Celtics/Magic matchups and preview
Here are the playoff statistics for each team at their respective positions, with the Celtics listed first. Of course, individual matchups will vary at different points in the games between the two teams.
PG... Rajon Rondo: 18.0 ppg, 11.1 asts, 6.3 rebs
Jameer Nelson: 20.5 ppg, 5.2 asts, 2.6 rebs
EDGE: Magic
A terrific matchup here, with a healthy Nelson one of the reasons why the Magic are better than last season's Eastern Conference champs, while Rondo starred against Cleveland. Nelson is the decidedly better outside shooter between the two, which could give the Magic a slight edge.
SG... Ray Allen: 17.4 ppg, 3.0 rebs, 2.8 asts
Vince Carter: 16.9 ppg, 4.5 rebs, 2.4 asts
EDGE: Even
Carter came alive and played well in the second round after a sluggish performance in the first round against Charlotte, while Allen has had a good playoffs.
SF... Paul Pierce: 16.3 ppg, 5.1 rebs, 3.5 asts
Matt Barnes: 7.4 ppg, 4.8 rebs, 1.6 asts
EDGE: Celtics
Barnes will not defend Pierce, as Carter will get the call while Barnes defends Ray Allen, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
PF: Kevin Garnett: 17.6 ppg, 8.3 rebs, 2.3 asts
Rashard Lewis: 16.4 ppg, 5.5 rebs, 2.6 asts
EDGE: Celtics
Garnett is healthy and playing well, while Lewis has had a solid playoffs and is shooting well. Garnett is the better defensive player which gives the Celtics a slight edge.
C: Kendrick Perkins: 6.3 ppg, 7.3 rebs
Dwight Howard: 15.4 ppg, 11.2 rebs
EDGE: Magic
Perkins has given Howard problems in the past down low defensively, so it will be interesting to see how Howard does offensively and if Perkins can get him in foul trouble, but D12 played well in the Atlanta series after being frustrated by Charlotte.
RESERVES... Tony Allen (7.5 ppg, 2.4 rebs), Glen Davis (7.4 ppg, 3.7 rebs), Rasheed Wallace (5.1 ppg, 2.2 rebs), Nate Robinson (3.0 ppg), Michael Finley (1.4 ppg)
Mickael Pietrus (10.2 ppg), J.J. Redick (4.8 ppg), Marcin Gortat (3.9 ppg, 4.5 rebs), Ryan Anderson (2.9 ppg, 3.6 rebs), Jason Williams (1.8 ppg, 1.5 asts)
EDGE: Magic
Boston's reserves really stepped up against Cleveland, while Pietrus continues to play well in the playoffs for the Magic, just like last season. Other Magic reserves have not seen as much playing time in the playoffs as the regular season, so their averages are down somewhat. Still, the Magic reserves have the slight edge, with Gortat playing well on the occasions Howard has been in foul trouble.
According to sportsbook.com, the Magic are -260 favorites (wagering $260 to win $100 plus the original wager) to win the series, while the Celtics are +210 underdogs (wagering $100 to win $210 plus the original wager).
This article from Wil Bradley of Bleacher Report details six reasons why the Magic will remain Eastern Conference Champions.
Here is a preview of the Magic/Celtics series from Yahoo! Sports.
posted by Mike from Illinois @ 4:15 AM
4 Comments:
At 9:31 PM,
Matt said…
Thanks for that match-up post, Mike. To me the PF match up is a tough one to call. While Rashard would have a tough time defending KG, the same applies to KG defending Rashard, especially if he steps outside and takes KG with him which will open the lanes up for Dwight and VC attacking the rim. Celtics fan have started trash talking, and so did Paul Pierce. They are going to have their asses handed over to them. I am sure an old team coming from a bruising series would not have much leg strength to contend with Magic. Magic in 5 is my prediction.
At 9:56 PM,
Mike from Illinois said…
Good point about the Garnett/Lewis matchup, Matt. KG may very well have some difficulty keeping up with Rashard on the outside.
As much respect as I have for Boston after how they disposed of the Cavs, the Celtics do not have the lethal inside/outside game of the Magic, and they are an older team coming off a 6 game series (as Matt pointed out) while the Magic are a younger team that will have been rested for 6 days.
I don't think there's any way this series goes the distance... Magic in 5 sounds good, though a lot of experts are predicting a 6 or 7 game series, and some have even picked Boston.
By the way, I'll be visiting my sister and brother-in-law in Orlando the week of Game 5, and I am absolutely ecstatic that I scored a great ticket for Game 5... just 6 rows up from the baseline. Hope that'll be the clinching game!
At 1:40 PM,
Big Figure said…
WOW!!! Congrats mike,great seats!!! LOL..
At 1:52 PM,
Big Figure said…
Yea the match-ups are pretty much right on. At the same time thats why they play the games. The magic having the home court advantage the rest of the play-offs is the reason i think they can get past boston and LA/PHO. But against boston the KG vs rashard match-up wont be that big to me,reason being is because they both will score and play alot of minutes. The most crucial match-up is going to be when KG and Rasheed are on the floor together,who does dwight guard? Who does rashard guard? If SVG has dwight guard KG because of his lack of three point range for example,now rasheed taking rashard in the post becomes a horrible match-up for us. If dwight guards rasheed,then thats a horrible match-up as well seeing as rasheed has three point range. I think because KG is primarily a two point scorer we can off-set his scoring output,but rasheed is the person we will have a problem matching up with if he's aggressive in posting rashard. KG would rather catch lobs over the top or shoot his outside jumper so rashard may not have to guard the post a whole lot guarding KG. At the same time match-ups are done on paper,during the game if sheed isnt making shots their best match-up problem wont be a factor in the outcome which will signify we probably played pretty good defense.
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