Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Sends Fiery Warning After Game 3 Loss

The Boston Celtics dropped their first game of the playoffs on Friday, April 25, losing to the Orlando Magic 93-95. In what has become typical for this series, the Magic continued to play with intense physicality, often toeing a fine line between aggression and assault.

When speaking to the media after the game, a clearly frustrated Jaylen Brown sent a candid warning regarding the Magic’s approach.

“I mean, there might be a fight break out or something,” Brown said. “Because it’s starting to feel like it’s not even basketball. The refs aren’t even controlling the environment. It is what it is. If you wanna fight it out, we can do that. We can fight to see who goes to the second round.”

Multiple Celtics players have picked up slight injuries in the opening three games. Jayson Tatum suffered a bone bruise in his shooting wrist. Jrue Holiday missed the game due to a hamstring strain. And in game two, Kristaps Porzingis received a gash to the forehead.

The Celtics have continued to rise above Orlando’s aggressive approach. However, as the series gets deeper and bad blood begins to boil over, there is a risk of the game getting out of control. The game officials may heed Brown’s warning and begin calling the series a little higher moving forward. If not, Boston must find a way of keeping its composure.

Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis Speaks Out Against Magic

During his own postgame news conference, Kristaps Porzingis spoke out against the Magic’s physicality.

“Borderline fouling,” Porzingis said. “That’s what this, you know, borderline fouling and fouling. Some of it, they call it, of course, and some of it they don’t. And that’s how it’s going to be. We have to accept the reality.”

Porzingis had an uncharacteristically tough night in Orlando. The veteran big man scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds. He went 3-of-10 from the field and 0-of-3 from deep. Boston will need more from its star center moving forward.

Celtics Are Still Favorites

Despite dropping game three, the Celtics are still the heavy favorites to progress beyond the current series. Boston has another game in Orlando before heading back to the TD Garden for game five. A win on Sunday, April 27, will put the Celtics one game away from qualification.

The Celtics are the reigning champions. They know what it takes to win a tough playoff series and they know how to implement game-to-game adjustments to give themselves an advantage. However, they will likely be hoping Holiday is back in the rotation. The veteran guard’s defense, playmaking and tertiary scoring were all missed throughout the loss.

Nevertheless, it’s clear that Orlando is looking to win via physicality, and now, the Celtics must rise to that test. Joe Mazzulla is the perfect coach to help his team navigate the matchup against Orlando. Mazzulla has consistently preached the need for Boston to embrace the physical side of the game and not shy away.

It will be interesting to see how the Celtics respond in game four, and whether the referees look to protect the players a little more moving forward.