The Celtics will face the Magic in the first round of the playoffs as Boston enters as defending champions. The Magic blew out the Hawks in the play-in tournament to secure the No. 7 seed in the playoffs, plus a matchup with the Celtics.
The Magic endured injuries throughout the season, but finished strong to get to the playoffs for the second straight year. They’re a young team that’s going to muck up the series, but the Celtics will be favored to win. Game 1 of the series is set for Sunday at TD Garden.
Here are four things to know ahead of Celtics vs. Magic in the playoffs:
Looking at this season: The Magic actually beat the Celtics in two out of three games this year to take the season series. They won 108-104 over the Celtics in Orlando back on Dec. 23. Then the Celtics beat the Magic 121-94 in Boston on Jan. 17. Finally, the Magic downed the Celtics 96-76 on April 9 in Orlando, though that game didn’t feature any of the Celtics’ regulars as they didn’t have anything to play for. Notably, Jayson Tatum sat both losses to the Magic. Regular-season results don’t always translate to the playoffs, but those are the data points for now.
Orlando will grind it out: The Magic leaned on their defense, finishing the regular season with the second-best defensive rating in the league. But on the flip side, they were 27th in offensive rating. So that’s how they ended up with a 41-41 record, though they did win their division. Expect the Magic to be physical and grind out the Celtics throughout the series. But how the Magic will generate consistent offense will be the question mark in the first round.
Recent history: There haven’t been too many fireworks when it comes to these two teams. This is the first time in 15 years they’ll meet in the playoffs, after all. But there was some recent drama when it came to the Magic and NBC Sports Boston analyst Eddie House.
It all started back in the 2022-23 season when House called them “garbage” before the young squad started making noise. The Magic naturally responded from there, including Cole Anthony pointing out House’s comments in the 2023-24 season. The conflict has been quiet recently, but it’s something to monitor ahead of the series.
Young stars: The Magic were one of the biggest surprises of last season when they went 47-35 and finished fifth in the East. But they took a step back this year partially due to injuries. Both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner were out for extended stretches to open the season, limiting the Magic significantly.
Both guys are healthy and playing well, though they have a tall task ahead in the Celtics. Banchero vs. Tatum also has the Duke angle as they’ve developed a bond. Banchero averaged 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 46 games while Wagner posted averages of 24.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 60 games.
