Yes, A Win.

[bird <birdwl@earthlink.net>]

A good win.  The Celtics seemed in control for most of the game (last 
three quarters anyway).  Every time the Magic made a run or threatened to,
  the Celtics responded.  Impressive, even if Grant Hill sat out.

McGrady tried to go mano-a-mano with Paul Pierce at one point, and Obie 
did a good job switching Pierce off of McGrady so that McGrady would have 
to work that much harder on the court.  Good job.  If Eric Williams keeps 
playing like this, with these minutes (or slightly less) as a sixth man, I 
may just have to change my opinion on him.  I hope that's the case, anyway.
   Nice to see KA have a good shooting game, too.  Anderson for 13 and 8?  
Battie hitting 4-4 and grabbing 7 bounds and two blocks (I thought I saw 
at least three myself)?  Strickland getting 8 assists when his shot wasn't 
falling (1-6)?  Mark Blount getting a DNP-CD?  I will take this every day 
and twice on Sundays.

The Celts sometimes looked careless with the pass, but never committed 
many turnovers.  Even my two biggest (or at least most current) pet peeves 
were addressed (kind of):  I didn't see a preponderance of throwing to V 
or T at the high post, more wing work (nice!), and Orlando seemed to have 
no interest in capitalizing on the trap we do on the pick and roll, 
choosing, rather, to swing the ball, but only after the Celtic trapper 
made the Magic dribbler go *way* out his way, allowing for easy rotations 
when they were necessary.  I would have though guys like Mike Miller would 
have a field day, but it seemed like the C's plan was to go at Miller the 
way teams are wont to do right now (Doc Rivers admitted as much on a taped 
segment for the Orlando broadcast).  That was also good coaching.

I can see how this is an effective trap if teams aren't going to pass to 
the open man, though.  Not sure why Orlando didn't want to, but it helped 
us so it's all good, baby.  Oh, and the officiating sucked it's usual big 
dog: there was one play where Mike Miller was *clearly* in the little 
semi-circle of no offensive fouls, but what was called on Williams?  You 
guessed it.  Needless to say, this got no play from the Orlando broadcast 
whores.

Not sure about the origin of the cupcake comment: on the Magic broadcast, 
though, they mentioned that the "Celtics were *actually* ahead of us in 
the standings!" (as in, "what a wacky beginning to the season, huh, Bob?  
Those crazy Celts are ahead of us, the inheritors of the Eastern 
Conference Championship -- everybody said so!").  I take it some 
representative of the Magic was vocal in taking the C's lightly before the 
game?  Ha!  Good.

Bird
(The Celtic "Tird")