Ed. note: I'm letting Mike's analysis here serve as a Magic/Celtics game recap. - ED
In a performance that absolutely no one saw coming, the struggling Celtics, who were 0-6 against winning teams and were missing starters Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen along with key reserves Mickael Pietrus and Keyon Dooling, embarrassed the Magic 87-56. Many negative Magic franchise records were set in this game. Here are just some of them:
The 56 points scored by the Magic broke the franchise record for the fewest points scored in a game of 57, set in December 1996 against Cleveland.
The 16 of 65 FG shooting (24.8%) by the Magic broke the franchise record of lowest FG percentage in a game of 25%, set in November of 2003 against New York.
The 16 field goals made by the Magic shattered the franchise record of fewest FGs in a game of 21, set on five previous occasions.
The Magic became just the third NBA team in the last 27 seasons to score 60 or fewer points in a game along with FG shooting of 25% or less.
No Magic player shot better than 40% from the field. Ryan Anderson had the worst game of his career with 0 points on 0 for 8 FG shooting.
Lastly, the Celtics were perfect in 19 free throw attempts. This was the ninth time in franchise history that a Magic opposing team was perfect from the FT line, and the second-most makes without a miss.
Here's how the Magic shot and scored each quarter: First Quarter: 6 of 18 FG (33.3%), 0 for 3 on threes, 8 for 8 on free throws for 20 points (Warning: it goes downhill from here). Second Quarter: 5 of 20 FG (25%), 2 of 5 on threes, 4 of 6 on free throws for 16 points. Third Quarter: 2 of 11 FGs (18.2%), 2 of 7 on threes, 4 of 10 on free throws for 10 points. Fourth Quarter: 3 of 16 FGs (18.8%), 0 for 1 on threes, 4 of 6 on free throws for 10 points.
First Half: 11 of 38 FG shooting (28.9%), 2 for 8 on threes, 12 of 14 on free throws for 36 points. Second half: 5 of 27 FGs (18.5%), 2 of 8 on threes, 8 of 16 on free throws for 20 points.
How bad of a game was this for the Magic? In the second half, the Magic had more than three times as many turnovers (17) than made field goals (5).
I hope it's a long, long time before the Magic have a game coming close to how bad they were in this game.
