Boston On The Brink: Can The Celtics Close Out Orlando At Home?

Make no mistake: Tonight’s game is a must-win for Boston.

The Celtics have lost two straight to Orlando, and a loss tonight would force a Game 7 on Sunday. In Orlando. With the Magic riding a three game losing streak. With the media swarming around Boston, wondering if the Celtics could become the first team in NBA history to lose a playoff series after leading 3-0. That’s really all you need to know.

The Celtics have been felled by foul trouble and injuries the past two games, but tonight, Boston’s at home again, with another golden opportunity to close out Orlando. But with a roster that’s been battered the past few games, it won’t be easy. Celtics Blog sets the scene:

They are coming into game 6 bruised and beaten. Big Baby will play but whether there will be any after effects from his concussion remains to be seen. Rasheed is a game time decision with back spasms. Rondo has been battling back spasms. KG was reportedly walking off the court gingerly after game 5. Tony is still struggling with an ankle injury. And Perk is precariously perched on the edge of a suspension should he get one more technical.

There is a lot of history that comes to mind when we take a look at this game 6.

First, there has never been a team to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a 7 game series. The Magic think they can be the first and it is up to the Celtics to prevent it. Second, last season the Celtics were up 3-2 on the Magic with home court advantage. The Celtics had never lost a series when in that position in franchise history. But the Magic won the last two games--winning game 7 on the Celtics court--on their way to the NBA Finals.

Finally, some very recent history has the Bruins choke away a 3-0 start to lose in their series this season.

Indeed, when you consider the history--no team’s ever surrendered a 3-0 lead in the NBA playoffs, Orlando came back from a 3-2 deficit last year to beat the Celtics, and the city of Boston is still reeling from the Bruins collapse after taking a three-game lead on the Flyers--it’s not hard to see why the Celtics might be feeling the pressure tonight.

By the same token, it’s a veteran team in Boston, and even after a sloppy performance in Game 4 at home, the Celtics had an opportunity to win on the final possession.

If they play well tonight, Boston should win.

As for Orlando? Well... They’ve been riding J.J. Redick for the past few games, according to SB Nation’s Magic blog, Orlando Pinstriped Post. Seriously:

12 points in 27 minutes per game, on 70.3% True Shooting, for Orlando’s backup two-guard in this series, scoring in double-figures three times and reaching exactly 9 points twice. He’s certainly impressed Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who likened him to Pistol Pete Maravich and said, “I think J.J. Redick has been their most consistent player in this series.” And Kelly Dwyer devoted an entire post to praising him yesterday “Despite that thing on [his] chin.”

The point here? Not too long ago, Redick was fed up with not playing and wanted a trade. He stuck with it. The Magic stuck with him. And now his strong play has them tantalizingly close to pulling off a historic comeback and earning their second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.

It’s nice when things work out for the best, isn’t it?

If you’d been told before this series started that we’d be looking at the Celtics leading 3-2, with a chance to close it out in Game 6, you wouldn’t have balked. We knew this would be a close series. But if you’d been told that Boston would take a three game lead, Stan Van Gundy would bench Vince Carter in favor of J.J. Redick, and then Orlando would win three straight to force a Game 7?

Now THAT would be surprising.

The pressure’s on the Celtics tonight, but the odds are still heavily against the Magic, historically speaking. Can Orlando’s surprising resurgence continue? Time will tell. Tip off’s at 8:30 on ESPN.