The Orlando Magic stayed alive with a 113-92 victory over the Boston Celtics Wednesday night.
The Magic were inspired by their captains.
"Howard scored 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and swatted five more shots to carry the Magic on the defensive end of the floor. And Nelson dominated his matchup Rajon Rondo with 24 points, five assists and four 3-pointers.And their energy and enthusiasm was infectious as the Magic delivered with their best offensive game of the series. Orlando shot 52.2 percent from the floor, hit 13 of 25 3-pointers and outrebounded the Celtics 43-26 on the glass. Put it all together and it added up to the Magic having momentum clearly on their sides now.“I don’t know if you can stay we have momentum when you’re down 3-2 and going to their place,’’ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “I still look at it like we’re climbing a huge mountain. But we are playing better. But we’ll have to go up there and play even harder and even better in Game 6. So I think momentum from game-to-game is sort of an overrated thing to begin with.’’"
John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com offers his postgame analysis here.
The Magic are starting to make the impossible look possible.
"No team in NBA history has ever fallen behind 0-3 in a seven-game series and advanced. Maybe this is the time, maybe this is the team to do the impossible.“I still look at it like were climbing a huge mountain,” coach Stan Van Gundy said. “I think momentum is overrated.”Perkins might be suspended for exceeding the technical foul limit, and Davis and guard Marquis Daniels might be out with concussions. Rasheed Wallace also “tweaked” his back according to coach Doc Rivers.All but ruled extinct days ago, the series looks to have taken a dramatic turn — in Dwight Howard’s favor and thus, Orlando’s."
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel has that story here.
The Magic were on fire from beyond the arc.
"The Magic sank a series-high 13 treys and rode their hot long-distance shooting to a 113-92 Game 5 victory over the Celtics at Amway Arena.“We’re playing more of our game now, getting out in transition and just attacking and staying on the attack and trying to do it for 48 minutes,” Magic point guard Jameer Nelson said.Nelson led the charge with a team-high four 3s, but he enjoyed plenty of support. Six Magic players sank shots from 3-point range."
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has that story here.
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel thinks the pressure has shifted to Boston.
"With or without Perkins, there’s no question, the Celtics have something to think about now. This series is 3-2 and the onus is all on the Celtics to win Game 6 back up in Boston Friday night.“This is it for us,” Boston’s Ray Allen said of heading home for Game 6. “This is our Game 7.”Translation: If it gets back to a real Game 7 at the Am Sunday, the Celtics will not only feel the pressure of the Orlando fans; they will feel the pressure of the Boston fans, who are still hung over from two weeks ago when the NHL’s Bruins collapsed after taking a 3-0 lead over the Philadelphia Flyers and pulling one of the most monumental collapses in the history of sports.Dwight Howard and the Magic didn’t just beat up Boston (the Celtics suffered more concussions than Merril Hoge Wednesday) on the defensive end, Nelson and the Magic shot them down on the offensive end."
You can read the read story here.
Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com thinks there is pressure on both teams.
"But at this point, for the first time in the series, the pressure will truly be on both teams to get the job done in Game 6.“Momentum is a funny thing. You can talk about it, but they can come out in the first half of Game 6 and kick our butts, so we have to battle, we have to go with the mindset that it’s another Game 7, another elimination game,” Redick said.It won’t be an elimination game for Boston, but it sure might feel like one.The last place they want to be Sunday is back here in Orlando, trying to avoid the dubious distinction of being the first of 94 teams to blow a 3-0 lead and lose a series."
You can read that story here.
Rashard Lewis had to receive IV fluids before the game.
"Orlando Magic PF Rashard Lewis, who is suffering from a stomach virus, received two bags of intravenous fluids before Wednesday’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.The treatment seemed to help.Lewis scored 14 points and collected seven rebounds as the Magic defeated the Celtics 113-92.“I’m not 100 percent,” Lewis said afterward. “Today is the best I’ve felt throughout this whole series. But in the second half, my body started getting weak, and my legs got a little heavy. But, overall, since Game 1, today is the best I’ve felt this whole series.”Lewis also receivedIV fluids before Game 4, and he scored 13 points."
You can read that story here.
Magic owner Rich DeVos remains a consistent presence.
"At 84, Rich DeVos is the patriarch of the Orlando Magic franchise might be tempted to ask for some divine intervention for the Magic, trying to stay alive in the chase for an NBA title.“If I pray for them; I ask for a win,” DeVos said before the start of the Game 5 Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Magic and the Boston Celtics. “But we don’t know what’s God’s will is. That doesn’t mean we can’t ask.” Is a Higher Power listening?The Magic have scrambled back in this series _ and maybe scrambling the Celtics’ psyche in the process _ after winning 113-92 Wednesday night and sending this series back to Boston for Game 6."
