to go to work.”

PLAYERS WHO DON’T MAKE ME WORRY:

Bass and Ryan Anderson. Kinda an obvious statement, but still relevant due to the fact these guys comprise 2/3 of Orlando’s interior game. Bass has been pretty inconsistent all season, and hasn’t exactly “stepped up” since the trade. Anderson has played well of late, averaging a 14-7 over the last 5 games. But as much as I agree that the Magic had to “shake things up,” there is no way Orlando can compete with the Celtics’ frontcourt over the course of a 7-game series. Howard can carry the team by himself during a regular season game. But Orlando needs to make another move, because Howard-Bass-Anderson has no chance against the C’s if everyone is healthy.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE FROM BOSTON TONIGHT:

KG. You know Garnett wants to go tonight. But we’ll have to see how many minutes Doc will give him. I would expect something around 20, but who knows? The key for the Celtics will be neutralizing Howard. Remember, Dwight took only 4 shots and scored only 6 points in the Christmas Day game. The Celtics’ frontcourt did its job. But the C’s shot under 35% and it’s tough to win games when that happens. Something tells me the Celtics will not repeat that performance at home tonight.

PREDICTION: Celtics 98, Magic 92