Schedule and 2009-10 Results
Regular Season Records: Orlando 59-23, Boston 50-32
Game 1 on Sunday, 16 May: Boston wins at Orlando, 92-pts-88
Game 2 on Tuesday, 18 May: Boston wins at Orlando, 95-pts-92
Game 3 on Saturday, 22 May: Orlando loses at Boston, 94-pts-71
Game 4 on Monday, 24 May: Orlando wins at Boston, 96-pts-92 (OT)
Game 5 on Wednesday, 26 May: Boston loses at Orlando, 113-pts-92
Game 6 on Friday, 28 May: Orlando loses at Boston, 96-pts-84

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: The Boston Celtics hosted and defeated the Orlando Magic 96-pts-84 for a 4-games-2 MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1116 victory. With the series 1116 victory, the Boston Celtics improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 59-19 overall and 20-8 in the NBA Semifinals. With the series 1116 loss, the Orlando Magic see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 9-7 overall and 2-2 in the NBA Semifinals. The win order for the victorious Boston Celtics in series 1116 was WWWLLW: Series 1116 thus becomes the third NBA Semifinals series, the seventh NBA series (all rounds), and the 17th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. With a best-of-7 NBA playoff series record of 59-19 (.756), the Boston Celtics have the highest best-of-7 series-winning percentage of any MLB/NBA/NHL franchise entity which has played five or more best-of-7 playoff series.

After Game 5: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1116 back in Florida for Game 5, the host Orlando Magic defeated the Boston Celtics 113-pts-92 to narrow the Boston series 1116 lead to 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Boston Celtics have a 33-1 series record and an 18-16 Game 6 record - the sole series loss in this context by Boston occurred in series 1080, in which the Celtics fell in the 2009 NBA Quarterfinals round ... to the Orlando Magic. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Orlando Magic have a 1-0 series record and a 1-0 Game 6 record: Both the sole series victory and the sole Game 6 victory occurred in the aforementioned series 1080 against Boston. Prior to series 1116, 93 best-of-7 NBA playoff series featured one team taking a 3-game-nil series lead; of those 93, only nine went to a sixth game; of those nine, three were played at the home of the team taking the 3-games-nil lead (subsequently reduced to 3-games-2); of those three, all three resulted in a home team Game 6 win and 4-games-2 series victory (in series 63 [with the Chicago Stags hosting the Washington Capitols in the 1947 NBA Semifinals - in the first best-of-7 NBA playoff series], in series 75 [with the Minneapolis Lakers hosting those same Washington Capitols in the 1949 NBA Finals], and in series 719 [with the Chicago Bulls hosting the Seattle Supersonics in the 1996 NBA Finals]). Of the nine best-of-7 NBA playoff series in which a team took a 3-games-nil lead which then was cut to 3-games-2, three were forced to a Game 7 (in series 85 [with the Rochester Royals having led the New York Knickerbockers 3-games-nil in the 1951 NBA Finals], in series 669 [with the Utah Jazz having led the Denver Nuggets 3-games-nil in the 1994 NBA Quarterfinals], and in series 894 [with the Dallas Mavericks having led the Portland Trailblazers 3-games-nil in the 2003 NBA Preliminary round]); in all three cases, the team that had led 3-games-nil played Game 7 at home, and won Game 7 and the series. In the nine best-of-7 NBA playoff series in which a team took a 3-games-nil lead which then was cut to 3-games-2, the six teams winning Game 6 and the series led after the first quarter of Game 6, while two of the three teams winning Game 6 to force a Game 7 trailed after the first quarter of Game 6 (New York in 1951; Denver in 1994).

After Game 4: The Orlando Magic visited and defeated the Boston Celtics 96-pts-92 in overtime to stave off a sweep in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1116. Boston leads series 1116, 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the Boston Celtics have a series record of 24-0 and a Game 5 record of 16-8. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the Orlando Magic have a series record of 0-2 and a Game 5 record of 0-2. The 94th NBA team to fall behind 3-games-nil in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Orlando Magic have become the 37th to stave off a sweep, and are trying to become the tenth in that situation to force a Game 6.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1116 in Massachusetts for Games 3-4, the host Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic 94-pts-71 to take a 3-games-nil series lead. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-nil, the Boston Celtics have an 11-0 series record and a 4-7 Game 4 record; when trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-nil, the Orlando Magic have a 0-3 series record and a matching 0-3 Game 4 record. The Orlando Magic become the 287th MLB/NBA/NHL team to attempt to surmount a 3-games-nil deficit in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series.

After Game 2: The Boston Celtics visited and defeated the Orlando Magic 95-pts-92 to take a 2-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1116. The Boston Celtics thus lead a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil with both Games 1 and 2 on the road for the first time in their illustrious franchise history (thrice had the Celtics won Games 1-2 with Game 1 on the road and Game 2 at home [in the 1960s, when the alternating-site-by-game format was more common]). When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Boston Celtics have a 32-0 series record and an 11-21 Game 3 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Orlando Magic have a 0-5 series record and a 2-3 Game 3 record.

After Game 1: Staving off a strong fourth quarter by the host Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics won on the road 92-pts-88 to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1116. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Celtics have a series record of 49-5 with an active five-series winning streak, and a Game 2 record of 32-22; when trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Orlando Magic have a series record of 1-5 and a Game 2 record of 1-5 (with the sole Game 2 win occurring during the sole series win - in series 1073 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2009 NBA Preliminary round). The series 1116 Game 1 loss stops the Orlando Magic game-winning streak from the start of the 2010 NBA playoffs at eight games.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2009-10 regular season, Orlando finished nine games ahead of Boston. From 1947 through the 2010 NBA Quarterfinals, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by nine regular-season games, they have posted a 17-1 (.944) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents, with an active eight-series winning streak. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1116 is the 78th best-of-7 playoff series for Boston, and the 16th for Orlando. In best-of-7 playoff series, Boston has a 58-19 series record, a 19-8 Semifinals-round series record, and a 54-23 Game 1 record, while Orlando has a 9-6 series record, a 2-1 Semifinals-round record, and a 9-6 Game 1 record. Series 1116 is the second best-of-7 meeting between Boston and Orlando; Orlando won the first. Orlando enters series 1116 with eight consecutive playoff game victories.