Through 3 Games, Magic's Defense Has Minimized Celtics' Most Reliable Offense

The Orlando Magic's defense vs. the Boston Celtics' offense has been a clash of strength on strength. After three games, Orlando's defense has begun minimizing Boston's potent offense and, in turn, giving themselves a chance to claw back into the series.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) shoots against Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) during the first quarter of game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

ORLANDO, Fla. – No weapon in the Boston Celtics' offensive arsenal poses a bigger threat than that of their lethal three-point shooting.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the Orlando Magic's hunker-down defense is its ability to eradicate opponents' outside shot volume.

Boston comfortably led the league in per-game three-point makes (17.8, most ever) and attempts (48.2, most ever). In direct contrast, Orlando held teams to just 11.4 made threes and 31.4 attempts – the fewest in the NBA in their respective categories.

Going into their first-round, best-of-seven playoff series opposing one another, the Celtics' and Magic's clashing strengths were one of the key factors to monitor. Three games in, how is it going?

Boston has totaled 37, 37 and a season-low 27 attempts from deep in Games 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

The Celtics' makes have dwindled from 16 in Game 1, to 12 in Game 2, to just nine in Game 3.

And, Boston's margin of victory has gone from 16, to nine, to a two-point loss.

This comes after the Celtics averaged just 36.7 attempts per game in three regular-season matchups against this Magic defense, too.

"That takes away from a lot of their scoring ability when, instead of getting wide open sprayout threes, they're getting tough contested twos," Cole Anthony said.

When Boston wasn't shooting threes this year, they were getting to the rim. Yet, even their attempts at the rim have been slashed so far through three games:

Boston Shot Attempts	Regular Season	Playoffs (3 games)
Paint (restricted area)	20.6 FGAs/game	15.7 FGAs/game
Paint (non-restricted area)	13.4 FGAs/game	19.7 FGAs/game
Midrange	7.8 FGAs/game	9.7 FGAs/game
"Wide Open" 3-Pointers	22.1 3PAs/game	12.7 3PAs/game
"Open" 3-Pointers	19.6 3PAs/game	15.7 3PAs/game

Note: League tracking data categorizes shots as "wide open" when the closest defender is 6+ feet away from the shooter. "Open" shots are categorized by the closest defender being 4-6 feet away from the shooter.

What, then, has allowed Orlando to find success at taking away Boston's offensive bread and butter in a way that nearly no other team has?

"Just guarding our yard," Anthony said Sunday. "I think that was a big thing last game. AB (Anthony Black), Gary (Harris) came in [and] were huge off the bench, just guarding. They came in, had some big spark plays for us. KCP (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) is obviously guarding, P (Paolo Banchero) and Franz (Wagner) been guarding, Dell (Wendell Carter Jr.). I mean, everybody's been guarding. That's been the main thing.

"It's just been kind of a read your ride – not trying to overhelp too early, instead trusting that our teammate can stay in front of their man most of the time. If they get cracked on a screen or something, or they get beat, we are going to have their back. But just trying to read that."

The Magic also reason their defensive success starts with the length of their personnel.

"When we switch, we're switching plus size onto ball-handlers most of the time," Black, a 6-7 guard, said Sunday morning. "We're smart about when to help, when not to help. So, just part of our principle, part of our scheme, and we're executing it right now."

Boston lacks forgiveness for opponents if rotations aren't sharp and punishes moments of indecision. The Celtics' bevy of shooters are experts at crafting open space when there isn't any, and can usually scheme them open if they're unable to do so on their own. The Magic's second-ranked regular-season defense was at its best in Game 3, forging its most connected response yet to thwart the Celtics' attack.

Posting defensive ratings of 118.4 and 122.5 in the first two contests, the Magic turned in a 102.2 defensive rating in their first victory of the series.

"We switched a ton," Wagner said after the Game 3 performance. "They've got really good shooters."

But the Magic have also limited the supporting cast around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Doing so was something the Magic "harped on" coming into the series, and after Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Jrue Holiday torched them for 14 combined threes in Game 1, that trio has made just eight the next two games.*

*Holiday missed Game 3 and is out for Game 4 because of a hamstring strain.

Pritchard was held without a three-point attempt entirely in Game 3 – the second time this season versus Orlando and the fourth time in 15 career games versus the Magic that's happened.

The Magic have brought the physicality in bunches, forced turnovers out of a usually secure team with the ball and improved significantly on the margins. They've thrived with the backing of their home crowd and are looking to do so again on Sunday.

Yet, Orlando's defensive success all stems back to how it can limit the volume of Boston's most reliable looks.

Whether the Celtics can find the answer it needs remains yet to be seen. But the Magic seem to have theirs.

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

• ORLANDO AND BARRY SANDERS: Why the Magic's subtle reaction to winning Game 3 stems from a legendary NFL running back. CLICK HERE
• HOW THE MAGIC TOOK GAME 3: Go inside the second-half turnaround that proved to Boston the Magic aren't just a welcome mat to the second round. CLICK HERE
• CELTICS FED UP WITH MAGIC'S PHYSICALITY: The Magic aren't ashamed about their physical brand of basketball. The Celtics aren't afraid to say they're tired of it. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC WERE CONFIDENT IN ADJUSTMENTS: Before the Game 3 victory, the Magic were confident they'd found the answers to Boston. Turns out, they were correct. CLICK HERE
• KCP'S OFFENSE NEEDED: Orlando's starting 2-guard is playing stellar defense. But, the Magic need his scoring to be a boost in the playoffs. CLICK HERE

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