It’s tough to create a hero in the first round of the NBA playoffs, especially among a group of reigning champs running it back. The matchups are simply too predictable. The Finals are too far off.
And yet, that’s what the Orlando Magic gifted the Boston Celtics in Game 2 as center Kristaps Porzingis stepped out to the free throw line late in the third quarter after getting patched up in the locker room, his buzzed blond head streaked with fresh blood, and a massive bandage on the top of his face.
The flagrant foul drawn by Orlando’s Goga Bitadze that injured Porzingis with less than a minute left in the quarter wasn’t really dirty – just sloppy. That’s how a lot of the Magic’s play has been, and although Celtics stars may exit these games looking like Edward Norton in ‘Fight Club,’ it’s honestly…making Boston look good.
“I like watching him bleed on the court. I think it’s important,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame. (Remember, this is the man who once said the parquet tasted like blood when he kissed it. He’s not the type to shy away from gore.)
Porzingis is already totally beloved by Celtics fans for his “just happy to be here” attitude and irreplaceable role as a player. When he left the court for the locker room with a towel over his head, the mood in TD Garden was both, ‘Well, we’ve seen this from him before,’ and ‘Can’t afford to lose another starter.’
Boston was already down their biggest star. Jayson Tatum looked on from the sideline all night, wearing street clothes and a black wrap on his right wrist, missing his first postseason game in his eight-year career. Just three nights before, Orlando’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drew a flagrant foul for a hard play that sent the star to the ground where he writhed in pain. An MRI later revealed a bone bruise on his priceless shooting hand.
Caldwell-Pope’s teammate, Cole Anthony, was far from apologetic for physical play after Tatum popped up on the injury report Tuesday as doubtful to play. According to Jason Beede of the ‘Orlando Sentinel,’ Anthony accused the Celtics of “complaining” about their play style, while defending it.
“We've just got to keep our same level of physicality, and at the same time, know nobody's trying to take anybody out and hurt anybody,” he said.
Okay. Take him at his word. He also said, “We're going to keep mucking it up.”
That approach worked for a very brief stint in the second quarter for the Magic. They sent Boston to the free throw line 11 times in that period, but kept them 1-8 from behind the arc with their quick and physical closeouts. They even got a rise out of veteran Al Horford, who got tangled with Caldwell-Pope and exchanged words.
Quick aside - do you know how aggravating someone has to be to infuriate Horford? It’s like enraging Tom Hanks. It takes effort.
Anyway, the Celtics still won that quarter, 27-26.
Orlando is playing a loser style of basketball. And rather than making the Celtics look soft, they’re turning them into warriors – and nobody more so than the team’s deputy superstar, Jaylen Brown. Brown is always a major contributor, and he silenced any lingering doubts about his health with a 36-point performance in which he shot 71% from three. In Tatum’s absence, he led the team to a 109-100 win in a game that never really felt within the Magic’s reach.
"We're going to be us. We're not going to let anybody punk us," Porzingis said, after receiving five stitches on a gash on his forehead.
Orlando might be trying to look like the opposite of the Mickey Mouse Club, but they’re bringing out the best of the rest on the Celtics as Tatum sits. After matching up fabulously against Paolo Banchero in Game 1, 34-year-old Jrue Holiday even wowed fans with a rare dunk in Game 2 – just his second of the year. Derrick White doesn’t need anyone to make him look great, unless it’s another opportunity for a local branded deal that shows his incredible self-awareness.
The Celtics may emerge from this series bruised and bloodied, but they’re re showing how they can handle rough-and-tumble teams. There is still, technically, the question of Tatum’s future availability. Mazzulla’s categorization as “day-to-day” after Tuesday’s practice should be cause for optimism there. And after every call, three-pointer, and dunk, Boston’s entire bench was on their feet.
The champs head down to Orlando for Games 3 and 4 this weekend. The training staff may have to pack extra bandages, but it looks like the Celtics could come back with a sweep.