ORLANDO — The Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic have been deadlocked in a series with lots of bumps and bruises. Elbows flying, bodies hitting the ground, and three Flagrant fouls assessed in as many games. Some players aren’t too thrilled with the levels that have been reached.
“There might be a fight break out or something because it is starting to feel like it is not even basketball, and the refs are not controlling the environment,” Jaylen Brown said after Game 3 in Orlando. “So, it is what it is. You want to fight it out? We can do that. Fight to see who goes to the second round."
Brown was thrown to the ground by Cole Anthony in Game 3, dislocating his finger in the process. “I dislocated my index finger, but I got nine more, so I’m alright,” Brown said.
Al Horford also chimed in on the physicality after Game 1, in which Jayson Tatum was sent crashing into the floor by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on a layup attempt. “It was about the second or third time that [they], especially KCP, went at him in that way,” Horford said.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley doesn't care about Celtics complaints
But despite the Celtics’ vocalized unhappiness with Orlando’s style, Jamahl Mosley remains unfazed.
"I don't think much of it,” Mosley said before Game 4. “I really just focus on our team and how we can continue to play and do the things that we need to do to give ourselves an opportunity to be successful."
Anthony and Caldwell-Pope’s were both Flagrant fouls, and the third was Goga Bitadze, who elbowed Kristaps Porzingis in the head in Game 2. Three Flagrant fouls, three injuries, three Celtics stars sent to the ground.
From the very start of the series, Orlando has made a point of upping their physicality in hopes of throwing the Celtics out of their rhythm. They finally found success in Game 3, when their pick-and-roll defense and three-point denial held the Celtics under 100 points for the first time in three games.
They turned that triumph into transition opportunities, second-chance points, and big-swing stops against what has been a high-powered Boston offense.
So, though Boston may not be thrilled with the level of physicality Mosley’s Magic is employing, it’s all within the rules of the game. If the refs don’t call the foul, they don’t call the foul.
And at that point, it’s up to the Celtics to adjust. If they don’t, Game 4 could turn into a repeat of Game 3.