A few of you have expressed an interest in talking some more about the playoffs, so I thought I'd put up a game thread here and see what happens. I probably should have given you more notice. Let me know what you think, if you want to keep doing this. Of course, you could always go to the SBNation blogs for Boston (CelticsBlog) or Orlando (Orlando Pinstriped Post), but you might feel a bit like an outsider or interloper on one of those.
As we have heard incessantly, no NBA team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in the playoffs. Of course, that doesn't mean it's impossible, and if it's ever going to happen, it will be in this sort of a situation, where the trailing team has the home court advantage.
If you think about it, the VAST majority of 0-3 leads in NBA history have belonged to the team with home court advantage. They're the better team, they win two games at home and one on the road, they've still got two more chances at home to close the series, even if it goes to 3-1 in game 4. This is different. Orlando was playing terribly, and Boston was playing great, and Boston won two in Orlando. But if Orlando wins tonight (which, after all they at least have a chance to do playing at home) then suddenly game six becomes pretty huge. The Magic have a 2 game streak going, the Celtics have the weight of history on their shoulders (an even greater weight considering that the Bruins lost an 0-3 lead in their playoff series this year), and a Boston loss in game six means a game seven back in Florida with Orlando owning ALL the momentum. I still think Boston's going to win the series of course - I mean, it's never happened. But there's a first time for everything, and if the Magic can win this one, it at least gets interesting.
Of course Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis are going to have to do something positive or it's over. Apparently, Lewis has been sick, which may explain his struggles.