The Boston Celtics went down to Orlando and handed the Magic their first loss in this years playoffs. Ray Allen led the charge for the Celtics with 25 pts. and 7 rbs, with 13 pts. coming in the second half. Playing hard nosed defense the entire way Boston kept the Magic from a win. Paul Pierce chipped in 22 pts. 9 rbs. and 5 assts. and Rasheed Wallace added 13 pts. off the bench. Leading the game from the start enabled the Celtics to hang on as the Magic attempted to steal the win late in the fourth quarter. Dwight Howard, stiffled much of the afternoon by the bigs of the Celtics, managed just 14 pts. 12 rbs. & 5 blks. but turned the ball over 7 times. The Magic fought back after being down by as much as twenty points and were able to cut the lead to 2 late in the fourth at 90-88 but good free throw shooting by Allen and Pierce allowed the win to stay in tact.
Vince Carter led a weak Magic offensive display with 23 pts. and 5 rbs and Jameer Nelson tossed in 20 pts, with 13 of them coming in the second half. The Celtics now have home court back and look to steal a second win in game 2. Research shows that the team that wins game 1 of the Conference Finals wins the series 80% o the time. Game 2 is set for Tuesday at 8:30 on ABC.
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