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The Boston Celtics officially advanced to the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on Tuesday night after taking down the Orlando Magic in Game 5 to earn a 4-1 series victory. After engaging in a rock fight with the Magic through the first four and a half games, the Celtics exploded in the second half of Game 5, resulting in them turning a two-point halftime deficit into a 120-89 victory when all was said and done.
Orlando gave Boston a run for their money, even if they only managed to win one game by two points in this five-game series. Their defense forced the Celtics to constantly adapt and find new ways to generate points, and if they had any semblance of offense behind Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, they could have had a genuine shot at winning this series. In the end, though, the C's were simply too talented for the Magic.
The Celtics will now prepare for the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with their opponent still undetermined after the Detroit Pistons defeated the New York Knicks in their own Game 5 matchup on Tuesday night to force a Game 6. Boston will gladly take all the rest they can get after a physical series against Orlando, but before we fully shift our attention to what's next, let's check out three lingering thoughts from this series.
Jayson Tatum looks as healthy as ever despite sporting wrist injury
There was reason for Boston to be concerned early in this series after Jayson Tatum suffered a bone bruise on his right wrist in Game 1. While he managed to finish that contest, he was held out of Game 2 and initially listed as doubtful for Game 3. Tatum turned a corner, though, and ended up playing the final three games of this series. In the process, he put together one of the most impressive stretches of play in his postseason career.
Even before his wrist injury in Game 1, Tatum was struggling, as he managed just 17 points on 22 shot attempts. While the fear was that a cranky wrist would make things more difficult for Tatum, he responded by lighting up the Magic over the remainder of this series. In Games 3-5, Tatum was simply sensational, as he averaged 36.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game to push Boston past Orlando.
The reasons to feel confident in Tatum go beyond those numbers, though. He hit all 37 of his free throw attempts during this stretch after missing all four of his shots from the charity stripe in Game 1, and he buried 44% of his 3-point attempts, which is a massive improvement after he shot just 34.3% from behind the arc during the regular season. Tatum's wrist will be worth keeping tabs on, but for now, he's playing some of the best basketball of his career.
Celtics need Kristaps Porzingis to get going
Whereas Tatum was at his dominant best when he was on the court this series, the opposite was true for Kristaps Porzingis, who looked lost on both ends of the floor against the Magic. Hopefully it was just a matchup that did not suit his game, but Porzingis is going to have to be better moving forward if Boston intends on repeating as champions this season.
Porzingis' numbers in this series are pretty ugly, as he averaged just 12.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and an assist per game. A closer look doesn't make things better. Porzingis struggled mightily when posting up smaller defenders in the paint, which has become his bread and butter in this high-powered offense. He also hit only two of his 17 3-point attempts, with both of them coming in Game 4.
Defensively, Porzingis wasn't exactly an anchor in the paint. While Boston ultimately destroyed Orlando in the second half of Game 5, early on in the action the Magic were able to control the play because Porzingis could not stop Wagner on his drives to the hoop. Considering how many of the Magic's shots were coming in the paint, Porzingis' four blocks in this series is perhaps the most worrying stat of them all. Ultimately, Porzingis' struggles were inconsequential, but as the opponents become tougher, the Latvian big man is going to have to be better.
Why Celtics will have to shift gears after prevailing in rock fight vs. Magic
Stylistically, this series between the Celtics and Magic was ugly. Orlando came in with a plan geared towards being extremely physical with Boston, in hopes that they could limit their offense enough to give them a shot at winning. For the most part it worked, but again, the C's are talented enough where it didn't matter. The Magic's decision to essentially turn games into two-on-two between Tatum and Jaylen Brown vs. Wagner and Banchero made things tough for Boston, but they managed to find a way to get past them.
Moving forward, the Celtics can't really afford to play the style of basketball that just got them past the Magic. Boston was more than content to settle into their old isolation-heavy style of play because that's what Orlando was forcing them to do. While Derrick White had a strong series, others like Porzingis and Payton Pritchard largely saw their offensive production diminish because the Magic were forcing everything to run through Tatum and Brown. Against a team like the Knicks, that style of offense won't work for the C's.
The good news is that the Celtics don't seem intent on falling into their old traps. Their second half explosion in which the Magic waved the white flag saw their offense operating at peak efficiency. Guys were moving the ball around the perimeter, knocking down open shots and pushing into the paint when the defense adjusted. When they are playing at their best, there's no team that is able to stick with Boston, so here's hoping they can keep up the positive momentum and get some rest ahead of their second round series.
