Anyone who has watched the Orlando Magic knows they will fight and claw while there is still time on the clock. They looked like they were about to be buried by the Boston Celtics' offensive juggernaut in the second quarter, but fought their way back to take a one-point lead at the half.
The Magic did not have the Celtics right where they wanted them, but they were in the game. That is all they could ask for with their two young stars leading the way and powering their way home. They limited mistakes and won points on the margins that gave them a fighting chance.
This series is about many big things—the difference in 3-point shooting and offensive execution, the experience between the two teams and knowing what it takes to win, and whether the Magic are truly ready to compete at the Celtics' level.
But all of these games will be decided by the smallest things. This series is all about what happens on the margins. It will be decided on who wins those hustle points and hidden possessions.
The only way the Magic can win is if they win the physical battle and win those points on the margins. Even with Orlando's strong defense, Boston is too efficient on offense to give away possessions. The Magic must win the margins.
As Orlando came out for the third quarter, those margins flipped to Boston. And every time the Magic made a mistake, whether it was a turnover, a missed assignment, an offensive rebound or a foul, the Celtics punished them.
Boston outscored Orlando 30-18 in the third quarter to take full control over the game, extending and maintaining that lead in a 103-86 victory in Game 1 at TD Garden. They did it by getting out in transition, forcing turnovers and being first to the glass. They won all the plays on the margins that the Magic had used to stay in the game in the first half.
As big and gaudy as many of the Celtics' offensive numbers might be—including shooting 16 for 37 from three for the game—they won this game with little plays and stolen possessions.
Orlando lost control over the game.
"We were doing a good job in the first half of keeping them in the half court and having good offensive possessions," Paolo Banchero said after Sunday's game. "We were able to get the lead going into halftime. They are a great team, defending champs and they came out and took control in the third quarter. We have to come out of the locker room better next time.
"I think we just had some stagnant possessions and led to their runouts and threes that opened the lead up. . . . I think it opened the game up and let them get out and run and get some easy looks. Some of their guys get going, [Payton] Pritchard. He hit some big threes that hurt. Just trying to limit the mistakes so we can make them play in the half-court."
Winning the margins
The Boston Celtics outscored the Orlando Magic in transition 26-4, making 9 of 13 shots in fastbreaks. To get 26 points on just nine makes would suggest many of those fastbreak points came on threes.
Boston made four of 10 3-pointers in the third quarter and scored 12 fastbreak points in the third quarter. The Magic had six turnovers for 10 points (compared to one Celtics turnover).
The Celtics also forced 15 turnovers for 24 points throughout the game. Orlando struggled to break through Boston's tough defense. But the turnovers created far too many opportunities for the Celtics to break the Magic's defense.
That is part of how Boston gained separation. The Celtics pummeled the Magic for every mistake they made and pushed the tempo to beat the Magic before they could get things set. Orlando could not find the offense to answer, only furthering the team's miscues.
"There were a few times we ended up against the shot clock," coach Jamahl Mosley said of the team's turnovers after Game 1. "You credit that to some of their switching. Some of it was our ability to take what the game is giving us. Not trying to do more. When the game was giving us the right read, we have to make that right read at the right time."
Doing some things right
It was another miracle that the Orlando Magic held the Boston Celtics to just 37 3-point attempts, 10 below Boston's season average. Even with 43.2 percent shooting from three, that is what the Magic have to do. But so many of those threes came in transition and off of Magic mistakes.
Orlando kept sabotaging its strong half-court defense—Boston ended up with a 118.4 offensive rating despite scoring only 103 total points—with these miscues. They put themselves in a hole they could not get out of.
"I think we got a little stagnant on offense," Franz Wagner said after Sunday's game. "They are a really good defensive team. They got a couple of easy threes in transition. They want to shoot a lot of threes and that's when they go on really big runs."
It was not even just the obvious things like the turnovers and fast breaks leading to 3-point shooting. That is what the Magic must not allow to happen if they want to compete in this series.
It was also the opportunities the team missed and how the Magic did not take advantage of those plays on the margin, either.
Orlando had 13 offensive rebounds but scored only 11 second-chance points. The Magic had 10 offensive rebounds but only seven second-chance points in the second half. Rebounding is one of the few statistical advantages the Magic appear to have. They left those points on the board.
The Celtics, though, took control in the second half. They had four of their nine offensive rebounds in the second half and seven of their 17 second-chance points in the second half. At times when the Magic needed to get a boost offensively or get out and run, they would give up an offensive rebound and putback.
That too would often end in a three.
This is another area where the Magic could get beat and give up a crushing play to the Celtics. This is another area where the Magic have to be perfect.
"I think that second half is really when they turned up the second chance points," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Sunday's game. "I think we did a great job in the first half. And then we died down in the second. I thnk they were able to capitalize on the second versus what we were doing. Being able to put two halves together playing that way will be very important in this series."
Orlando is still searching for answers.
This is a flawed roster. And even with Paolo Banchero (36 points, 4-for-7 shooting from three) and Franz Wagner (23 points, 10-for-24 shooting) going, the Magic did not have enough offensive push or force to get across the finish line.
They left too many of these opportunities up to chance. They gave too many of them away to the Celtics.
That is not going to get the job done in this series. Orlando cannot afford to lose those points on the margins. If Boston wins them, it will be a short series.