The Orlando Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in game Tuesday night, going up by as many as 22, watching their lead drop to three, and then blowing Atlanta out down the stretch. They have now earned the right to face the Celtics in the 2-7 series. That series starts Sunday.
Here's the first round playoff schedule pic.twitter.com/kKZ80nZEu5
— John Karalis 🇬🇷 (@John_Karalis) April 16, 2025
This game showed both the advantage and challenge of facing the Magic.
On the plus side for Boston, they went into prolonged droughts and they fouled like crazy. The Celtics defense will be able to fuel some long runs against Orlando, especially when Paolo Banchero sits. Defensively they allowed Trae Young to dominate a big portion of the third quarter with their deep drop coverage. If they play that against Boston, the Celtics will take turns getting into the paint.
On the negative side, Banchero was a beast in the second half, going to the line and piling up and-1 opportunities. Orlando also got monster clutch shooting nights from Anthony Black and Cole Anthony. They were also able to pile up second-chance points with a dozen offensive rebounds. The Celtics are a good rebounding team, but their toughest losses this past season have all included giving up tons of offensive rebounds.
The Celtics will have a game plan for the Magic, and it will look a lot like what we’ve seen this season. They will find a wing for Kristaps Porzingis to guard and put either Jrue Holiday or one of their wings on Banchero, forcing him to become more of a passer and Porzingis helps protect the rim. They will be comfortable letting certain guys shoot and live with the results.
This will be a tough, physical matchup. Boston is going to be the easy favorite and if they execute they should win easily. Banchero is a load, though, and he could make a bigger name for himself with a huge showing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins a game for Orlando in this series.
Full preview coming up later in the week.