The Boston Celtics had to start on the back foot in Game 2 against the Orlando Magic. I know it sounds odd. But with Jayson Tatum missing out due to a wrist injury, their star-studded lineup was fairly. limited. And the Magic saw their chance to stun the defending champions. Their tenacity saw Kristaps Porzingis take five stitches to the head and the Shamrocks being tested to the brink. But even in adversity, they prevailed.
The Latvian center put in an amazing shift for the Celtics. He posted 20 points and was a force on the boards despite his head injury. When asked about the Magic’s physicality, Porzingis acknowledged their style of play. But the Celtics too pride themselves on being compact enough to respond.
They did that tonight and Porzingis refuses to be intimidated by the Magic’s tactics. “I mean, we’re going to be us, you know, we’re not going to let anybody like punk us. Um, and we expect teams to be doing this kind of stuff to get in our heads to try to provoke us to try to maybe get some reaction out of us… We’re just not going to take it, you know, so it’s going to, you know, we’re going to hit them right back,” the towering center detailed.
The game had it all today. The atmosphere was tense and some heated interactions also took place. But even if blood pours out once again, the Celtics aren’t going to back down. They did their job spotlessly, winning both games at home. Yet tonight, they felt a push from Orlando that is likely to increase now that they have the home court advantage.
Feb 20, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
In this setting, it’s vital for the Celtics to remain sharp. But more importantly, they need to let the game come to them.
Jaylen Brown wants to write the Celtics’ story
Before the game even started, Jaylen told Joe Mazzulla he would do “whatever it takes” to dig out a win. He proceeded to score the third-most points he has in a playoff game. Brown’s 36-point outing was exactly what the Celtics needed, who only shot 7-30 from beyond the arc outside of his five triples.
But even though he put up an exhibition to tackle through the relentless Orlando Magic team, Jaylen Brown was thoroughly impressed. “I give credit to them. They play hard and they don’t go away. Um, and they are very physical, and they’re a good defensive team. Um, so we do we do get up for that challenge, but uh, yeah, we just we got to stay in the fight and on the road it’s going to be even more of a test,” he says about the series.
The reason for his fabulous performance, though, was his settling into the “story”. Brown believes “Every game has its own story,”. Tonight, the Celtics didn’t have their leading scorer, and it required appropriate adjustments. In Game 3, the parameters change once again. It’s an astray crowd that won’t be welcoming at all.
And in these times, Jaylen Brown has one request from his teammates. “This game was one, last game was another story, and the next one’s going to be something else. We just got to be the ones telling that story rather than the ones like you know watching it or listening to it,” he told the media after the game.
In terms of matchup, the Celtics still hold the upper hand. They have greater depth and far superior confidence, being up 2-0 in the series. Still, getting loose isn’t the way to go int he postseason. And Brown wants to instill that into his teammates. If they take command on the road, that will be the ultimate answer to the Magic’s smothering play style.
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