Late in the third quarter, the Orlando Magic had already fallen behind the Boston Celtics just as they had in Game 1. They were scrapping and clawing to try to find some answer and stay in the game.
It is a physical game and eventually there was going to be some blood left on the floor.
Goga Bitadze was fighting for a rebound and swung his elbow, hitting Kristaps Porzingis in the head and opening up a massive gash across his forehead.
The officials went to review and upgraded it to a flagrant foul. Meanwhile Porzingis walked to the locker room with blood streaming down the front of his face and the back of his head. He smiled as the Celtics' staff tried to drape a towel over his head. But he wanted to relish in the TD Garden crowd.
"I love my WWE moments for sure," Kristaps Porzingis said after Game 2. "It was a very physical game. Overall, we didn't play up to our level. I expect us to be better going forward. It was a tough, physical game, nothing easy on either side. Every rebound is a war and it's probably going to be that way the rest of the series."
Porzingis said the Celtics know teams will try to muck up games to get at the defending champs. They expected this physicality against the Magic. The Celtics were not going to let the Magic "punk" them, as Porzingis put it.
He gave his blood on the parquet floor at TD Garden, requiring five stitches to close up the gash. With MVP candidate Jayson Tatum out with a bone bruise in his right wrist, the Celtics needed everyone to step up even on a night where their offense was not humming.
Champions win by any means necessary. And, at this time of year, they find a way.
Wednesday's 109-100 Celtics win in Game 2 was a brawl. But it was a championship team teaching a young Magic team a hard lesson. Boston played with the desperation of a team missing its star. The Celtics looked like they were down 1-0.
Porzingis might as well have been Thanos telling Iron Man, "All that for a drop of blood?" Because even after that physical beating, the Celtics came out way on top.
"We're not responding to anyone, we're responding to the game," Celtics coach Joe Mazulla said. "Be aware of your environment, what the environment needs. And then do it. That's the most important thing is to focus on the margins, the details, execution and toughness."
The Celtics' response
That is what the Boston Celtics had to do to step up with Tatum out of the lineup.
Kristaps Porzingis stepped up his scoring and aggression after a rough Game 1, punishing the Magic for switching guards onto him with post-ups and shots around the basket. He finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, grabbing five offensive rebounds and making 10 of 14 free throws.
Porzingis' play was part of 20 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds, another night where Boston won the battle on the glass. It was also part of 33 free throws as the Magic were late rotating to cover the paint and fouled excessively.
Jaylen Brown shook off his lingering knee injury to score 36 points on 12-for-19 shooting, including hitting five of seven threes. Derrick White had 17 points, including a pair of big three-pointers in the fourth quarter that put the game away. Payton Pritchard had 14 points.
It was more than all of those individual contributions. Even with the Orlando Magic having a more balanced and speedy offensive attack, it felt like the Magic were always climbing uphill and chasing the game.
The Magic kept making mistakes to hand things back to the Celtics. This is a championship team, they will always make you pay for those miscues and mistakes.
"Orlando's a good team," Jaylen Brown said after Game 2. "I give credit to them, they play hard. They don't go away. They are very physical and a good defensive team. We just have to stay in the fight and the road is going to be even more of a test. . . . Every game has its own story. This game was one, the last game was another story, the next one will be somethign else. We just have to be the ones telling that story rather than the ones watching or listening to it."
The Celtics are painting that story every game it seems. They are the ones in control leaving the Magic chasing even with the Magic making a physical imprint on them.
Failing to measure up
The Orlando Magic wanted to see how it measured up against a team like the Boston Celtics in this series. The Magic are seeing what they look like against a team with serious intentions.
The one thing they may come away knowing is that Paolo Banchero (32 points, 12-for-25 shooting, nine rebounds, seven assists) and Franz Wagner (25 points, 10-for-20 shooting, four assists) are true star players. They have those foundations in place to build their team around.
What they are missing is the extra element. They are missing the experience that comes with multiple years of playoff performances and multiple years of winning. That is where the confidence comes from to survive and thrive without their star player.
The Magic are losing the margins the Celtics know how to win.
"It's in the margins," coach Jamahl Mosley said. "The minor details of a game. You look at it right now, the small things are: Can we make our free throws? Can we do a better job defending without fouling? It's those little things that we have to clean up and understand exactly what we need to do."
Boston is clearly a championship team. The team has players who know their roles and how to elevate their games to meet the moment and meet the postseason.
The Magic are keeping scores low because of low possession counts, but their defense has buckled with the Celtics' versatility. The Magic are still looking for a consistent way to attack.
The Magic look a bit out of their depth. They are not executing anywhere near the same level as the Celtics, even with the Celtics not playing their best. Orlando certainly is not playing its best.
The team is not giving up. They are fighting through this adversity. The Celtics have made their runs but have not run away. Orlando is still fighting to stay alive.
But it clearly that is not enough to remain competitive. The Magic are looking for answers.
"We just have to keep playing our game," Franz Wagner said after Game 2. "Obviously, those possessions offensively are really important. They extend the lead even more. Also, I think when they struggle to score, we have to capitalize a little bit more. Some nights you have bad shooting nights. Hopefully, we'll shoot better at home."
It is not in effort, not entirely. It is in execution and composure. The Magic have struggled to stay even-keeled. The Celtics have had it through these physical two games in Boston. Orlando is still seeking it.
And already time seems to be running out. There are still more game sto go. All the Magic can do is keep fighting.
"We've just got to keep fighting," Paolo Banchero said after Game 2. "Two games down and they did what they are supposed to do and beat us twice on their home floor. Now we have to go home and protect our home floor."
But Orlando is on the ropes in this series. And so far they are not measuring up.