Photo by Robert F. Bukaty / AP Photos
Following the Magic’s 120-95 defeat over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, they are set to take on the reigning champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
The Celtics are coming into the playoffs as the favorites to once again win the Eastern Conference with their loaded roster that now has championship experience.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are slightly favored to win the championship over the Celtics, but the odds are nearly even.
So, do the Magic even have a shot at making this interesting?
Orlando Magic Preview
Photo by Robert F. Bukaty / AP Photos
The Magic came into the year as one of, if not the best, defensive teams in the league. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner carried the team to wins as young, rising stars.
Unfortunately, both stars suffered abdominal injuries that left them sidelined for the entire middle portion of the year.
Once the duo returned in late January, the Magic would end up losing key role players Jalen Suggs and Mo Wagner to season-ending injuries.
While Orlando’s defense has continued to be one of the toughest in the league, its offense has been terrible.
Having a top-rated defense is certainly going to cause problems for teams in the postseason, but in the modern NBA, having a poor offense is a recipe for disaster. Especially when you have to try to match a team like Boston.
Boston Celtics Preview
Photo by Robert F. Bukaty / AP Photos
After years of building around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics finally found the right combination of supporting players that would get them to a title.
As a result, they are running it back with the same core of eight players, which includes Tatum, Brown, Porzingus, Horford, White, Holiday, Pritchard, and Hauser.
While Brown and Holiday have been quite by their standards this season, Payton Pritchard has turned it up a notch. He will likely win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, and it will be well deserved.
And can we talk about how good Jayson Tatum has been?
Despite all of the criticism from national talking heads, 90% of which is completely undeserved or false, Tatum has quietly put together an MVP-caliber season. He finished the year averaging 26.8 points per game with 8.7 rebounds, and will finish in the Top 4 of the MVP voting at the very least.
The big question coming into this series is the health of Jaylen Brown.
Brown has been battling knee problems and has received pain management injections. As a result, he missed the last week of the season, and when he did play leading up to his absence, he didn’t look like his usual self.
Thankfully for Boston, the week-long break between their season closer and their first playoff game will hopefully be enough time to get the reigning Finals MVP back on the right track.
Prediction
Photo by Robert F. Bukaty / AP Photos
No matter how good your defense is, the Celtics will find ways to take open threes. They were the biggest three-point shooting team by far, and that strategy is bound to carry into the playoffs.
If they get hot, no team in the league is stopping them. But they have shown in the past that they will live and die by the three, and have shot themselves out of games when they have a cold night from the field.
Ultimately, all signs point to a demolition by Boston, with or without a healthy Jaylen Brown.
That being said, watch out for the possibility of Orlando stealing a game by clamping Boston’s shooters and forcing them to adapt to a new game plan.
I predict a 4-1 series win by Boston, with three of their four wins being blowouts.
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