The Orlando Magic led the Boston Celtics astray from their beloved three-point line in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs, and Boston still survived and advanced.
Now we know the Celtics can win a series without attempting 50 three-pointers per game. It’s still not the path they want to choose to get back to the NBA Finals in June.
Boston finished the five-game series averaging an attempted 31.2 three-pointers per game, compared to their regular season stat of 48.2. That shooting stat is even lower than their lowest individual game attempts stat – 33 – which also came against Orlando.
Credit the Magic. They turned what should have been a fairly lopsided matchup into a dog fight, chopping taped wrists and yanking jerseys. They tried to turn back the clock to ’94, and it had the Celtics shook – no more so than the first half of the final game. It was a period in which the Celtics made zero shots from behind the arc. NBC Sports Boston Celtics statistician Dick Lipe had to dig back to October 2021 to find another first half without a three-point bucket made, and they attempted just six threes during that stretch. It wasn’t just Orlando’s relentless physicality that moved Boston’s shooters off the arc; their length and active hands forced turnovers that have been uncharacteristic of Boston under coach Joe Mazzulla over these last two seasons. Boston’s drive and kicks quickly turned into drive and giveaway, or at best, settling for layup.
“This year, more than the past, we have dealt with a variety of matchups in coverage. Puzzles, and we have to solve those, and that’s the most important thing,” Mazzulla said after the series’ conclusion. “Our guys did a great job of that, understanding what’s the coverage, what the best read against that coverage.”
Boston caught a break in Game 5 when Magic leader Paolo Banchero picking up his fifth foul early in the third quarter, and they took off from there, finally finding their rhythm and stroke from distance. If there’s any takeaway from this Magic team other than their grit, it’s that Banchero will be a superstar in this league very soon. Mazzulla noted the Magic moved to a double-big lineup that slowed their defensive switches and opened up shooting opportunities for the Celtics.
For those fans worrying whether Orlando has just unfurled the blueprint to knocking Boston off its three-point game, it’s a cute idea, but probably not a big factor heading into the rest of the Celtics’ path in the East.
First of all, Boston volume shooting three-pointers is nothing new: it’s how they won it all last year, and they ran back essentially the same roster with the same approach. If these teams haven’t tried to adjust for the shooting strategy since last Spring, they are too stupid to be in the playoffs.
Secondly, the remaining teams aren’t as defensively gifted as the Magic. Even the Cavaliers, who finished the regular season atop the conference, were the eighth-ranked defense. The Magic were ranked second.
As much as the three-point obsession may elicit eyerolls – especially when this team is laying bricks – it is the way forward, and back to the Finals. Boston can’t control officiating or injury luck. For their sakes, hopefully point guard Jrue Holiday will return for Round 2 after suffering a hamstring injury that kept him out the back half of the series. But they can control their intentionality, (a favorite phrase of this team), in getting the ball to the right looks. This team has thrives when their pick-and-roll game threatens and they’re able to kick it out to any one of their seven true rotational players. They falter when the ball sticks and they revert to isolation ball.
As much as other teams have learned about how to rattle the Celtics from this series, the Celtics have learned what other teams will try to throw at them. News flash, this playoff run is going to tougher than last year. Nobody is going to be a cake walk.
The C’s should be able to get back to their identity next round, whether they see the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons.
When should fans get worried about seeing the Celtics shook again?
There’s one team who wrapped the regular season with a defensive rating better than Orlando.
The Oklahoma City Thunder.