10 takeaways from Boston’s stumble against a resilient Magic team

#1 – Jayson Tatum wrist appears good

That has been the principle concern for the previous couple of days: what is occurring with Jayson Tatum’s proper wrist? A lot of the questions earlier than the sport have been round that, and Jrue Vacation or Jaylen Brown’s well being. Effectively, Tatum’s first half simply threw away any doubts there have been relating to his bodily situation.

He performed 20 minutes and scored 21 factors within the first half. What was spectacular, realizing the harm, is how effectively he was capable of each drive and pull up. He didn’t appear to have any drawback manipulating the ball. The capturing motion was pure and he was capable of hunt Wendell Carter Jr. with drives or pull-ups.

One other nice signal of how he feels and the way assured he’s in his wrist was how he went after the ball in opposition to KCP on the ground. It’s a element, however it reveals he’s taking part in with intention and isn’t fearful of what may occur.

The crew felt much better when he was on the ground yesterday, and that isn’t a shock seeing how effectively he carried out.

#2 – Orlando protection compelled turnovers

But, regardless of Jayson Tatum returning, the Celtics confronted some bother on offense with a whole lot of turnovers. After 24 minutes, they’d misplaced the ball 11 instances, giving the Magic a whole lot of transition alternatives. Within the second quarter, Orlando put a whole lot of stress on the ball handlers and have been capable of flip protection into offense.

Joe Mazzulla did an important job of calling a timeout and designing nice performs for the Celtics to get going and discover their approach again into the sport. Just like the play under the place Luke Kornet set a primary display for Kristaps Porzingis, who ran in the direction of the ball however minimize into open house. This created a niche, and Porzingis did an important job of sending the ball to Kornet.

When a protection is that this aggressive on the ball, off-ball motion is an effective way of making a niche inside a powerful defensive shell. Nevertheless, this wasn’t sufficient because the Celtics stored piling up turnovers.

With questionable passes, offensive fouls, or a carry, Boston ended up with 19 turnovers over the sport. This gave approach too many alternatives for Orlando to compensate for his or her unhealthy offense.

#3 – Celtics have been 10 factors forward the half

Late within the second, the Celtics discovered a strategy to reply the adversity. Led by Jayson Tatum, the Celtics have been capable of shut the primary half and go to the locker room with a 10-point lead.

What felt completely different in that stretch was how shortly the Celtics have been stepping into motion after a make or a miss. They took benefit of the Magic’s common offense to construct a lead and attacked as early as potential. Their protection is so good at slowing you down and making you’re taking a shot within the final second, the Celtics must assault early and make them pay for his or her lack of offensive energy.

As a result of Tatum began to really feel scorching, the Magic have been extra involved by his scoring and his gravity was greater late within the quarter. They did their finest to take the ball away from his arms. However, led by White, the Celtics did a very good job of constructing the momentum off that and shutting the primary half very robust.

#4 – Problematic pick-and-roll protection

The Orlando Magic discovered weaknesses within the Celtics’ protection early within the second half and simply went after it. Certainly, the pick-and-roll protection round Kristaps Porzingis was fairly problematic final night time. At first, the Celtics have been in drop protection. This implies they didn’t swap after a display on the ball, however as an alternative Porzingis closed the driving lane. This offers some house to tug up or to achieve pace to drive.

A drop protection requires different gamers to assist from the aspect. The Magic have been capable of pressure Al Horford to assist whereas he additionally needed to defend Franz Wagner. Having to cope with each is quite a bit to ask from one participant, and the Magic exploited this defensive protection.

When Porzingis was on the bench, the Celtics went again to a switching protection and it labored approach higher, regardless of Jrue Vacation’s absence. Nevertheless, to complete the sport, they put Porzingis again in and stayed in the identical swap protection. This was a possibility for Wagner to maintain attacking him after a swap, and he cooked him to complete the sport.

