Posted by Jessica Camerato

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Posted by Jessica Camerato

The Celtics Game Day Blog has moved to Green Street on the newly re-designed WEEI.com: http://greenstreet.weei.com/

Posted by Jessica Camerato

The Boston Celtics have made winning without Kevin Garnett look easy. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers? Not a problem. Shaq and the Phoenix Suns? No sweat. Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets? Blowout. But then there is Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. That’s where the Celtics run into trouble.

The Celtics were 8-2 this season without Garnett (knee) heading into Sunday’s game. Last year they went 9-2 without him. The Cs have hardly missed a beat, except when playing the Magic. In spite of their success, they are 0-2 against the Magic without Garnett.

“They’re a tough team with or without KG,” Dwight Howard said after the Magic’s 86-79 win. (RECAP HERE) “So I think the biggest thing is just trying to match their play on both ends and be physical with them like they’re going to be physical with us. Also knowing that KG is one of their big guys on the defensive end, just go at them and just make them pay.”

The Celtics first loss to the Magic without Garnett (96-93) came on January 27, 2008. Unable to stop the Magic’s big men, Howard posted 18 points and 16 rebounds while Rashard Lewis scored 15 points. On Sunday, Howard posted 18 points and 15 rebounds with Lewis adding 15 points.

“[Garnett's] a good player and he plays hard,” said Hedo Turkoglu. “We just try to take advantage of it. Tonight we just tried to move the ball and make a lot of free throws and make the big men play. Rashard and Dwight took care of the mismatches.”

It isn’t just the absence of Garnett’s 16 points and nearly nine boards a game that helps the Magic. The void of his intensity and energy cannot be denied.

“He’s pretty much their heart and soul of the team,” Tony Battie said. “You can’t forget about (Kendrick) Perkins and Big Baby and (Leon) Powe. They do a great job of filling in for him but it’s hard to replace an All-Star in this league. Not only that, but just his presence and leadership on the court, it’s hard to make up for it. Physically those guys can fill the void but his presence is something they probably miss.”

Both teams were missing pieces on Sunday. The Celtics were also without Rajon Rondo (ankle), Tony Allen (thumb), and Brian Scalabrine (concussion). Glen Davis left the game with a sprained right ankle. The Magic were without Jameer Nelson (shoulder), who also missed last season’s win.

Regardless of their 2-0 record, the Magic still give the Celtics credit.

“All five guys, whoever steps on the floor, they’re all dangerous,” said Howard. “Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, those guys can light it up. Their bigs are getting better every day. Kendrick did a Kareem shake tonight. It shocked me, but that just shows me that those guys have really been working on their game and they’ve gotten a lot better.”

The Magic’s win brings them within two games of the Celtics for second place in the Eastern Conference. The teams will meet again on March 25 in Orlando.

Posted by Jessica Camerato

At the start of the fourth quarter … Magic 69, Celtics 56

- The good news for Celtics fans is, the Celtics cut the Magic’s lead to 13. The bad news is, they were only able to get within 13 without Dwight Howard on the court. Howard and Rashard Lewis picked up their fourth personal fouls in the third and coach Stan Van Gundy is saving them for late in the game. Both are starting the fourth quarter. The Celtics window of opportunity may just closed.

- There is life in the Garden again. The Magic turned the ball over out of bounds on two consecutive posessions, helping the Celtics get back within 10.

- Rookie initiation for Courtney Lee. Ray Allen is running circles around him this quarter.

- Pierce passed Robert Parish to become the third all-time leading scorer in franchise history with 18,246 points.

- There seems to be an argument everytime the ball goes out of bounds. So far, though, no technicals have been handed out.

- The Celtics may be down by seven with three minutes to go but they are in control of this game right now. Ray Allen has exploded for 13 points in the fourth quarter and the Magic are falling short on the offensive end.

- Suddenly it’s a three-point game with just over a minute to go.

- Both teams are trying to win from long range.

- Final score … Magic 86, Celtics 79

Posted by Jessica Camerato

At the start of the second quarter … Magic 22, Celtics 15

- The Magic have scored 16 of their first 22 points in the paint. They’ve done more damage in the lane than the Celtics have done on the floor, and Howard has only played six minutes.

- This could be a big game for Gabe Pruitt. With only Marbury ahead of him at the PG, Pruitt has his first shot in a while to prove himself.  He has not played since February 25 against the Los Angeles Clippers. That night he was arrested for suspicion of DUI and served a team-imposed two-game suspension.

- Both teams are going heavy on the bigs. The Celtics have Kendrick Perkins and Mikki Moore going up against Dwight Howard and Marcin Gortat.

- The Celtics have scored just two points in four minutes. And the faint boos have already begun.

- There have been 18 fouls called in the first 18 minutes of the game.

- Howard’s on the bench with three personal fouls. Now is the time for the Celtics to do some damage at the basket. The Cs also have an advantage with J.J. Redick guarding Ray Allen. Redick is not known for his defense.

- The Magic’s deal for Rafer Alston did not get much buzz at the trade deadline but this acquisition is a difference maker in this game. Alston brings quickness to the Magic that the Celtics are having trouble stopping without Rajon Rondo.

- Pierce’s dunk past Pietrus and Battie has the crowd on their feet. The harsh reality is, the Celtics are still down by nearly 20.

