Magic Expecting 'Heck of a Series' Versus Defending Champion Celtics

The Orlando Magic's first-round playoff series comes against the defending champions from a year ago. In contending with the No. 2-seed Boston Celtics, Orlando is expecting a "heck of a series" as it looks to end a dominant two-year run for the 18-time champs.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) defends Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) during the second half at TD Garden. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

ORLANDO, Fla. – Last summer, when the Boston Celtics won their 18th NBA championship on the parquet court inside TD Garden, Cole Anthony was there to witness it.

The Orlando Magic's fifth-year guard has a sister who attends school in Boston, and while visiting, he decided to get a feel for what that championship-clinching atmosphere would feel like firsthand. His takeaway?

"That is probably the craziest environment of a game I've ever seen," Anthony said.

Anthony's stellar play, with plenty of contributions elsewhere, led the Magic past the Atlanta Hawks in Tuesday's Play-In game and back to the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Awaiting the No.7- seed Magic is Boston, a 61-win team that is prepping its first title defense.

"It's going to be a heck of a series," Anthony said. "I just can't wait to get out there, I can't wait to play. I'm just excited for this team, and we have a great opportunity ahead of us and I know everyone's excited."

"Facing the champs, it's a great opportunity to see and play against the best team in the league," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. "They're the champs still until somebody beats them. I think what they do and what they present is a lot of challenges, and we have to find a way to figure that out."

Those challenges start with defending Jayson Tatum – a perennial MVP candidate who averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists this season. Because of an illness in one game and resting in another, Tatum only played in one of Orlando and Boston's three matchups this year. In that Jan. 17 meeting, the Celtics' one win versus the Magic, Tatum poured in 30 points in a nationally televised 27-point drubbing of the visiting Magic.

Like Paolo Banchero, the Magic's leading star who stresses defenses with his size and physicality as an offensive force, Tatum is a former Duke Blue Devil. Thanks to The Brotherhood, they have a longstanding connection that predates Banchero's arrival in Durham.

"I see him every summer," Banchero said Tuesday. "[He's] a guy that I'm very familiar with; one of the guys I go to for advice and stuff like that, but obviously now we're competing.

"I think the best way for me to show my respect is to give him my best effort and go at him as much as I can. I'm excited for the matchup, and I'm just excited to be in the playoffs in general. We had an up-and-down season, so the fact that we're able to clinch the seven seed and give ourselve a chance to go into Boston and make some noise, I'm just happy about that but definitely looking forward to the challenge."

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum chat in the East All-Star locker room during the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. | Jim Poorten, Getty Images

As great as Tatum is, Boston possesses firepower up and down the roster that rightfully paints them as one of the league's toughest covers.

Jaylen Brown, a 22-point-per-game scorer, comes into this year's playoffs following a Finals MVP win last June.

Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are both 90th percentile or better defenders according to Dunks and Threes' defensive EPM metric. Kristaps Porzingis battled injuries this year, but averaged nearly 20 points and seven rebounds a game when active.

Substitute Al Horford for Porzingis at the five alongside Tatum, Brown, White and Holiday, and that lineup posted a plus-17.7 net rating in 268 minutes – the second-best five-player combination with at least 200 minutes together in the NBA this year. Luke Kornet also emerged as one of the best backup bigs in basketball.

Payton Pritchard is the odds-on favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year, and willing shooters like Sam Houser helped Boston attempt 48.2 threes a game, shattering the 2018-19 Houston Rockets' single-season record for most attempts per game by nearly three whole attempts.

"They've got a lot of scorers on that team," Wendell Carter Jr. said. "I think it's going to be a very defensive-minded series for us.

"Offensively, I feel like when we're clicking on all cylinders," Carter added, "we can compete with any team in this league."

That won't be easy, either. With Banchero and Franz Wagner drawing plenty of attention from opposing defenses all year, the Celtics' fourth-ranked defense has a week to scheme against Orlando's duo of frontcourt forces.

Point being, the Magic have their hands full when entering what's sure to be a rowdy, hostile TD Garden on Sunday afternoon as Boston begins its effort to become the first repeat champion since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. The Celtics are already just the fifth team this century to win 60 or more games after winning a title the year before.

Yet, the Magic are eager to try their luck and take down one of the most dominant teams in the league the last two years.

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

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• DEFENSE BACK IN TOP FORM: Orlando's late-season turnaround was fueled by playing their standard of defense. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC FEEL WELL-POSITIONED FOR POSTSEASON: The Magic feel they're apexing at the right time as their postseason path to the playoffs begins in the Play-In Tournament. CLICK HERE
• 'I'M AN NBA PLAYER': Why Trevelin Queen's career night inspires confidence in his belonging in the league. CLICK HERE
• PROGRESS SLOW FOR SUGGS: The Magic guard expects to be ready for the 2025-26 season. But, he said, progress is slow for now. And that's okay. CLICK HERE
• AB READY FOR LATE-SEASON MOMENTS: Reliance this late in the year is exactly what Anthony Black wants. CLICK HERE

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