Celtics vs Magic Game 1 review
The Celtics took game 1 against the Magic with a final score of 103-86. While the score may not indicate it, this was a gritty win, where the Celtics looked extremely rusty with the week of rest. The Magic even lead 49-48 after the end of the first half, with the Celts having a tough time with the Magic's physical defense, as well as a bit of hot shooting. But the Magic could not get anything going in the 2nd half after the Celtics found their rhythm, scoring a whopping 37 2nd half points to Boston's 55, in large part to the Celtics getting a feel for Orlando's physicality as well as properly attacking close outs and rotations.
The biggest story after the game will no doubt be Jayson Tatum's wrist injury he sustained halfway through the 4th quarter after going for a dunk against 2 defenders. He struggled for most of the game shooting just 8/22 and 1/8 from 3, but he managed to make a few jumpers after the injury. Whether that was simply adrenaline taking over or the injury not being a massive factor will remain to be seen. The best player in this game however, was Derrick White , who scored 30 points on 10/18 and 7/12 from 3. It seemed anytime a huge shot was needed he came through, as well as being the elite defender he is recording a steal and 2 blocks. His prescence on the court cannot be overstated, as him and Pritchard were the only consistent players for the Celtics.
The Magic were the number 1 team in 3 point attempts allowed, and it showed, holding the Celtics to just 37 3 pointers, 11 under their season average. But the Celts made them count, making 16 out of those 37. If the gameplan is to run shooters off the line and force contested two's, Porzingis, Tatum and Brown will HAVE to be better, specifically Porzingis. Scoring just 5 points and making 1 shot just can't happen. Luckily it is the first game of the first round, so it is far from panic time.
But he has to play better. On the flip side of this, Orlando shot 37% from three, on just 27 attempts however. Going into the game Orlando was dead last in three point percentage, so for them this is an improvement, however outside of Paolo, the team shot 6/20. If Orlando is to have any true chance of winning, they will have to shoot well above their means, and on a higher volume, so that could be a point of emphasis for the Celtics to watch for going forward.
The Saratogian – Derrick White powers Celtics past Magic (April 20, 2025)
With Jaylen Brown , Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis all having rough games, this is where the team's depth had to step up, and they did. In terms of the overall team performance, this is about what should have been expected. The first half was rough, but adjustments were made and the better team won. Just as I discussed in my game 1 preview, the Magic simply don't have the firepower to keep up with anyone offensively outside of Banchero and Wagner, and that was exactly what happened today.
The two combined for 59 points, with nobody else on the team scoring more than 7 points, all combining for a horrific 10/30 from the field. The game plan going forward will likely follow a similar path to game 1. Let the stars eat, and lock down the others. The Celtics stars simply have to be better and this SHOULD be an easy sweep.