MAGIC, LAKERS, FIND A WAY THROUGH
The 2009 NBA playoffs were moving on with the Conference semi finals going to the wire. Game 1 saw four teams pick up an initial edge. Game 2 saw two teams maintain and extend that advantage. Game 3 saw a switch in locations but those two teams were still unbeaten. Game 4 saw one of those teams, the Cavs, book a spot in the Eastern Conference finals. Game 5 saw another switch of location and the other team, the Nuggets, book a spot in the Western Conference finals. Game 6 saw another yet another switch but the remaining two series were still left undecided. So now, one last switch. Game 7, winner takes all. One spot in each conference final on the line.
In the East, the Celtics faced the Magic in Boston. Well the Celtics opened the scoring 2-0 but the defending champions then got ripped to shreds, the Magic going on to dominate the first quarter with the reigning champions already on the ropes. With some long droughts in the second quarter, the best the Celtics could do was tread water. They did go on to make inroads in the Magic lead late on in the half but the visitors still had the last word. The Magic led 45-38 at half time, finishing the half with a Rafer Alston three-pointer. He led his team with 10 points. The Celtics could still save their title defence but they had their work cut out in the second half.
The Celts did manage to hold the Magic scoreless for the first two minutes of the second half, cutting the gap to three with 9:29 left in the third. The Magic went on to suffocate the Celtics again though and re-extend their lead before the end of the quarter, though the game was still fairly close with a quarter reaining. The Magic went on an 11-0 run at the start of the 4th and from there on in it looked pretty obvious that the title would change hands. The Magic lead hit twenty at one point late on and they went on to win the game 101-82. Hedo Turkoglu led his team with 25 points. The Magic win the series 4-3 and will face the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Out West, the Lakers faced the Rockets in LA. To pay the Rockets back for getting humilated early on in Game 6, the Lakers held the Rockets scoreless for the first five minutes of the game and the visitors struggled to even reach double figures before the end of the first quarter. The Lakers kept pounding their opponents into the ground throughout the second quarter, the gap hitting twenty five before a Rockets pullback left the Lakers still leading 51-31 at half time. Trevor Ariza led the Lakers with 13 points, continuing a solid run of form in the playoffs. The injury-weakened Rockets looked to have finally run out of fuel, this game looked over already.
The second half was much tighter in itself and the Rockets cut the gap to eighteen with 11:43 left in the third but the massive comeback they needed did not appear though the visitors did still come in with a quarter to go having taken a nibble into the gap. The fourth quarter, well the Lakers looked to just leave the Rockets in the dust. The home side may have been held scoreless for the last three minutes of the game but by that point a load of nobody reserves were on the floor. Lakers won the game 89-70 with Pau Gasol leading the team with 21 points. Lakers won the series 4-3 and will face the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.