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The Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 103-86 at home in Game 1 of the first round of the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference, to no one's surprise. But we saw some things worth taking a second look at just the same, things which could tell us more about the future of this series, and hopefully for Boston, beyond it for the Celtics.
There were several relative no-shows of note on Boston's side of the court, and some early issues where a version of the Celtics we had hoped to never see again in a postseason context (never mind against a team like the Magic with their offensive limitations and two key players out).
Let's take a look at the good, the bad, and what is still to be determined by Boston in this series.
Above all else, the Celtics won the game they should, and emerged from it (relatively) unharmed (more on that shortly). Speaking of player health, Jaylen Brown looked pretty solid for a player who had to sit out the last several games of the regular season save for a few defensive moments that could have been mental errors -- but also might have been business decisions.
But the Georgia native also dunked emphatically and was able to hold up well on both ends despite the justifiable concerns. As did his teammates, with Boston shooting well from deep (43.2%), and mixing up their attacks in a game Orlando did a good job limiting perimeter attempts. Derrick White (7-of-12) and Payton Pritchard (4-of-6) stood out in that regard in particular.
The Celtics won the rebounding battle 42-41 with Jayson Tatum leaning into pulling down boards on a night his shot wasn't falling (8-of-22 overall and 1-of-8 from deep). Weirdly, a flagrant foul in the second half that saw the St. Louis native take a hard fall after two Orlando players tried to block him seemed to make his shooting improve. But the most important thing is that he appears to be okay after appearing to injure both his wrists in the fall.
Nothing stands out more than the unfocused, unenergetic start to the game from Boston on defense, and the poor ball movement to start the game. It may have made the contest an interesting one to some, but the Magic did everything possible to overcome their offensive issues thanks to the Celtics mailing it in a bit early.
Thankfully Boston picked things up in the second half, but it took a few minutes for the Celtics to settle in -- and Kristaps Porzingis (1-for-8 overall) never seemed to find his footing in this game offensively. Short stints for Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet did not give them much of a chance to get anything going as well, but they also didn't do much with the time they had, either.
It's also worth noting Orlando held Boston to just 37 attempts from beyond the arc in this game.
Where Brown is at with his knee issues has not been answered definitively in this game, and might need a few full series before anyone is confident in saying anything about his health and how it might impact Boston's plans to repeat. But now Celtics fans have a new injury to worry about with Tatum's wrists, one of which bothered him notably throughout their last run to a title.
He did manage to finish the game, but it also saw both wrists taped up, and things tend to swell and ache the next day. With Game 2 not tipping off until Wednesday, the St. Louis native will have a little breather to ice them up.
One last thing to keep an eye on: the Celtics have led the league in 3-point attempts at 48.2 per game this season, but when facing Orlando, they have managed just 33 (Dec. 23), 37 (Jan. 17), and 40 (April 9) in the regular season, and as we noted above, 37 attempts in Game 1. It almost certainly won't matter for the Magic given their 27th-place offense, but you can bet that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder are taking notes.
Listen to the "Celtics Lab" podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: The Good, the Bad, and the TBD of the Celtics Game 1 win vs. the Magic
Continue reading...
There were several relative no-shows of note on Boston's side of the court, and some early issues where a version of the Celtics we had hoped to never see again in a postseason context (never mind against a team like the Magic with their offensive limitations and two key players out).
Let's take a look at the good, the bad, and what is still to be determined by Boston in this series.
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The Good
Above all else, the Celtics won the game they should, and emerged from it (relatively) unharmed (more on that shortly). Speaking of player health, Jaylen Brown looked pretty solid for a player who had to sit out the last several games of the regular season save for a few defensive moments that could have been mental errors -- but also might have been business decisions.
But the Georgia native also dunked emphatically and was able to hold up well on both ends despite the justifiable concerns. As did his teammates, with Boston shooting well from deep (43.2%), and mixing up their attacks in a game Orlando did a good job limiting perimeter attempts. Derrick White (7-of-12) and Payton Pritchard (4-of-6) stood out in that regard in particular.
The Celtics won the rebounding battle 42-41 with Jayson Tatum leaning into pulling down boards on a night his shot wasn't falling (8-of-22 overall and 1-of-8 from deep). Weirdly, a flagrant foul in the second half that saw the St. Louis native take a hard fall after two Orlando players tried to block him seemed to make his shooting improve. But the most important thing is that he appears to be okay after appearing to injure both his wrists in the fall.
You must be registered for see images attach
The Bad
Nothing stands out more than the unfocused, unenergetic start to the game from Boston on defense, and the poor ball movement to start the game. It may have made the contest an interesting one to some, but the Magic did everything possible to overcome their offensive issues thanks to the Celtics mailing it in a bit early.
Thankfully Boston picked things up in the second half, but it took a few minutes for the Celtics to settle in -- and Kristaps Porzingis (1-for-8 overall) never seemed to find his footing in this game offensively. Short stints for Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet did not give them much of a chance to get anything going as well, but they also didn't do much with the time they had, either.
It's also worth noting Orlando held Boston to just 37 attempts from beyond the arc in this game.
You must be registered for see images
What's To Be Determined
Where Brown is at with his knee issues has not been answered definitively in this game, and might need a few full series before anyone is confident in saying anything about his health and how it might impact Boston's plans to repeat. But now Celtics fans have a new injury to worry about with Tatum's wrists, one of which bothered him notably throughout their last run to a title.
He did manage to finish the game, but it also saw both wrists taped up, and things tend to swell and ache the next day. With Game 2 not tipping off until Wednesday, the St. Louis native will have a little breather to ice them up.
One last thing to keep an eye on: the Celtics have led the league in 3-point attempts at 48.2 per game this season, but when facing Orlando, they have managed just 33 (Dec. 23), 37 (Jan. 17), and 40 (April 9) in the regular season, and as we noted above, 37 attempts in Game 1. It almost certainly won't matter for the Magic given their 27th-place offense, but you can bet that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder are taking notes.
You must be registered for see images attach
Listen to the "Celtics Lab" podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: The Good, the Bad, and the TBD of the Celtics Game 1 win vs. the Magic
Continue reading...
