BOSTON — Making it out of the first round is nothing new for the Boston Celtics. After eliminating the Orlando Magic in five games following a 120-89 blowout win on Tuesday night, the C's have now advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in eight of the last nine seasons. That doesn't mean their postseason opener with the Magic was easy, which was arguably in the Green Team's favor, according to Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

“It was probably exactly what we needed,” he revealed in his postgame press conference. “Good test, first round — couple guys really banged up and dealing with some things, but showing that mental toughness of getting up and getting ready for each game.”

From the start of the series, Boston was challenged. The seventh-seeded Magic led at halftime of Game 1 before fading away in the second half. Game 5 was a similar story, but to an extreme degree.

The Celtics trailed 49-47 through two quarters of the series-clinching win. They were outrebounded 10-1 on the offensive glass in the first half and had zero makes from beyond the arc. For a team that loves to work the 3-point line, this was unheard of. In fact, Boston hadn't gone a whole half without draining a 3-pointer since October of 2021, an entire year before Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach.

No team had shut down the Celtics' 3-point attack like the Magic. And no team had met the Celtics with such physicality like the Magic. As a result, Boston was forced to adapt.

“They just kind of forced us to play a little differently,” Tatum said.

Adapting hasn't been an issue for the C's, as they spent a lot of the regular season without their ideal starting five and adjusted their approach based on lineup absences all the time. Boston already had to do it against Orlando as well. Tatum missed Game 2 with a wrist injury and starting Celtics guard Jrue Holiday missed the final three contests of the series with a hamstring issue.

No matter who's on the injury report, the Celtics employ the same mindset, emphasizing that what's required for winning constantly fluctuates because no game looks the same.

“Doing whatever it takes, whatever the game calls for, and just figuring out a way to win,” Tatum said of the Celtics' process.  “That's all that matters this time of the year.”

How the Celtics found ways to beat the Magic down the stretch

In the second half, Celtics star Jaylen Brown circumvented Boston's 3-point woes by attacking the rim and getting to the line. His efforts came with the added bonus of keeping Magic star Paolo Banchero in foul trouble.

With Banchero guarding him and 9:46 left in the third quarter, Brown drove inside for a layup that would change the game. The reigning NBA Finals MVP got the bucket and the foul following some contact, knotting the score at 53 and causing Banchero to throw his hands up in frustration.

Related Boston Celtics NewsArticle continues below
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and head coach Brad Stevens direct players during the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at TD Garden.
Celtics’ Brad Stevens reveals ‘amazing’ turnaround time of Jayson Tatum’s surgery
Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) controls the ball during the second half against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden.
Ranking 3 best Jrue Holiday trade destinations if Celtics make big changes

“Once we saw him in foul trouble and hang his head, we were ready to go,” Brown told reporters. “So we just took advantage of that from there.”

Orlando's go-to guy was forced to sit with five fouls, and from that point on, the Celtics outscored the Magic 67-36. Much of that extended run was fueled by the C's cracking into the paint, where they outscored the Magic 48-36, and rediscovering their 3-point dominance.

Boston connected on 13 of its 18 attempts from deep in the second half, with Tatum leading the way with four triples. He finished two boards shy of a triple-double thanks to a team-high eight rebounds and a game-high 35 points and 10 assists. Tatum and Brown combining for 34 points in the final 24 minutes helped the Celtics pull off the largest margin of victory in a playoff game for a team that trailed at half.

“We can win a quarter, a game, a series, in different ways,” Tatum stated. “And we showed that this series.”

For the second straight season, the Celtics are headed to the Eastern Conference Semifinals after beating their first-round opponent in five games. Although the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic lasted the same amount of time, the former was not as tough a matchup as the latter for the Celtics. All four of Boston's wins over Miami came by at least 14 points, while it needed a pair of single-digit wins to take care of Orlando.

The intensity and tightness of the reigning champions' opening series could serve them well in the next round. The Celtics will either play the third-seeded New York Knicks or the sixth-seeded Detroit Pistons. Boston's future opponent could be solidified as soon as Thursday night, as the Knicks hope to close out the series on the road in six games.

Whether the Knicks move on as expected or the Pistons pull off an upset, the Celtics are ready for their next challenge. They don't know what a winning formula in the second round will look like exactly, but they're prepared to do whatever it takes to figure it out and execute.

“As a group, we've been through it all, and we showed it and proved it this series,” Tatum said. “Looking forward to the next one.”