NBA Eastern Conference finals preview
2. ORLANDO VS. NO. 4 BOSTON
Season series: Orlando, 3-1.
Key stat: The Magic held the Celtics to 88 points a game this season.
The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan ranks the upset of the Cavaliers among the Celtics’ greatest feats, noting they have rarely been such underdogs.
Of course, now they’re more like bacteria you can see only under a microscope than underdogs against the Magic, which is younger, hotter, better-rested and sounder, with its powerful inside-outside game built on Dwight Howard and all the shooters surrounding him.
Orlando would have been hotter than any team that got here, including Cleveland, having won 31 of 39, counting the playoffs in which it swept the Bobcats and Hawks.
The Magic has played eight games in 28 days, with the last six off. The Celtics have played six in 14, with one day off before getting on the plane Saturday.
Prediction: Only pure inspiration, or someone’s elbow starting to tingle, can take the Celtics further. Orlando in six.
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