NBA Eastern Conference Finals Preview - Orlando vs. Boston

Basketball Betting Lines

05/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics were able to put the NBA's best player, LeBron James, in the rear view mirror and are now moving on to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years.

Things don't figure to get any easier for the C's, however, as the well- rested, red-hot Orlando Magic, the defending conference champs and a far more well-rounded team than James' Cleveland Cavaliers, lay in wait.

Kevin Garnett had 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Celtics beat Cleveland, 94-85, in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal set on Thursday. Rajon Rondo contributed 21 points, 12 assists and five steals for Boston, which gained the 4-2 series victory by winning the final three games.

"I'm really not that proud of this, truthfully because our goal was to win a championship," forward Paul Pierce said. "We didn't say we wanted to come into this year and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. Our goal is a championship."

The second-seeded Magic will have home-court advantage against Boston, which came into the playoffs seeded fourth. The Magic, who beat Boston in seven games in the conference semifinals last year, are a perfect 8-0 this postseason and have won 14 straight games dating back to the regular season.

Orlando finished its semifinals series back on May 10 when Vince Carter struck for 22 points and Orlando made 16 shots from beyond the arc, as the Magic advanced to the East finals for a second straight year, beating Southeast Division-rival Atlanta, 98-84, to finish off another playoff sweep.

Orlando's dominance over Atlanta was breathtaking. The Magic recorded the largest victory margin in a four-game sweep in NBA playoff history, winning the series by a total of 101 points.

"That's always the goal," Carter said. "Just like every other team that enters the playoffs, when you want to show your dominance it's definitely the playoff time. I think we've done that."

The Magic also swept Charlotte in the first round before disposing of the Hawks in the conference semifinals.

"I think it's good, but last year Cleveland won their first eight and then we beat them in the conference finals," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "The one thing you have to understand about playoff basketball, you've got to get beyond the last game in the last series. It has no meaning for the game or the series coming up whatsoever. You go in with good confidence, you get a little bit of rest, but it will all come down to how you play in the next matchup."

Orlando won three of four games vs. the Celtics in the regular season this year and has taken both playoff matchups between the two franchises, last year's Eastern Conference semifinals set and a first round win back in the 19994-95 season.

"I'm confident we're going to get the effort," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said of the upcoming series "I keep pushing our guys about focus."

MATCHUPS:

POINT GUARD: These two teams are littered with stars but Orlando's Jameer Nelson and Rondo have been the top players on each respective club during the postseason. Nelson has led the Magic in scoring (20.5 ppg) and assists (5.3) during the playoffs and has returned to the All-Star form he showed in the first half of last season before going down with a shoulder injury.

The former Saint Joseph's star was is a steady point guard that can be counted on to run things smoothly even when things are going south. Nelson has turned it over just 11 times in 266 minutes this postseason. He is undersized and can be a liability at the defensive end at times but Nelson is a much better pure shooter than his counterpart, Rondo.

"I say they are better (than last year). Not only because of Vince Carter but because of Jameer Nelson," TNT analyst Kenny Smith said. "Last year, that was such a weak link in their armor (the point guard position) when they got to the NBA Finals."

Despite the lack of a top-tier jumper, the ultra-quick Rondo has been able to dominate again this postseason. The Kentucky product nearly averaged a triple- double in last year's playoffs and is putting up similar numbers this year.

Rondo has led Boston in scoring at 18.0 ppg and assists (11.1) so far this postseason while contributing 6.3 rebounds. His ability to get on the boards really showed up against Mo Williams and Cleveland, while his floor game and decision making improves on a daily basis. The book on Rondo is simple, sag off him and make him take that suspect jumper but that's easier said than done.

EDGE: EVEN

SHOOTING GUARD: Carter, an eight-time All-Star, isn't the same player he once was in Toronto or New Jersey but he can still light it up and take over a game at times. You certainly can't expect big-time production consistently from Carter these days but when the jumper is falling, he is still very tough to check.

Ray Allen is one of the finest pure shooters to ever play the game and the veteran guard is showing no signs of slowing down, especially in the postseason. Allen is averaging 17.4 ppg in the playoffs and an impressive 42.5 percent from long range. Much like Carter, his marksmanship can take over a game when he heats up. The sweet-stroking Allen still can come off the screen like few others, has a lightning-quick trigger and is not afraid to take the big shot. Although aging, Allen is also an underrated defender.

EDGE: EVEN

CENTER: The only thing that stops Dwight Howard these days is the whistle. A monster inside that can dominate any game, Howard has to forget about the referees and just play his game. The two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year finished the regular season leading the league in both rebounding and blocked shots for the second straight season, a feat never done before. To control the double-double monster on the offensive end, you need to push him away from the basket, something Kendrick Perkins or Rasheed Wallace just can't do. Defensively, Howard changes shots like few others.

