The Boston Celtics recently got off to a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first round playoff matchup against the Orlando Magic. The Celtics got off to a slow start in this one but were ultimately able to find their footing down the stretch against an overmatched Orlando team.
One major reason why the Celtics were able to stay afloat in the first half was the play of Payton Pritchard, who provided an immediate spark off the bench that reminded the world why he is a Sixth Man of the Year finalist.
Ahead of Wednesday evening's Game 2, Pritchard got 100% real on why the Celtics are not afraid of the Magic's imposing physicality.
“I don’t feel intimidated…No matter what a hard foul is we’re just gonna get up and play ball and just check it back up,” said Pritchard, per Daniel Donabedian of ClutchPoints on X.
The Magic committed several “playoff fouls” during Sunday afternoon's game, including a hard foul on superstar Jayson Tatum that had the 1st Team All-NBA member grabbing his wrist.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was ultimately given a flagrant foul penalty one for the play.
A strong start for the Celtics
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It's no surprise that the Magic would try to muck things up and out-physical the Celtics considering the clear talent deficit they are facing in this series.
In some ways, it's similar to what the Miami Heat tried to do with Boston in round one of last year's playoffs, which started out on a similar note to this series, with Boston picking up a Game 1 victory. The Heat were able to conjure up some of their postseason magic for a win in Game 2, but Boston took the next three contests in blowout fashion.
Still, the Celtics are hoping to avoid a similar Game 2 letdown on Wednesday evening for Game 2 against Orlando. The good news for Boston is that both Tatum and co-star Jaylen Brown struggled from the field in Game 1, and they were still able to cruise to a relatively easy win.
In any case, Game 2 is slated for Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM ET from Boston.