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The Boston Celtics now find themselves one win away after a hard-fought, 107-98 win over the Orlando Magic at Kia Center Sunday (April 27) night. The Celtics will take a 3-1 lead in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs first round series as it shifts back to TD Garden for Game 5, with a good possibility of turning this into a gentleman's sweep as a result of sticking to their strengths in the face of an infuriating defense.
Neither the game's physicality, its chippiness, nor the continued struggles for Boston to connect from beyond the arc stymied the Celtics in a key road game in the first round. Instead, a mature win from Boston may have helped them put this series behind them in a number of games befitting a defending champion team playing a play-in opponent.
Let's take a look at the great, the awful, and what is still to be determined by Boston in this series.
This was an ugly game, as all the contests in the series have been. But there was plenty to point to that we can call great, chiefly the Celtics playing aggressively without abandoning the core of what makes them good -- ball movement, and getting the best shot. In this game -- despite the tropes about Mazzulla Ball and the Celtics head coach's love for the 3 -- that was taking it to the Magic in the paint for 38 points, where Boston outscored what they earned from beyond the arc (27 points) in this game.
And while Jayson Tatum may not have had the most efficient night of his career, his 37-point game was powered by an exceptionally efficient 14-of-14 from the charity stripe that also capitalized on the game's tighter whistle. Aggressive play from fellow star on the wing Jaylen Brown and the best outing from Kristaps Porzingis in the series also stood out in the win.
This one was, as noted earlier, another slog that went on for nearly three hours of real time from tip to final buzzer. And while we can't complain too much about the officiating (the tendency to ignore Mazzulla's calls for a timeout repeatedly and a few botched calls aside), the ongoing muck-it-up approach from Orlando nearly caused another fight.
Orlando head coach Jamahl Moseley standing over Tatum while he was down on the ground and then getting into it afterward was not the best look either. But at this point it's obvious that the Magic are going to lean into the best tools they have, and antagonism is clearly one of them. We could note the low 3-point attempts (31) and assists (17) again, but Orlando's defense is designed to do this, so we won't belabor the constants in this series.
How will Game 5 be called in light of how the chippiness has continued? Will the whistle get a bit looser after a pair of tight games, or is the noise about physical play across the postseason forcing a change in stance on how referees are approaching physicality more generally?
What will the energy be like at TD Garden for a potential closeout game? Will the Celtics bring the level of intensity they will need to get a bit of rest while other teams struggle through longer series? And will this be the game that Jrue Holiday returns to the court, or will Boston's medical team take the cautious approach with his hamstring issues, a notoriously easy issue to re-injure?
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: The Great, Awful, and the TBD of the Celtics Game 4 win vs. the Magic
Continue reading...
Neither the game's physicality, its chippiness, nor the continued struggles for Boston to connect from beyond the arc stymied the Celtics in a key road game in the first round. Instead, a mature win from Boston may have helped them put this series behind them in a number of games befitting a defending champion team playing a play-in opponent.
Let's take a look at the great, the awful, and what is still to be determined by Boston in this series.
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The Great
This was an ugly game, as all the contests in the series have been. But there was plenty to point to that we can call great, chiefly the Celtics playing aggressively without abandoning the core of what makes them good -- ball movement, and getting the best shot. In this game -- despite the tropes about Mazzulla Ball and the Celtics head coach's love for the 3 -- that was taking it to the Magic in the paint for 38 points, where Boston outscored what they earned from beyond the arc (27 points) in this game.
And while Jayson Tatum may not have had the most efficient night of his career, his 37-point game was powered by an exceptionally efficient 14-of-14 from the charity stripe that also capitalized on the game's tighter whistle. Aggressive play from fellow star on the wing Jaylen Brown and the best outing from Kristaps Porzingis in the series also stood out in the win.
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The Awful
This one was, as noted earlier, another slog that went on for nearly three hours of real time from tip to final buzzer. And while we can't complain too much about the officiating (the tendency to ignore Mazzulla's calls for a timeout repeatedly and a few botched calls aside), the ongoing muck-it-up approach from Orlando nearly caused another fight.
Orlando head coach Jamahl Moseley standing over Tatum while he was down on the ground and then getting into it afterward was not the best look either. But at this point it's obvious that the Magic are going to lean into the best tools they have, and antagonism is clearly one of them. We could note the low 3-point attempts (31) and assists (17) again, but Orlando's defense is designed to do this, so we won't belabor the constants in this series.
You must be registered for see images attach
What's To Be Determined
How will Game 5 be called in light of how the chippiness has continued? Will the whistle get a bit looser after a pair of tight games, or is the noise about physical play across the postseason forcing a change in stance on how referees are approaching physicality more generally?
What will the energy be like at TD Garden for a potential closeout game? Will the Celtics bring the level of intensity they will need to get a bit of rest while other teams struggle through longer series? And will this be the game that Jrue Holiday returns to the court, or will Boston's medical team take the cautious approach with his hamstring issues, a notoriously easy issue to re-injure?
You must be registered for see images
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: The Great, Awful, and the TBD of the Celtics Game 4 win vs. the Magic
Continue reading...
