For the Orlando Magic, the season was going perfectly, right up to the point where they abused the Hawks for their second series sweep in a row. They must be kicking themselves now for not finishing the regular season in first place. This would have ensured them a second round meeting with the Celtics. They would have been flying after a sweep over the Bobcats and ready for a tough team, since they had just beaten Charlotte, a team whose defensive strategies caused a few headaches. Instead they ran into a doormat named Atlanta and ended up being complacent and underdone in the Conference Finals against Boston.

As it happened, they got knocked out in game 6 after struggling to overcome the balanced Boston offence and a raucous New England crowd. They couldn’t even capitalise after Rajon Rondo hit the ground hard in the first quarter and was ineffective in the second half. Their biggest problem? Apart from some typically suffocating half court defence from the Celtics, it was their inability to hit the 3. This is a team that lives and dies by the 3; a jump shooting team. Sometimes the shots just don’t drop, and not for the first time in this series, they weren’t dropping. If the shots aren’t dropping and the wings can’t get to the basket consistently, it becomes very difficult to win against Boston.

Boston had scorers all over the floor. They got 13 second quarter points from Nate Robinson and big threes from Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in the third quarter. Pierce was huge in the deciding game, with 31 points, 13 boards and 5 assists, adding to his glowing credentials as a prime time closer.

As for Nate Robinson, acquired mid-season by the Celtics, it’s been an interesting ride. He’d been out of the regular rotation for the end of the regular season and most of the playoffs, but coach Doc Rivers was adamant that he would at some stage win them a playoff game, which is what he was signed for. Rivers was proved right, as Robinson’s second quarter burst took the game out of Orlando’s grasp.

And Orlando? Well they just have to keep doing what they do. Had they not gotten into an 0-2 hole at the start of the series, they probably would have won this series. They have a beast of a big in Dwight Howard and plenty of scoring punch. While they got a poor series from both Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter, it was Jameer Nelson whose impact was missed the most. He didn’t attack the basket nearly enough, which would have drawn the defence away from their outside shooters. The hallmark of the Magic’s play is their crisp ball movement –of which Nelson is the catalyst – but it was only seen in game 5. He’ll be kicking himself right now that he didn’t continue his form from the first two rounds of the playoffs. You also have to wonder why the Magic didn’t play Brandon Bass and Marcin Gortat more. While they are a team built to shoot the long ball, taking an aggressive approach by using these two big guys more may have got the Celtics out of their rhythm.

Nevertheless, on to the finals. Predictions and unnecessarily long preview to follow.

For the Orlando Magic, the season was going perfectly, right up to the point where they abused the Hawks for their second series sweep in a row. They must be kicking themselves now for not finishing the regular season in first place. This would have ensured them a second round meeting with the Celtics. They would have been flying after a sweep over the Bobcats and ready for a tough team, since they had just beaten Charlotte, a team whose defensive strategies caused a few headaches. Instead they ran into a doormat named Atlanta and ended up being complacent and underdone in the Conference Finals against Boston. As it happened, they got knocked out in game 6 after struggling to overcome the balanced Boston offence and a raucous New England crowd. They couldn’t even capitalise after Rajon Rondo hit the ground hard in the first quarter and was ineffective in the second half. Their biggest problem? Apart from some typically suffocating half court defence from the Celtics, it was their inability to hit the 3. This is a team that lives and dies by the 3; a jump shooting team. Sometimes the shots just don’t drop, and not for the first time in this series, they weren’t dropping. If the shots aren’t dropping and the wings can’t get to the basket consistently, it becomes very difficult to win against Boston. Boston had scorers all over the floor. They got 13 second quarter points from Nate Robinson and big threes from Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in the third quarter. Pierce was huge in the deciding game, with 31 points, 13 boards and 5 assists, adding to his glowing credentials as a prime time closer. As for Nate Robinson, acquired mid-season by the Celtics, it’s been an interesting ride. He’d been out of the regular rotation for the end of the regular season and most of the playoffs, but coach Doc Rivers was adamant that he would at some stage win them a playoff game, which is what he was signed for. Rivers was proved right, as Robinson’s second quarter burst took the game out of Orlando’s grasp. image

And Orlando? Well they just have to keep doing what they do. Had they not gotten into an 0-2 hole at the start of the series, they probably would have won this series. They have a beast of a big in Dwight Howard and plenty of scoring punch. While they got a poor series from both Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter, it was Jameer Nelson whose impact was missed the most. He didn’t attack the basket nearly enough, which would have drawn the defence away from their outside shooters. The hallmark of the Magic’s play is their crisp ball movement –of which Nelson is the catalyst – but it was only seen in game 5. He’ll be kicking himself right now that he didn’t continue his form from the first two rounds of the playoffs. You also have to wonder why the Magic didn’t play Brandon Bass and Marcin Gortat more. While they are a team built to shoot the long ball, taking an aggressive approach by using these two big guys more may have got the Celtics out of their rhythm. Nevertheless, on to the finals. Predictions and unnecessarily long preview to follow.