Boston at Orlando

The Magic learned something from their first three games in this series. If they allow Rondo the freedom to drive and roam, he is going to hurt you. They are clamping down, and as a result, his points and assists took a drop in game four.  I look for them to defend hard against him early here, to take his will away. The Celtics have been all about defense allowing less than 87ppg in their last seven. The NBA Conference Finals remain a haven for first half totals to fall short of the mark. The mark stands at 190-118 in the last 308 failing to reach the first half total. Over the past three seasons, these two teams have met 22 times and 18 of those games resulted in a first-half UNDER. Over the past two seasons, Boston is 11-2 UNDER in the first half on the road revenging a home upset loss. The team signatures and long term trends all point the same way.  I'll ride along on the first half UNDER.