After watching the Celtics get murdered for three quarters in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, I have come to a decisive conclusion:  the Boston Celtics are not championship contenders.

The Celtics had no answer for the inside-outside game that the Magic had going.  Orlando was having their way, moving the ball, getting open shots – they almost looked like the Globetrotters out there.

But in the 4th, here come the Celtics…once again putting together a run to make the game interesting.  This warrants the fitting question: 

Why can’t they play like this for the entire game?

With 2 perennial All-Stars (and a total of 3 on the roster), you would think that scoring would not be a problem.  However, it has been Rajon Rondo who has provided the much-needed plays on his fierce drives to the basket.  Rondo probably even ignited the Boston run when he took the ball hard to the rack in Dwight Howard’s mug (and drew the foul).

The rest of the Celtics need to take note of Rondo’s efforts.  If they can successfully attack the rim, the benefits will be two-fold:

1. They would be able to get to the free throw line.
2. They would put some pressure on Howard – forcing him to make a decision as to how aggressive he can be on the defensive end – and possibly get him into some sort of foul trouble.

If the Celtics can’t do that, then the overall inside-out balance of the Magic will be hard to beat.

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Tags: Celtics, Dwight Howard, Magic, Rajon Rondo