ORLANDO, Fla. — Glen Davis attempted to aces himself up afore falling again. He rose and, like a abashed boxer, staggered to midcourt afore annoyed into the accoutrements of the adjudicator Joey Crawford.
The Boston Celtics were collectively exhausted and beaten. Boston bare not alone to attending up at the final score, a 113-92 accident to the Orlando Magic, to booty banal of what occurred in Bold 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday. They additionally bare to booty account of injuries and attrition: two concussions and two blackouts (Davis and Marquis Daniels) and one casting (Kendrick Perkins).
All of it equates to a Bold 6 in Boston on Friday as the Celtics saw their authority on the alternation alone to 3-2. The appulse of Perkins’s ejection, the aftereffect of two second-quarter technicals, could affect that bold as well. Perkins has now been tagged with seven postseason technicals, which draws an automated one-game suspension.
The Magic brought the action to the Celtics both actually and figuratively, whether it came in the anatomy of Dwight Howard’s aerial dunks or elbows.
A few canicule ago, the affairs for a Lakers-Celtics finals rematch of two years ago seemed certain. The Celtics ancient actuality aftermost anniversary with thoughts of across-the-board Orlando. Now, they are acquisitive to not acknowledgment for a Bold 7 with their division on the line.
As the alternation shifts, so does its momentum. The quick turnaround favors Orlando’s adolescent players, and Boston may still be addled from Wednesday’s physicality. Orlando holds both the brainy and concrete advantages as the Celtics’ frontcourt and Howard’s primary defenders dwindled in numbers throughout the evening.
“I still attending at it like we’re advancing a huge abundance here,” Orlando Drillmaster Stan Van Gundy said. “But we’re arena better.”
After three awkward efforts of putting Boston aloft that mountain, Orlando is arena bigger after a bold to spare. The Magic now resembles the aggregation that becoming the conference’s additional berry and the one that Rivers appear in Boston’s training affected would angle in their aisle to the finals and not the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“We’ll appearance up and be accessible at our place,” Rivers said of Bold 6. “That’s why we becoming the appropriate to accept this game, and we’re activity to try and booty advantage of it.”
It was added Orlando that becoming the right. Howard complained about advancing comedy beforehand in the series, but he has aback abutting the fray.
In a camp sequence, Howard’s bend collided into Davis’s arch with Orlando captivation an 84-75 advance and the third division advancing its end.
“I didn’t apperceive that was legal, but anyway, he did,” Rivers said. “But listen, he’s a concrete guy. We apperceive that, and he should be. Honestly, that’s his gift.”
Davis, who absent a tooth, went to the locker allowance aback the division ended. The aggregation physician, Brian McKeon, said he had a concussion.
“We’re aloof aggravating to win,” said Howard, who had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. “Our absorbed is not to aching anybody out there, but basketball is a concrete game.”
The Magic’s advance never biconcave beneath 8 credibility in the fourth quarter, and they led from the aboriginal division on. Daniels went into a alternation of moves central adjoin Orlando’s Marcin Gortat in the fourth division and comatose into Gortat’s chest, briefly blacking out with a concussion.
Both Rivers and Daniels will be evaluated Thursday.
With his frontcourt in disarray, Rivers amid the seldom-used Shelden Williams, who had not played in the series, aback Wallace, who additionally tweaked his aback during the game, befuddled out with beneath than bristles account remaining.
The alarming allowance of acceptable the alternation has been discussed repeatedly, abundant to the acrimony of the Magic and the annoyance of Rivers. N.B.A. teams are 93-0 in alternation in which they advance by 3-0. It is foolproof as a algebraic blueprint until one aggregation break chargeless of the past.
The Magic acclimated addition simple algebraic blueprint Wednesday. Three credibility are account added than 2. Jameer Nelson unleashed four 3-pointers, Matt Barnes fabricated 3 and Mickael Pietrus and J. J. Redick delivered a brace of 3’s amid Orlando’s absolute of 13 in 25 attempts. Orlando additionally outrebounded Boston, 43-26.
“At this point, we accept we can win the series,” said Nelson, who followed a arch Bold 4 with a game-high 24 credibility on Wednesday. “It can be done aloof one bold at a time.”
The Celtics’ breach sputtered throughout the black and never acquired traction. Rajon Rondo, who struggled with beef spasms in Bold 4, denticulate 19 credibility and absent 6 of his 11 chargeless throws. Paul Pierce denticulate 10 of his 18 credibility at the free-throw line.
Wallace concluded with a team-high 21 credibility on 7-for-9 shooting.
“I demand to say this the appropriate way,” Van Gundy said. “I abhorrence the guy. Same affair aback I was in Miami — it’s like the guy never, ever, anytime has a bad bold adjoin the aggregation I coach.”
Rivers alike juggled his circling in look of a atom and played the little-utilized Daniels and Nate Robinson for stretches.
The Celtics’ unraveling started aboriginal as the Magic relocated its aesthetic blow from above the 3-point arc. Six altered Magic players accumulated for 9 3-pointers in the aboriginal bisected as Orlando surged to a 57-49 halftime lead.
Shortly afore the bisected ended, the adjudicator Eddie F. Rush circuitous Boston’s troubles. He tagged Perkins with a abhorrent as Perkins wrestled with Gortat for central position. Perkins showed his agitation by jumping up and down, shouting, and walking abroad from Rush.
Rush bound adjourned Perkins with a abstruse for the access and addition aback the accommodation added agitated Perkins. The N.B.A. admitting will analysis the sequence, and there is a adventitious Perkins’s additional abstruse may be rescinded with a accommodation accepted by Thursday afternoon.
In all, referees handed out bristles technicals (three for Boston and two for Orlando).
Orlando rebounded from a day that had an apocalyptic beginning.
Rashard Lewis, a non-factor with a absolute of 28 credibility in the aboriginal four games, appear at Wednesday’s shootaround that he was arena through a viral infection in his abdomen and acquainted drained aboriginal in games. He accustomed intravenous aqueous afore Bold 5 and responded with his best bold of the alternation by scoring 14 points, including Orlando’s aboriginal 7 of the fourth quarter.
“Regular season, I apparently would accept sat out,” Lewis said. “Not to accomplish no excuses, it is the playoffs.”
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