Halftime thoughts: Celtics 58, Magic 48

The Celtics had a decent first half at the Amway Center and lead the Magic 58-48.

Some thoughts...

* Paul Pierce's age is really showing tonight. A lot of his missed shots -- he's 3-of-10 from the floor -- have hit the front of the rim, he has no lift, and he's been late on a lot of defensive rotations. The Celtics have been using him a lot in pin-down situations to make up for his lack of athleticism, but that hasn't happened tonight. He has had to create his own shot, and it has made him look as every bit of the 35-year-old that he is. Hopefully the Celtics adjust and get him in more pin-downs in order to put him in the best position to succeed in the second half.

* The Celtics are doing a great job on the defensive glass. They are getting all the rebounds they should and have allowed Orlando to grab only 3 offensive boards. As Doc said after the game on Wednesday when they had only one offensive rebound, "That is a number I rarely look at [offensive rebounds]." Well Doc, your team has 5 and currently leads in that category. Golf clap to that

* The pace is definitely being dictated by the Celtics. They are running in transition and getting the shots they want. They're leading in fast break points, 13-8.

* Rajon Rondo is on the brink of moving into a second place tie with John Stockton for the assist streak. Rondo needs one assist to make it 37 straight games with double-digit assists. He nearly compiled a double-double in 20 minutes with 10 points and 9 assists. He also has 5 rebounds. The triple-double watch is in full effect.

* A night after going scoreless but still being lauded by Doc for his defensive performance, Leandro Barbosa is back to his old scoring ways. He filled up the stat line quickly, scoring 11 points on 4-of-4 from the field in 4 minutes. However, he also has 3 fouls. He has to be careful with that.

* Jeff Green has played 10 minutes and done absolutely nothing. He's 0-of-4 from the floor and has done nothing but commit a foul and turn the ball over once. This is exactly what Doc and his staff were hoping would not happen after Friday night. Looks like Green is just doing what he does best: being consistently inconsistent.