Tonight's Going to be a Good Night

I will be shocked if the Magic win this game without some serious help from the guys with the whistles.

The Celtics are building a swagger that they did not have in the 2008 championship run. That team had yet to win a title and the pressure to get a championship made them play tight at certain points of the postseason (remember that they went 16-10 and were forced to a Game 7 in the first two rounds).

This team is playing with a confidence that only a veteran, championship-proven club can pull off at this time of year.

One of the amazing parts of this impressive run has been Doc Rivers handling of the substitutions. Doc is known for going deep into his bench, usually at the expense of having a tested and cohesive rotation. Lately Doc has been running out the starting five and a three-man bench of Rasheed Wallace, Glen Davis, and Tony Allen.

Allen has long been an enigma. His athleticism offers promise but his decision making on both ends can leave the viewer frustrated. Towards the end of the year Allen began to play more consistently and so far in the playoffs he has been a major factor on defense and has given the team some explosive scoring bursts off the bench.

I expect a better performance out of the Magic tonight but the Celtics are on a mission and will return to the Garden on Saturday with a commanding 2-0 series lead.