The Boston Celtics must have felt relief through the first 2.5 quarters of Game 1 on Monday night against the New York Knicks.
At long last, the spigot was open and the 3-pointers were flowing for them. They shot 60 3-pointers up, more akin to the terrifying 3-point shooting that made the Celtics one of the most dynamic and dangerous teams in the league.
During their series with the Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics did not get up more than 37 attempts (in Games 1 and 2). So being able to find 60 threes must have felt like a relief to a team that averaged 48 3-pointers per game in the regular season.
Even equaling for possession counts, the Celtics went from 49.6 3-point attempts per 100 possessions to 34.4 per 100 possessions against the Magic to 59.4 per 100 possessions in Game 1 against the Knicks.
The Magic tested the Celtics and made them play a way they were uncomfortable.
So Boston's 61 points, 16-point lead and 5-for-23 shooting in the first half of Game 1 seemed like the team had learned all the lessons that came from a physical series with Orlando. The Celtics had learned to play without the 3-pointer.
Then the Celtics took 19 of their 20 field goals from three in the third quarter (they made seven) and then proceeded to go 2 for 15 from three in the fourth quarter as their lead collapsed, the Knicks got the game to overtime and stole Game 1.
Boston finished shooting 15 for 60 from three (25.0 percent). The 45 threes marked the most 3-pointers missed in a single playoff game.
The Magic were not there chasing them off the line anymore. But the Celtics needed to remember the lesson from their five-game series: Physicality and winning the "trenches" ultimately wins in the Playoffs.
The Magic may have a lot of things to correct and improve before they compete for a championship, but this DNA is critical to their success. It is what pushed the Celtics and made them uncomfortable throughout their series.
"Orlando did a good job of trying to make us play a different style of ball," Jaylen Brown said after Game 5 last week. "I think we adjusted to that well. Going into the playoffs, everybody was concerned with our 3-point shooting. They wanted to take away our 3-point shooting. I think we didn't shoot a lot of threes in this whole entire series, and we still had to win games in the trenches. I think it was a great challenge for us and a great step for us moving forward and a series we can learn from."
The Knicks obviously present a different challenge than the Magic. They were fifth in the league in offensive rating. They have an elite scorer in Jalen Brunson and elite shooting around him. In many ways the Knicks are the mirror of the Magic (but with a functioning defense and a coach that instills the dirty work in his team even if the stats do not always show it).
Lessons learned
The Boston Celtics have experience facing a tough, hard-nosed team. They had the experience of winning the games in the trenches and finding a way to score when threes were not falling against the Orlando Magic.
As the New York Knicks erased that deficit, the Boston Celtics forgot that lesson. They kept firing away threes and settling on switches instead of attacking them. Boston fell into its own trap of leaning too much on its 3-point shooting, the weapon Orlando worked so hard to take away.
The lesson for every team is that the Playoffs force you to find a way to win. The Celtics adjusted well in their series with the Magic. Now they must adjust to the Knicks.
That is the key lesson the Magic should have taught the Celtics.
"It was probably exactly what we needed," Jayson Tatum said after Game 5 last week. "Good test, first round. A couple of guys really banged up and dealing with some things. But showing that mental toughness of getting up and getting ready for each game and doing whatever it takes, whatever the game calls for and figuring out a way to win. That's all that matters this time of year. As a group, we've been through it all. We showed it and proved it in this series."
Tatum and Brown certainly looked like they were slowing down toward the end of the game Monday as they fired up and settled for threes and missed them short fairly frequently.
In some regards, the Magic's physicality surely wore on the Celtics. Orlando was able to impose its style on the series. Boston is trying to find itself again, and the way the team played in the regular season. It probably should have been predictable that the Celtics would need a game to adjust to the breath of air they got from no longer playing the Magic.
That is the impact the Magic left on the Celtics more than anything else. Orlando left a dent on Boston that forced them out of their comfort zone.
"I felt that was the theme of the series, the trenches and physicality there," Celtics coach Joe Mazulla said after Game 5. "Every game and series presents lessons. You have to take those lessons if you are fortunate to move on. There is a lot we can learn from this series."
Lessons for the defeated
The Orlando Magic will take their lessons from the series, too. The Celtics' physicality bothered them. The Magic ultimately could not take advantage of the opportunities their defense created. The offense let them down.
But Orlando certainly gained a lot of respect in the series. The Celtics respected their defense and physicality and how they mucked the game up. It presented them a challenge that they welcomed.
It was a challenge they believe will make them better for deeper playoff series, even if it costs them some health in the short term and perhaps down the road.
Boston had to figure out how to beat Orlando in the end. It found a way.
"Whatever the game calls for, I say all the time, we can win a quarter, a game, a series in different ways," Tatum said after Game 5. "We showed that this series."
Orlando will need to learn that lesson too. The Magic have only one way to win right now. It is their bruising defense over everything. Finding that diversity is a big part of this offseason.
But the Celtics know as well as the Magic that they have a player in Paolo Banchero who can flip defenses on their head. He showed out too and showed the Celtics what his potential can be.
There was a lot of respect gained in the process.
But the Celtics moved on. They got the win. And now they carry those lessons and the impact of their series with them to the second round.
The Magic are trying to find an answer to a problem they have not solved quite yet.