The major worry coming out of Game 1 for the Boston Celtics, despite going out to a 1-0 lead in their first-round series against the Orlando Magic, was the status of Jayson Tatum. Tatum, who sustained a bone bruise in his right wrist, ended up missing Game 2 — thrusting Jaylen Brown into first option duties. And Brown answered the call in more ways than one, as he put up 36 points on an uber-efficient 12-19 shooting from the field to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists to lead the way in a 109-100 Game 2 victory for the Celtics.

Winning a playoff game without Tatum is something the Celtics can be proud of, as they head into the road having taken care of business at home against a plucky Magic side. Brown certainly isn't taking the Magic lightly even after winning the first two games of the series rather comfortably.

“They're a good young team so we just got to take care of the ball a little bit better. We know they're gonna keep it going, they're not going to give up so we got to keep playing basketball and let the outcome be determined by us,” Brown told TNT's Stephanie Ready in his postgame interview following the Celtics' win.

Indeed, the Magic have a chance to win any game with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner leading the team. The Celtics cannot be complacent despite the overall talent disparity between the two teams, and on Wednesday night, they gave the Magic the appropriate respect that this young playoff team deserves, which was especially more important to do with the absence of Tatum on the night.

It's not quite clear if the Celtics will be getting Tatum back for Game 3. But they have shown that they will not be letting their foot off the gas pedal even with the Magic looking very vulnerable.

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Celtics expose Magic's glaring weakness

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) controls the ball while Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) defends during the first half at TD Garden.
Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Magic have such a nice foundational duo in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, but the roster around them needs plenty of work. The Celtics have exposed their lack of three-point shooting and lack of reliable offensive production outside of those two; Orlando went 7-29 from beyond the arc and was borderline helpless offensively if it wasn't either Banchero or Wagner controlling the ball.

The Celtics remain the overwhelming favorite to take home the series, and the Magic can certainly take a lot of lessons home with them from Boston on how to construct a championship-level roster in today's three-point shot-driven NBA.