WALTHAM, Mass. — The original Boston Garden is long gone, and so is the fear in opponents’ eyes when they play the Celtics on their home floor.
So don’t expect the Magic to be too intimidated when it arrives for Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
“We’ve won there before, and there’s no reason we can’t do it again,” forward Rashard Lewis said Friday. “Boston came to us and beat us twice on our home court, so it’s happened before. Why can’t we do it? Why can’t it happen again?”
The Celtics took the first two games in Orlando, and a victory at the new Boston Garden tonight would give them a chance to complete the sweep Monday. But home-court advantage doesn’t mean what it used to for Boston.
The Celtics were 24-17 at home this year — tied for the worst of all the playoff teams — but Boston has never blown a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series, and the Magic has never come back after losing the first two games.
“Those are daunting numbers, and I think those numbers are maybe good for gamblers and oddsmakers,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “But they don’t really mean anything to you.”
