MONDAY MAY 24, 2010 – Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics
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Team records:
Boston: 50-32 SU, 33-48-1 ATS
Orlando: 59-23 SU, 45-33-4 ATS
After Game 3’s bitchslap Stan Van Gundy said that his Orlando Magic had to do some soul searching before Monday night’s Game 4.
The Magic players probably have spent the last 36 hours searching instead for the best Italian restaurant in Boston’s North End or the best seafood restaurant on the waterfront.
Matchup: MAGIC vs. CELTICS
Time: Monday 8:30 ET
Venue: TD Garden, Boston
Spread: Celtics -7
Over/Under: 188
Van Gundy is powerless to do anything about the Boston freight train because his players no longer feel they have a chance to win.
The Magic can’t match Boston’s defensive intensity, can’t match Boston’s teamwork and can’t match Boston’s near-maniacal desire to get to The Finals.
Orlando has learned an uncomfortable fact of life in this series – what worked all season against the Torontos, Detroits, Washingtons, New Jerseys and even Atlantas of the NBA won’t work against a Celtics team that protects the rim as well as the mountains of Afghanistan have protected bin Laden.
The Magic’s inside-out offensive strategy is in tatters because Dwight Howard is not the monster in the paint that everyone thought he was. He can do it against the type of defense we see in the All-Star Game, but battling Boston’s bigs is another story.
In Game 3 six different Celtics had more points than Howard’s 7, and the with 18 fouls to burn against him (six each from Kendrick Perkins, Rasheed Wallace and Big Bay Davis), Boston used only 7 total. 
While Boston prepares to put the finishing touches on the series and get ready for the Lakers, Orlando is girding for an offseason that will be full of finger-pointing and recriminations.
Chances are about 100 percent that every story about Rashard Lewis will mention both his production (so far 15 total points in three games) and his contract ($118 million).
Motivation is never a problem on a Celtics team that spent the entire season resting for the playoffs, and Matt Barnes’s Flagrant Foul That Wasn’t Called against Kevin Garnett should keep the Celtics locked and loaded for Game 4.
Magic vs. Celtics Game 4 Free NBA Prediction
Three games in and the oddsmakers are finally getting it.
The Celtics were only 3.5-point favorites in Game 3 and obliterated that number in the first minute of the game. That number has doubled for Game 4, and as of Sunday night the public was backing Boston by a 62-38 margin. The number opened at 6 and was quickly bet up to 7, and it probably will go even higher. Orlando is particularly toxic right now and should be avoided at all costs.
Totals players should note that the under has cashed in all 3 games, though Game 2 (95-92 with a number of 188) was a bad beat when Vince Carter bricked two free throws in the late going.
Hunch play here on the OVER.
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Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling and travel expert from Massachusetts.
