Kentavious Caldwell-Pope just became public enemy No. 1 in Boston

The Orlando Magic are unapologetically physical. They are looking to hit and poke and prod on defense. That is part of their strength and superpower.

They left their Game 1 loss to the Boston Celtics disappointed in their physicality and how they let the Celtics push them around and knock them off course in the second half as they watched their slim lead disappear and the Celtics run away with the game.

Orlando led the league in free-throw rate allowed. The Magic will use their fouls and will not back down from a physical showdown.

That was apparent in the fourth quarter in a play that now may have changed the series completely between the 7-seed Magic and the defending champion Celtics.

Early in the fourth quarter, Jayson Tatum got the ball on a curl screen. The Magic's defense was late to react to it, giving him a free run to the basket. Both Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wendell Carter met him at the rim with Caldwell-Pope hitting him across the arm. Tatum fell hard to the floor and slid into the stanchion, staying down for some time.

What was a personal foul was upgraded to a flagrant foul. Tatum missed both free throws, left the game and returned later. No one thought too much about it beyond Tatum getting an X-ray after the game. Everyone with the Celtics said he felt fine.

The only response anyone got after the game was Tatum's mom asking if he wanted her to go confront the Magic in their locker room (incidentally, the two locker rooms are across the hall from each other in TD Garden).

The series may have indeed changed

The Celtics are listing Jayson Tatum as DOUBTFUL with a right distal radius bone bruise (a bruised wrist). His status for Wednesday's Game 2 is officially up in the air as Tatum could miss his first career playoff game.

That changes everything in this series. And it certainly will put the onus on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who will almost certainly be Public Enemy No. 1 for being involved in this play that left the Celtics' best and most beloved player injured and potentially missing playoff games during what they hope is a championship run.

Boston is still an imposing team.

The Celtics went 8-2 with Tatum out of the lineup this year. Both of those losses came against the Magic. That includes the Dec. 23 win over the Celtics when the Magic erased a 17-point deficit without Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in the lineup.

Just because Tatum might be out does not mean Orlando has an easy road to a victory to even the series. This will still be a fight.

And Boston is clearly a bit peeved.

Physicality was a major talking point for both teams in the two intervening days between Games 1 and 2.

Orlando spoke about how Boston's physicality knocked it off course and was a major factor in Boston flipping the game around in the second half. The Celtics were talking about some of the hard fouls they faced and the way the Magic tried to muck up the game.

The foul on and injury to Tatum seemed to annoy Boston only more.

While early indications were that coach Joe Mazulla did not think much of the foul, Al Horford seemed to take much more offense at the hit. It was not the first hard foul of the game from the Magic or the first hit the Magic tried to make on Tatum to knock him out of rhythm.

"Yes, there was something extra," Al Horford said after practice Tuesday. "It was about the second or third time, especially KCP, went at him in that way."

It usually takes a few games for teams to get a bit peeved and upset with each other. But the Magic and Celtics already seem to be getting pretty acquainted.

Orlando is not about to change how it plays. The team talked about playing with more physicality after practice on Tuesday. The Magic are not about to back down. They seem eager to hit back in this series.

Caldwell-Pope is sure to hear it from Celtics fans throughout Game 2 on Wednesday. The Magic will be hoping to get him move involved too after the supporting cast struggled to get going throughout Game 1.

Caldwell-Pope had six points on 2-for-4 shooting from three. Orlando certainly wants to get him more involved. And Caldwell-Pope is expecting a more physical game from the Celtics too.

"Boston did a great job of denying me most of the time," Caldwell-Pope said after practice Tuesday. "They were in passing lanes pretty good. I feel like I can be more aggressive to get myself more open and get good looks."

It is making for a far more interesting series as the Magic aim to even things up.

Everyone should be on alert now that physicality has taken center stage between these two teams.