MAGIC, CELTICS ONE STEP FROM PROGRESS
The 2010 NBA playoffs had officially started. Out of the 16 teams involved, 8 managed to get an initial edge in Game 1 of their first round series. Then 5 of those teams managed to consolidate their initial advantage by also winning Game 2. For those 5 teams though, things were able to get tricky. Now they had to leave their home court for Game 3 and see what they could do on the road. If they managed to win that game as well, then the series would be as good as over. If the losing team did manage to win Game 3 though then things would get a lot more interesting. Ultimately though it was the underdog's time to shine as their backs were against the wall.
In the East, the Magic faced the Bobcats in Charlotte. The Magic were running the show early on in the 1st quarter and built up a solid lead. The Bobcats managed to bite into it but the Magic held on and still led to the tune of 29-27 at the end of the opener. The opening minute of the 2nd quarter was scoreless but it wasn't long after that that the Bobcats took the lead and looked to show the Magic who's house they were in, shoving Kryptonite in 'Superman''s face in the process. The Magic made a good effort to bail out their superhero but ultimately it wasn't good enough. Larry Hughes grabbed 10 points with the Bobcats leading 46-41 at half time.
The Bobcats extended their lead to 50-41 with 11:12 left in the 3rd quarter only for the Magic to eventually turn the game back around. The Bobcats weren't done yet though and retook the lead again only for the Magic to reply and by the time that quarter ended, the game was tied at 66. The two teams continued to duel early in the 4th quarter and initially, it seemed as though the Bobcats might be able to win the game and save the series. However the Magic had other ideas, found one last gear and managed to hold to a late lead. They have Jameer Nelson to thank for that achievement, he came up with 32 points. The Magic won 90-86.
The Celtics faced the Heat in Miami. The Celtics grabbed the early edge and it took a while for the Heat to match them. The home side eventually managed to pull away though and secured a lead by the end of the quarter. The Heat continued to have the edge initially in the 2nd quarter but with their fans relatively quiet it wasn't long before the Celtics turned the game round and from there, built up a 39-31 lead with 7:10 left in the 1st half, leaving the Heat with questions to answer. The home side's initial rally hit a dead end but their later effort was more succsessful. Dwayne Wade came into half time with 15 points, albeit all in the 1st quarter. The Heat led 49-48 at the half.
The Heat continued their good form early on in the 3rd quarter and went on to lead 61-56 with 7:33 left in the quarter only for the Celtics to go on a 6-0 run that allowed them to turn the game around. The Heat weren't done and the two sides duelled again for a bit but the Celtics certainly were pulling away with a quarter to go. In the 4th quarter the Heat fans finally woke up but their team only looked able to do limited damage to the deficit. Finally they looked like pulling through though, retaking the lead with less that four minutes on the clock. One last duel between the two sides. With a buzzer beating Paul Pierce jumpshot though, the Celtics won 100-98. Pierce claiming 32 points.
Elsewhere, the Bulls beat the Cavs 108-106 in Chicago thanks partly to some great defence from Luol. The Cavs still lead the series 2-1 though. The Bucks beat the Hawks 107-89 in Milwaukee though the Hawks still lead that series 2-1. Out West, the Thunder beat the Lakers 101-96 in Oklahoma City though the Lakers still lead that series after three games. The Spurs beat the Mavs 94-90 in San Antonio to land the number 2 seed in trouble. The Suns beat the Blazers 108-89 in Portland, taking the lead in that series after three games. The Jazz beat the Nuggets 105-93 in Utah to leave the Northwest division champions with some questions to answer.
Click here to visit the Basketball archive
Comments go here
