ORLANDO, Fla. -- Boston really, really, really, really didn't want its unbeaten run to end. Sure, there was no way the Celtics were going to go 82-0, but it sure would be fun to try. And no matter what all those clever headline writers said after Friday's close call against Miami, eight was most certainly not enough.
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| Rashard Lewis and the Magic appear ready for prime time. (Getty Images) |
He got his response in a monumental comeback that ultimately fell short, 104-102 in Orlando, when his 3-pointer -- launched a couple of seconds before the buzzer -- hit iron.
Boston will never know what would have happened had fate not intervened a minute earlier, when the clock operator accidentally started ticking down seconds before Rajon Rondo even touched the ball. That foiled a play Celtics coach Doc Rivers had called while Rashard Lewis was getting ready to take his second of two free throws at the other end.
"That really killed us," Rivers said after the mandatory "well, we weren't going to go 82-0" mantra that every single Celtic uttered following the tough loss.
Instead, the Celtics wound up taking the ball at half court, eliminating the element of surprise that would've been enjoyed had the speedy Rondo taken off full court and tried to create something for his teammates, who had branched out two to each side as Rivers had instructed.
The lesson in all of this -- besides the fact that the Orlando Magic might just be ready to take its act up to prime time after all -- is that these Celtics are going to be really tough to take down.
Boston flew in a day early and spent the day at Rivers' Orlando home, shoring up the level of camaraderie of a squad that features nine new players.
These guys are still getting it all together and came out flat against a team that was hyped because a lot of Orlando turned out in droves to see if this Magic act was for real or not.
Who better to test yourself against than the league's last remaining unbeaten, right?
A home crowd that hasn't been known for its enthusiasm since the Shaq and Penny Show left town arrived hours before game time on a day reserved for football, with many left outside whiffing on scalped tickets.
Those who did get in fueled the Magic to a 28-17 first-quarter lead with their energy, responding to their team being the aggressor. Down the stretch, as most young teams still learning to win tend to do, Orlando faded. Still, the Magic were able to get a couple of huge 3-pointers from Hedo Turkoglu and hit just enough free throws to hold off Boston's charge.
"I said to them, 'I didn't call a timeout when they took a lead. We've been here before. There's no reason to panic.' And I didn't see them panic, and then Turk made a couple big shots," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I think we're developing some mental toughness. I think we have some confidence in those situations, but it also says something that we let everyone make a run at us."
