Boston Celtics Advance To NBA Finals: 3 Things Magic Can Learn From Their Success
The Boston Celtics are heading to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. It's a step up from losing in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018 and 2020, and now this team has taken another step in the right direction.
And as the Orlando Magic find themselves towards the beginning of its rebuild, the team could take some ideas out of the Celtics' playbook.
Here's three things the Magic can learn from the Celtics:
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Defense Wins Championships?
Every starter for the Boston Celtics got at least one vote for Defensive Player of the Year, including Marcus Smart, the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton back in 1996.
The defense is ultimately what has moved Boston from a pretender to a contender and has them playing on a whole new level. The team hasn't made too many major adjustments to the personnel in recent years, but rather the philosophy.
Swapping out offensive-minded Brad Stevens for a defensive-minded Ime Udoka has proven to be an important move for the franchise, and it now has them four games away from a championship.
You Can Build Through The Draft
There appears to be this preconceived idea that you have to be big on the free agent market to succeed in the current NBA, but that myth is quickly being debunked.
The Celtics' core, apart from Al Horford and Derrick White, were drafted by the franchise.
The team did get shifty on the trade market, as the Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett blockbuster that allowed them to draft Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum still has an impact on the organization, but the Celtics drafted the right player both times.
The Magic have the opportunity to draft at the top of the class, so the team needs to take advantage.
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There Will Be Growing Pains, But That's OK
It's been a long road for the Celtics to get to where they are. Their last Finals appearance came in 2010, the Magic's last appearance came one year before in 2009. Granted, the franchises have gone in different directions since then, but the Celtics had to swing and miss a few times before fully getting it right.
With the level of parity in the Eastern Conference at the moment, teams are expected to fail more often than they are to succeed.
The Celtics fell down, but have gotten back up. And the Magic aren't afraid to do the exact same thing.