- At the half … Magic 51, Celtics 33

Posted by Jessica Camerato

Rajon Rondo (ankle) is doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic, head coach Doc Rivers said before the game. Stephon Marbury would get the start if Rondo does not play. Rondo slightly sprained his right ankle on Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He left the game with Celtics trainer Ed Lacerte but later returned to finish with six point and 10 assists.

Posted by Jessica Camerato

The bigger the spotlight, the bigger he plays. Leon Powe does not always see major minutes, but when he is put on a national stage, he always seems to make the most of his time. Powe tries to show the world – and his opponents – just what he can do when given the opportunity.

“Everybody knows their on TV, but you want to play well. You want to do your best,” he said following the Celtics 105-94 win over the Cavaliers (RECAP HERE). “I always focus every game, I prepare the same, but there’s just a certain feeling when you wake up in the morning like you know you’re playing a big game.”

On Friday’s ESPN-televised game, Powe posted 20 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes. He is averaging just 6.7 points, 4.5 boards, and 16 minutes on the season. Not only was Powe aware of the implications of the game in a close Eastern Conference race, he also understood the consequences of a poor showing.

“You’ve got to go out there and do well,” he said. “You don’t want to do bad because you’re family and people are probably going to call you, like ‘What were you doing? What happened on this play?’ So I try to be extra focused too and just try to make the right reads and the right plays. I think I did everything right tonight, so fortunately I did. And that was good because some nights you aren’t going to make them like that.”

Of course Powe’s performance wasn’t driven by ego. He had no choice but to come up big for the Celtics to counter LeBron James and crew. The Celtics were already playing without forwards Kevin Garnett and Brian Scalabrine before Glen Davis was ejected for a Flagrant 2 Foul against Anderson Varejao.

“There’s a lot of relying on me to go in there and try to hold the paint down and just get rebounds and just play defense and score when I got some opportunities,” he said. “And I think I did that cause we’re missing a lot of people right now so I try to just do my best.”

Powe officially introduced himself to the world during Game of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Considering how well he plays when the spotlight is on, expect more encore performances.

Posted by Jessica Camerato

- Who will prove to be the better pick up? Marbury, Moore, and Smith are on the court in crunch time. Nothing better than being thrown to the wolves to get players ready for the postseason.

- Doc called Marbury over during free throws. As they talked, both put their hands on the other’s back. When was the last time Marbury seemed to get along this well with a coach?

- Big Z is getting everyone riled up tonight. This time he drew a controversial foul on Kendrick Perkins which sent the crowd into a tizzy.

- So much for Joe Smith’s jumper. Mikki Moore is showing off his mid-range game yet again. He is proving to be that legitimate back up center the Celtics never had in Patrick O’Bryant.

- Huge night for Leon Powe. In addition to his 18 points and 9 rebounds so far, he swatted a monster block followed up with a chance for a three-point play.

- Collision between Ray Allen and LeBron at half court. Both players fell to the ground after it looked like LeBron tried to set a hard pick. Everyone’s fine.

- Another tie up at halfcourt, this one reminding me of Pierce’s game-changing timeout during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

- Looks like this is a rap. James and the Cavs starters are being yanked with 1:27 to go. Pierce is still in the game with 45 minutes.

- Now it’s really a rap. J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker are in.

- Final score … Celtics 105, Cavs 94

Posted by Jessica Camerato

At the start of the second quarter … Celtics 21, Cavaliers 19

- The Garden kicked off the second quarter with a trivia contest for playoff tickets, hosted by Greg Dickerson. The contest pitted a Celtics and Cavs fan against one another. Despite being spoon-fed the correct answers, the Celtics fans still got the first question wrong. Needless to say he was booed.

- On the court: Celtics - Powe/Moore/Marbury/Pierce/House … Cavs - Gibson/Williams/Szczerbiak/Hickson/Smith

- It’ll be interesting to see how the Celtics bigs handle Joe Smith and J.J. Hickson. Smith has a mid-range jumper that can pull defenders out of the paint. The rookie Hickson was working on turn-around bank shots before the game.

- Mikki Moore had his first crowd-rousing moment at the Garden when he dunked through a handful of Cavs off of a Marbury pass.

- At the timeout: Celtics Karaoke courtesy of Big Baby, Ray Allen, and Leon Powe. Davis busted out into a solo performance that sounded like Simon Cowell’s worst nightmare.

- Rondo was welcomed back into the game with a standing ovation. The Cavs have most of their starters back in the game looking for an offensive spark. So far they have come up cold in the second quarter. The Celtics have all five starters in the game.

- LeBron’s posing after every shot like it’s a game winner. He’s shooting 2-for-7.

- Mo Williams has the Cavs back in this game with eight quick points. At the half … Cetlics 45, Cavs 43

Posted by Jessica Camerato

Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine cannot participate in one-on-one drills until April 1, he said prior to Friday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the meantime he will do excercises that do not involve “bouncing,” including the stationary bike and stairclimber. Scalabrine, who was diagnosed with post concussion syndrome, has not suffered from blurred vision since Tuesday. (A plus considering he said he parked Eddie House’s car.) He has not played since February 19 against the Utah Jazz.