The Boston Celtics finished the Orlando Magic's season tonight, commanding the game from the opening tip and winning Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals comfortably, 96-84. Paul Pierce led 5 Celtics in double-figures with 31 points, and also snared a game-high 13 boards, dished 5 assists, and grabbed 2 steals in a monstrous performance. He and Ray Allen combined to sink 7 of Boston's 10 three-pointers, in 22 attempts, with Allen's two threes to open the second half giving the Celtics an imposing 19-point lead. Dwight Howard led Orlando with 28 points and 12 rebounds, while Vince Carter scored 13 of his 17 points in the second quarter to keep Orlando fairly close. But the rest of the Magic struggled: Rashard Lewis played the way he should have, but couldn't get his open looks to drop, finishing with 7 points on 3-of-11 shooting; meanwhile, Jameer Nelson reverted to the tentative form with which he played Game 1 through 3 of this series, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting, 5 assists, and 5 turnovers. Orlando faces a tough offseason with a lot of questions to answer, but we'll address those issues later. For now, Game 6.

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The Orlando Magic once again rode Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard to victory, staving off elimination in the Eastern Conference Finals with an impressive 113-92 defeat of the Boston Celtics in a bizarre, physical game with plenty of ancillary storylines. Nelson scored a game-high 24 points on 88.8% True Shooting and dished 5 assists to lead Orlando's offense, while Dwight Howard contributed 8 defensive rebounds, 2 steals, and 5 blocked shots to lead the way for Orlando defensively; he also scored 21 points and grabbed 2 offensive boards. Some bizarre events depleted Boston's bench: starting center Kendrick Perkins, arguably the best "Howard-stopper" in the league, earned an ejection late in the first half for two iffy technical fouls and faces a suspension for Game 6 unless the league rescinds one or both of the technicals; Glen Davis, a key reserve big man, caught an elbow from Howard trying to defend him and became concussed; and backup swingman Marquis Daniels had to leave after bumping his head into Magic center Marcin Gortat's chest and picking up a concussion of his own. And though backup center Rasheed Wallace, who led Boston with 21 points on 97.6% True Shooting, left via a disqualification for 6 personal fouls, he had to retreat to the locker room for treatment of back spasms afterward. These occurrences threaten to overshadow what stands as one of Orlando's best playoff performances in the Stan Van Gundy era, as it scored a monstrous 113 points on just 85 possessions thanks to a 13-of-25 showing from three-point range. Improbably, given where this series stood just 3 days ago, the Magic can knot the whole thing up at 3 games apiece on Friday night at Boston's TD Garden.

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An adjusted pick-and-roll attack, largely effective defense, and an impressive effort led the Orlando Magic to a 96-92 overtime victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, preventing the Celtics from picking up a series sweep. Dwight Howard controlled the game on both ends of the floor from start to finish, scoring 32 points, grabbing 16 rebounds, and blocking 4 shots to help Orlando weather every Boston run. His pick-and-roll partner, Jameer Nelson, had by far his finest performance of the series. His 23 points, 5 boards, and 9 assists--he had just 7 of those in the first 3 games combined--more than offset his 6 turnovers and helped him become a difference-maker. He hit two three-pointers to score the first 6 points of the overtime period, helping the Magic get an early edge on Boston in the extra frame. The Magic got the win despite a horrendous showing from Vince Carter, who missed 8 of his 9 shots, turned the ball over 3 times, and sat out for defensive purposes late in a close game with his team's season on the line. Paul Pierce played a nearly flawless game for Boston with 32 points and 11 boards, yet his 6 missed three-pointers worked against his team. Ray Allen scored 22 and hit 5 treys, including 2 in overtime after some rather embarrassing defensive breakdowns by the Magic, who pulled Nelson and went with a three-guard lineup in order to switch every perimeter screen. The series returns to Orlando's Amway Arena this Wednesday for Game 5, in which the Magic's season will either end or become a bit more interesting.

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In a game they needed to win to keep any realistic hope of winning the NBA championship alive, the Orlando Magic instead came out flat and trailed throughout, as the Boston Celtics put on a clinic on both ends of the floor, taking a 3-0 advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals by a final score of 94-71. Boston scored the first 7 points of the game before Orlando countered with 6 of its own, but what transpired in the next 4:51 effectively decided the game: the Celtics scored 14 straight points to take a 21-6 lead, and Orlando never recovered. Never came close to recovering. A team that compiled a 79-44 record on the road over the last three seasons utterly folded under pressure. I can't recall the Magic looking any more flustered than they did tonight at any other point during coach Stan Van Gundy's tenure. His team now faces a 3-0 deficit, which no NBA team has ever surmounted.