George Diaz has that story here.
The Magic were all business after the victory.
"After the game, Matt Barnes said that nobody in the locker room is ready to stop playing and made references to the team’s “business trip” to Boston. He said that the crowd lifted the Magic tonight, just as the Celtics fans did in Boston for Games 3 and 4."
Alex Kennedy of Hoops World has that story here.
John Krolik of Pro Basketball Talk thinks the Magic have found their form.
"Yesterday, the three-point shot was what allowed the Suns to tie up their series with the Lakers. On Wednesday night, it was Orlando’s faith in the three-ball that allowed them to make the conference finals competitive again. After being held scoreless for the first two minutes of the game, Vince Carter jump-started the Magic offense with a three. Rashard Lewis hit a three of his own on the next Magic possession, and the onslaught from beyond the arc would continue for the next 45 minutes of the game.After struggling mightily from deep over the course of the first three games, the Magic finally found some success with the three-point shot in game four; on Wednesday night, they opened the floodgates. The Magic hit eight three-pointers in the first half, and went 13-25 on threes over the course of the game. Instead of dumping the ball to Howard and hoping the ball would return to their shooters for open looks, the Magic came out looking to get their three-point shooters going first and then setting up Howard. It was a subtle adjustment, but it was the key to the game."
You can read that story here.
Eric Freeman of The Baseline was impressed by Orlando’s offense.
"Offensively, the Magic had their most complete game of the series, with 52.2 percent shooting from the field, 13-of-25 from deep, and four players with at least 14 points or more. Dwight Howard was terrific at both ends with 21 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks, and two steals, and Jameer Nelson had his second quality game in a row with 24 points on 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Add in 14 points apiece for J.J. Redick (3-of-6 FG) and Rashard Lewis (6-of-11 FG), and you have the kind of balanced scoring that typified their first two series of the postseason. If Vince Carter (eight points on 3-of-10 FG) can get going, this team becomes even scarier."
You can read that story here.
Dwight Howard got physical with the Celtics.
"“I didn’t know that was legal, but anyway, he did,” Doc Rivers said of Howard’s ability, either with his elbows or through forcing the Celtics front line into foul trouble, to plow through their lineup in a 113-92 win in Game 5. “But he’s a physical guy. We know that, and he should be. That is his gift. So he’s doing what he should, and we just have to do a better job of taking the hits, I guess.”Though Howard expressed concern for Davis’ condition, he’s also playing his best two-way basketball of the series, amassing 21 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and two steals last night.“I’m just trying to play as hard as I can,” he said. “The difference from the first three games was energy. I just try to go all out for the best.”"
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald has that story here.
Kendrick Perkins picked up two more technical fouls, giving him seven for the postseason which means he’ll be suspended for the next game.
"Perkins’ problem with complaining had largely been alleviated. He still gets visibly perturbed by a number of calls – and officials are never pleased with being shown up – but he has become adept at moving away, quickly, from the referees.In fact, his last whistle was just the second individual technical Perkins has received in this postseason. The other five have been part of a double technical.There are warnings issued in baseball to quell a potential outbreak of hit batters. The NBA hands out technical fouls that carry fines and, more importantly, carry over on the big toteboard."
Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald has that story here.
Mark Murphy explains the Celtics are hurting.
"The C’s lost two important members of their Dwight Howard defense in last night’s 113-92 Game 5 loss at Amway Arena to the Magic, who have climbed back to within 3-2 in the Eastern Conference finals after dropping the first three games. Kendrick Perkins [stats] was lost in the second quarter following his sixth and seventh technical fouls of the postseason, then Glen Davis departed with a concussion at the end of the third after taking a Howard elbow to the mouth and losing a tooth.The theme continued when Marquis Daniels left with a concussion early in the fourth, which was followed by an Orlando run-off against a downsized Celtics team that seemed to take their cue from Davis and Daniels."
You can read that story here.
Shaun Powell of NBA.com says the Celtics have an uncertain future.
"So be it, then. Jackson will study tapes of Magic 113, Celtics 92, specifically the split-second snippets involving Kendrick Perkins, and decide whether it rated R or more like PG-13. Judge Jackson has the power to uphold the two technicals the big Celtics center was poked with in Game 5, giving him 7 for the post-season, which comes with an automatic 1-game suspension. Which would yank Perkins from the lineup for the important Game 6 at the TD Garden. Which would, or could anyway, sway the Eastern Conference Finals a bit further in the direction of the Magic, suddenly awakened from their series slumber.Or the Judge can rule no harm, no foul and let the series play on without interference from the high office. Which would certainly get the conspiracy theorists howling about favoritism and selective enforcement and all that."
You can read that story here.
(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger, a contributor on the Fansided Front Page and on Sir Charles In Charge. Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily. You can download the HTD app here).