Perkins doesn't have the quickness or athleticism to give Howard much trouble but he is the Celtics' best pure rebounder and is a solid shot blocker in his own right. Perkins has also developed enough of an offensive game to do a nice job on put-back garbage points.

EDGE: MAGIC

SMALL FORWARD: Matt Barnes was the biggest surprise for Orlando this season, taking over the starting job and turning into a solid role player. A pesky defender, Barnes also developed a solid stand-still, three-pointer from the weak-side this season but he is a limited offensive player.

"They have him here for the Joe Johnsons, Kobe Bryants and big scorers," former NBA star Kevin McHale said of Barnes. "He's not afraid to go out there and mix it up with them."

Boston counters with Pierce, the team's go-to-guy down the stretch of close games. The 2008 NBA Finals MVP was once again the Celtics' leading scorer this year and "The Truth" is also one of the game's best finishers and a very underrated defender. Pierce's vaunted body control also enables him to draw fouls at a breakneck pace, enabling him to march to the foul line again and again. He is likely thrilled to get past James, however. Pierce struggled offensively against Cleveland but had to expend a ton of energy on the defensive end, checking LeBron. That won't be an issue with Barnes.

EDGE: CELTICS

POWER FORWARD: Rashard Lewis isn't your prototypical power forward but the 6- foot-10 veteran is a matchup nightmare for most clubs. The former All-Star still has one of the best strokes in the game but can now put that in his pocket and spend more time on the blocks. His weaknesses are rebounding and low-post defense but his ability to stretch the floor on the offensive end more than makes up for that. In fact, when Lewis is stroking the three at a high level, Orlando is almost impossible to match up with it.

Garnett is one of the best power forwards of all-time. He's clearly on the downside of a spectacular career but Garnett has been incredibly efficient this postseason and clearly has enough left in his bag of tricks to make things difficult for a player like Lewis on the offensive end. The questions are at the other end, where it's hard to imagine Garnett matching up with Lewis outside, meaning Rivers will have to be creative at times.

"Over the course of the season I've been fortunate to be healthy and I can honestly say I've gotten stronger," Garnett said. "The playoffs come around, and it's time to pick it up another notch and that's all I've been trying to do. Nothing more than that. It's no secret, I take care of my body. I'm a workaholic when it comes to trying to better myself."

EDGE: EVEN

BENCH: Mickael Pietrus is inconsistent. One minute he can be Van Gundy's whipping boy and the next he is brilliant, burying big three after big three and playing lockdown defense on the wing. An extremely athletic player, Pietrus will also get opportunities to defend Pierce, Allen and Rondo in this series.

Big man Marcin Gortat tends to be very important, especially when Howard gets in foul trouble. Gortat is one of the NBA's best backup centers and is skilled enough to hold down the fort. Veteran point Jason Williams, sharp-shooter J.J. Redick and forward Ryan Anderson round out Van Gundy's very solid rotation.

"The players on the Orlando bench genuinely enjoy other's success," McHale said. "That is when you are a team. When in your heart you enjoy when your teammates do well. They really enjoy each other and wish for each other to have success. That is what championship caliber teams do."

Rivers mixed and matched his bench all year but has seemed to settle on Big Baby Davis and Tony Allen along with veterans Wallace and Michael Finley for the postseason. Davis provides offense inside and some toughness while Allen brings athleticism and a defensive mindset. Wallace and Finley aren't going to be consistent at this stage of the game but can step up and hurt you at key moments.

"At the end of the day everybody has a role," Allen said. "[Doc Rivers says] 'do your role, do your role 100 percent.'"

EDGE: EVEN

COACHING: Van Gundy proved he was one of the game's best tacticians during last year's playoff run and continues to be one of the premier X's and O's guys in the game. Rivers, meanwhile, has never been regarded as a great chess player but he has done a wonderful job melding the egos of three superstars, and managing personalities may be the most important job of an NBA coach. Rivers' lead assistant, Tom Thibodeau, may be the best pure defensive coach in basketball.

EDGE: EVEN

PREDICTION: The Magic are the more rested, younger and deeper team. They are also almost impossible to match up with when they stretch the floor and the threes are falling.

Boston is aging but proved they have a lot left in the tank when they dismantled top-seeded Cleveland. The Celtics' Tony Allen is the wild card for me. He spent the last series chasing LeBron James all over the floor. Now, he will have to close out on the Magic shooters consistently from game to game for Boston to have a shot.

In the end, the Orlando shooters will get it done.

"The thing that is unique about Orlando is that they have so many players that can shoot threes," McHale said. "If one or two guys go through a tough period in a game or in a series, it doesn't matter because they can come in with another guy and find someone that is hot from the three point line."

MAGIC in 6.