All eyes were on Jaylen Brown and his knee as the Celtics took the court for Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic, but it was mostly the three other guards who kept Boston’s foot on the gas for the team’s first postseason win, a 103-86 victory in Sunday's Game 1.
Brown, who sat the final three games of the regular season with a bone bruise on his knee, looked comfortable and confident against Orlando – if a little bit rusty in the first half. That’s just about the best-case scenario for which the Celtics could hope.
The following refrain is going to be repeated a lot in the coming weeks: Boston is really damn lucky to have Derrick White. The NBA’s quietest starter made the team’s loudest offensive statement, especially in the first half, which wrapped with a Magic lead. White consistently does everything from corner threes to put-back follows, but finished the night with a wild seven 3-pointers and 30 points.
“[It's] just trying to be available when I can, and when I get a good look, let it fly,” he said after the win. “I wish every night I’d be the guy that dropped 30. That’d be pretty cool.”
Defensively, he’s earned his reputation as a shot-blocking menace for his size, but one of his most exciting plays of the afternoon came when he jumped into Jrue Holiday’s perimeter assignment on Paolo Banchero in the second quarter. He picked off the big guy and drew a foul on the other side for free throws.
Banchero never saw it coming, and White gave all the credit to Holiday.
"It all kind of started with Jrue, just his ball pressure and things he does. [I'm] just trying to make a play. It all goes back to Jrue, and just having a lot of faith and trust that he's going to do what he does the best in the league."
Sixth Man of the Year favorite Payton Pritchard had a ridiculously efficient afternoon. He made quick work of Orlando’s typically-stout perimeter defense. In his first five minutes of playing time, he put up 11 points – including back-to-back possessions in which he got to the line for three shots, then made a 3-pointer thanks to a Kristaps Porzingis block on the other side.
And, finally, 34-year-old Jrue Holiday continues to show his true value when the playoffs – the real NBA season – start. Holiday had just nine points, but he had three steals and was a big part of forcing the Magic’s 15 turnovers. Orlando bizarrely left him unchecked at the top of the key – twice – and the vet made them pay. One bucket from distance rattled the Magic into taking a timeout.
“He’s an innate competitor, and sometimes, he takes a backseat because of the other guys we have. I thought today he put the team on his back,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame, and further added, “We do feed off his physicality and his presence.”
Boston’s guards leading the way to a 103-86 victory is a good indicator for the Celtics’ chances to get through the first round without too much wear and tear. If Orlando has it their way, Boston will shoot under 20 three-pointers a half, and they’ll be able to out-hustle the defending champs on the glass. That’s what played out in the second quarter, when the Magic got a 31-22 edge. But Boston’s adjustments after halftime also shows that it isn’t just how Boston’s talent is deeper and more polished, but they have exponentially more in-game IQ than they did at this time two years ago.
There won’t be any one recipe for the team to follow to get back to the Finals, but this appetizer has the right taste, at least against their first-round opponent.