The Boston Celtics put their foot down in the second half of Tuesday's Game 5 to finally dispatch the Orlando Magic from the playoffs. This was the expected outcome, but don't let the Magic's five-game slide fool you: Orlando kept this series more interesting than folks expected.
To be frank, the Magic were never going to beat Boston. It was as close to an impossibility as the NBA Playoffs allow. The Celtics weren't at full strength, but the gap in talent and experience was glaring. More than a pure talent advantage, however, Boston held the math advantage.
Orlando's offense is just not built for the postseason. Elite defense can give your team a stable floor in the regular season, but you need to be able to score points in the playoffs. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are bonafide stars, so Orlando is trending up. But this Magic offense remains frightfully impotent under pressure.
Boston won't face another defense quite like Orlando's, at least not in the East. That said, the Celtics won't face such a feeble offense either. The Magic gave teams the secret code, even if it feels mostly applicable to the West heavyweights like OKC.
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Celtics beat Magic in five games, but Orlando held Boston's greatest weapon in check
What has made the Celtics so hard to beat over the last couple seasons is math. It really is that simple: Boston jacks more 3s than any other team and has a rotation littered with high-level shooters. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White can all heat up quickly. Payton Pritchard just won Sixth Man of the Year on the strength of his jumper. Boston loads and fires more than any other team.
Most NBA teams just aren't equipped with hang with Boston's shooting volume over a seven-game series. The Celtics are bound to go cold now and again, but the sheer volume of their 3-point attempts — intermixed with productive slashers and a stifling defense — gives them an exceptionally high baseline.
So, that's what makes Orlando's five-game series loss such an interesting test case. Because the Magic did keep the Celtics' 3-point shooting at bay, to an extent no other team really has during this year-and-change run. Boston led the NBA with 48.2 attempts per game from long range in the regular season, which was 5.8 more than the second-best Golden State Warriors.
Through the first four games of the Magic series, however, Boston ranked 11th among playoff teams, attempting only 33.0 per game. In Game 5, the Celtics launched 24 total 3s, but made 13 of 'em. Orlando attempted 38 shots from long range, but made only eight. That is the series in miniature. Orlando did everything a team needs to do to unseat Boston — except make shots.
Orlando's length and physicality on the perimeter made life difficult on the Celtics. This Boston roster is well-balanced and dynamic, so it's not as simple as limiting 3s. They can win other ways. But, if the Celtics aren't winning the math game every night, the window is open for a serious threat to capitalize. The Magic are not such a threat, but damn if the blueprint isn't right there.
Do I think the Knicks or Pistons can execute Orlando's strategy? Even the Cavs? Probably not. Do I think OKC, or Minnesota, or the Clippers can? Now that's a conversation ...
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