Celtics Are ‘Team On a Mission': Magic Q&A Heading Into Saturday's Game
ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic (0-2) will face the reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics (2-0) Saturday night at the Amway Center for its first home game of the season.
In order to gain more insight about the Celtics' current status, we spoke with Bobby Krivitsky of Inside the Celtics to learn more.
1. How do you foresee the transition from Ime Udoka to Joe Mazzulla?
After getting to but coming up short in the Finals, the Celtics are locked-in. Despite the team's turmoil, training camp was high energy, upbeat, and laser focused. That's helped make the transition to Joe Mazzulla a smooth one.
Ownership and Brad Stevens wouldn't have chosen Mazzulla to take the reins if he didn't have the respect of the locker room. It helps that he's comfortable with who he is.
After Tuesday's opening night win, Jayson Tatum praised his head coach for his honesty, collaborative approach, and not pretending he has all the answers. Those traits, combined with an attention to detail that signaled to Bob Huggins Mazzulla would go from his floor general at West Virginia to a head coach, are serving him well in his transition from sitting behind the bench a season ago to at the helm of a title contender.
2. The Celtics don't have a ton of depth in the frontcourt, which could be a challenge against the Magic, who have doubled down on size. What's the plan for the frontcourt?
Even with Al Horford expressing he wants to play in both ends of back-to-backs this season, after logging 34 minutes Friday night vs. the Heat, one would expect the 36-year-old to spend more time on the bench against Orlando.
That factored into Blake Griffin not playing in Boston's win in South Beach. So, he'll factor into the center rotation along with Noah Vonleh, a former top-10 pick that plays with a ton of energy and has had productive shifts in the first two games. Saturday might also bring Luke Kornet's season debut. While he's coming off an ankle injury, he's a seven-foot-two center who moves well and can stretch the floor.
As for contending with the promising tandem of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Celtics like to short shift Jayson Tatum to keep at least one of he and Jaylen Brown on the court throughout the game. They've operated that way dating back to Brad Stevens' time as their head coach.
Additionally, at 6-5 and 6-4, respectively, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White can move up a position defensively. It helps that the former has a 6-10 wingspan, and White's is 6-7.5. And Grant Williams can slide down from the four spot, depending on the matchup. Both by design and due to Boston's switch-heavy scheme, he'll be on Banchero at times tonight.
3. What's one thing about the Celtics that people should know that you cannot find in a box score?
It goes back to what I said earlier: the Celtics are a team on a mission. From Tatum to Brown to Brogdon, who's accustomed to starting but functioning as Boston's sixth man, sacrificing individual success to do what's best for the team is a sentiment they often voice, and they're backing it up with their actions.
4. If the Celtics were to lose to the Magic tonight, what would be the reason?
While both teams are on the second night of a back-to-back, Orlando is young, hungry for its first win of the season, and playing in its home opener. It's also a chance for Banchero to make a statement in his first regular-season game in front of the home fans.
If that translates to Orlando playing with far more energy and the Celtics losing focus, not taking care of the ball, and perhaps, foul trouble, the Magic's first victory of the 2022-23 campaign could come against the defending Eastern Conference champions.
5. What's your prediction for the game?
As easy as it is to envision the Magic winning for the reasons stated above, Brown's 25, Tatum's 24, and Boston had two days in between its first and second games this season. The Celtics should show the necessary stamina to perform up to their standard and leave the Amway Center with a win.
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