Wanting ahead to seeing what the Celtics teaching workers take into account to repair the pick-and-roll protection.

#5 – Dropping the possessions battle

Joe Mazzulla talks quite a bit about shot margin. The purpose for his crew is to take extra pictures than the opponents, and that wasn’t the case final night time. One of many causes was the defensive rebounding — or extra the shortage of it.

Regardless of taking part in a whole lot of minutes with two bigs, the Celtics let the Orlando Magic seize an offensive rebound on 39% of their misses. That’s quite a bit, particularly in opposition to a crew that misses a whole lot of pictures.

With that, plus the turnovers, the Celtics gave a whole lot of alternatives to the Magic, they usually capitalized on it. We frequently say that offense begins with protection, however the different approach round works too. With an offense that couldn’t discover its traditional stream, it was more durable to play nice protection after a miss or a turnover.

#6 – Orlando tried to not swap

So why couldn’t the Celtics have their common offensive stream? Effectively, after all the aggressiveness and the size of the Magic gamers didn’t make issues simpler. However there have been additionally some changes. To this point within the sequence, the Magic have been switching quite a bit, even when it wasn’t essentially their power.

Effectively, within the second half of the sport, they’d sufficient of constructing it straightforward for the Celtics to hunt mismatches and determined to battle over screens. This created larger gaps within the protection, however the Celtics didn’t exploit it. They’re so used to going after mismatches that the house created with the screens wasn’t used correctly.

On high of that, the Magic have been very disciplined when switching off-ball too, all the time making an attempt to maintain Jonathan Isaac or Wendell Carter Jr. near the rim. Their defensive alignment was effectively ready, and the Celtics weren’t capable of break it.

#7 – Porzingis post-up battle

One other sophisticated sport on the offensive finish for Kristaps. We talked about his defensive struggles already, and taking a look at his offensive stats, that may have been the worst sport he had as a Celtic. The primary good factor out of it’s that he appears fairly conscious of it.

He retains on the lookout for these turnaround jumpers from the mid-range, however when these don’t go in, it turns into problematic. Normally, defenses are scared by KP on the post-up and ship further defenders to assist, which creates gaps. However Orlando doesn’t care and dares KP to make these pictures, even with Cory Joseph.

The Celtics might want to discover a strategy to give him higher spots, nearer to the rim with extra screens and extra motion, as a result of as of now, his scoring effectivity has been fairly problematic in opposition to the Magic.

#8 – The Celtics must go after Paolo Banchero

If the Celtics are on the lookout for a weak hyperlink to assault in Orlando’s protection, he’s 22 years outdated and wears the quantity 5. Regardless of if it’s with or with out the ball, the elite Magic protection might be tortured for those who give attention to him. He has a tough time following the ball and his participant on the similar time. He jumps on each faux, he isn’t that fast after a powerful first step — an ideal goal.

The Celtics often go after tall facilities or small guards, however this is perhaps the time to choose on the opposing go-to man. Make him work on protection and perhaps pressure a few fouls that might get him in bother.

#9 – Everyone has a plan till they get punched within the face

What I really like about this loss is that it provides the Celtics a possibility to reply. No one is meant to win all their video games, however champions are those that battle again and adapt after shedding a battle. The blueprint of that defeat was straightforward to hint.

The Celtics have to be higher at rebounding after a miss, should handle the ball, and will discover a strategy to shield Porzingis on protection whereas giving him higher alternatives on offense. When they are going to — as a result of they are going to — the reply will resonate stronger. It is a nice alternative for us to study this crew and for the crew to study itself.

#10 – No, it doesn’t have to be a battle

Jaylen Brown stated that, if the Magic gamers need, they’ll battle it out for the correct to get to the second spherical. Let’s not? First, the Celtics have a greater probability to dominate on a basketball court docket than in a hoop. Second, the attractive artwork of basketball might be bodily typically, however let’s preserve it enjoyable and present who’s the higher crew by making pictures.