Welcome to Game 2

ORLANDO, Fla. — Welcome to Amway Arena, where the Boston Celtics will take on the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at 8:30 p.m. (ESPN). The Celtics lead the series, 1-0.

No difference in the pregame scene here from Game 1. Both teams have been answering the same questions since Sunday: How good is the Celtics’ defense? Does Dwight Howard need to be dominant for Orlando to win? Is tonight’s game a must-win for the Magic?

On that last one: Probably. If the Magic lose tonight they’ve got to win 4 of 5 against the Celtics, with three of those games taking place in Boston. On the middle one, Stan Van Gundy just opined to the assembled media.

“It is a tough thing and you have to be a very strong person today if you are one of the best players,” said Van Gundy. “Because they will tear you apart in the media saying you need to do this, this, and this to prove it to us, but that might not be what your team needs you to do to win the game.

“We need to help [Howard] some in what we run. And needs to be more efficient in what he runs offensively…He’s just going to have to be able to deal with the criticism, as unfair as it is right now. He’s a great player. We would be nowhere near where we are without him.”

Both locker rooms are whisper quiet: Howard and Brandon Bass were the only players in the Magic locker room: Howard was getting dressed while Bass was eating is pregame meal. In the Celtics locker room, Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels, and Kendrick Perkins were the only players present as the rest of the team warmed up on the court or received medical treatment. It’s a far cry from the boisterous locker rooms of the regular season.