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In arguably one of the most crushing defeats in franchise history, the Orlando Magic dropped a 95-92 contest due to poor late-game execution which rendered their heretofore impressive fourth-quarter rally meaningless. Dwight Howard scored 30 for Orlando, while shooting guards Vince Carter and J.J. Redick added 16 apiece. But those two were involved in two separate, but equally damning, late-game errors which cost Orlando a chance at victory. Paul Pierce scored 28 to lead the way for Boston, while Rajon Rondo hit timely shots throughout the game on his way to 25 points. With 34.7 seconds remaining and the Magic trailing by 3, Carter ran a high pick-and-roll with Howard and wisely attacked Glen Davis, Howard's man, off the dribble, taking him all the way to the basket and drawing the foul. An 84% free-throw shooter on the year, he clanked both foul shots--neither looked good on the release, really--which forced Orlando to make the biggest stop of its season and get a timeout. Kevin Garnett's open jumper from near the top of the key missed, and Redick corralled the rebound. But rather than immediately calling timeout, he took a few dribbles toward midcourt and then called it. His decision to dribble eliminated the Magic's opportunity to advance the ball to the frontcourt out of the timeout and cost them 3.4 precious seconds. The Magic needed a three-pointer to force overtime, yet had to inbound the ball from the backcourt. Jameer Nelson's heave fell short, and now Orlando faces a 2-0 series deficit heading back to Boston.

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The Boston Celtics' stifling defense proved too much for the Orlando Magic to handle in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, as Boston built a 16-point lead through three quarters before Orlando's rally came up just short at the end. The Celtics only points in the final 5:34 of the game came at the foul line, where Orlando intentionally sent them in an effort to prolong the game. That dry spell came with Orlando using a small lineup of J.J. Redick at shooting guard and Vince Carter at small forward, a pairing I expect we'll see more of as this series continues. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen scored 47 points on 74.7% True Shooting to sink Orlando, while Rasheed Wallace scored 13 off the bench, including two three-pointers to beat the shot clock. As solid as those three were on offense, Boston's defense won it the game. Dwight Howard shot 3-of-10 from the field for 13 points and committed 7 turnovers against Wallace, Kendrick Perkins, and Glen Davis. The single-coverage enabled the Celtics to stick with Orlando's perimeter shooters, which essentially shut its offense down. The Magic shot 5-of-22 from beyond the arc overall, and 0-of-9 in the first half. An aggressive Vince Carter led Orlando with 23 points in the first Conference Finals game of his career. His backcourt-mate, Jameer Nelson, scored 20 and added 9 rebounds, including a tip-in of an intentionally missed Carter foul shot late in the game to keep Orlando alive. But apart from those two, and Redick, the Magic could not get anything going.

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A hot start to the game, combined with consistently effective three-point shooting, helped the Orlando Magic defeat the Atlanta Hawks, 98-84, in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series and sweep their way into their second straight Conference Finals. The combined victory margin of 101 set a record for the largest ever in a four-game series. Vince Carter scored 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, adding 4 three-pointers, which doubled his total from the entire playoffs coming into tonight's game. Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus also sank 4 three-pointers apiece. Jameer Nelson set the tone early with aggressive drives, scoring 10 of his 16 points in the opening period, which saw Orlando jump out to a 34-23 lead. For the game, he led all players with 9 assists. Atlanta seemed to play much harder than it had earlier in the series; the Hawks were as engaged as I've seen them. However, they had no answer for the Magic's outside shooting, and continued to settle for long two-pointers rather than challenge Dwight Howard in the middle. Jamal Crawford missed 10 of his 15 shots from the field, but he converted 8 of his 11 free throws, and drew three fouls on jumpers. His driving layup with 3.7 seconds to play in the third quarter brought Atlanta to within 9 points and energized the sparse Philips Arena crowd, but Orlando scored on four of its first five fourth-quarter possessions, while stopping Atlanta on each of its first four, to take an 18-point lead and suck the life out of the building.

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The Orlando Magic once again presented the Atlanta Hawks far too many problems to solve, and ran away with Game 3, 105-75, to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their second-round playoff series. Rashard Lewis scored 22 points on 79.3% True Shooting, Dwight Howard added 21 with 16 boards and 3 assists, and the Magic made quick work of a sluggish Hawks squad that didn't seem too eager to defend its home floor. Sixth-Man award winner Jamal Crawford was an exception, scoring an efficient 22 points off the bench to try sparking the Hawks. But Orlando took control of the glass, finishing with a 51-34 rebound advantage, and made 8 of its first 20 three-point shots, which was too much for Atlanta to counter. Had franchise player Joe Johnson shown up, the game might've been interesting; Johnson missed 12 of his 15 shots and committed 2 turnovers en route to an 8-point outing, during which the fans at Philips Arena frequently booed him and his teammates. With Howard on the inside, Lewis on the outside, and the ball moving crisply and effectively around the floor, Orlando's offense ran smoothly. At the other end, the Hawks struggled to get good shots, and only seemed to score in transition or with second-chance points. They found it difficult to put points on the board in the halfcourt against the Magic's set defense. If all these details sound familiar, they should: they've been present for much of this playoff series, which is now almost completely devoid of drama.

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