You know the Boston Celtics season is off to a good start when they haven't just won five games in a row, but the biggest complaint six games in has been the integration of Mitchell Robinson. There is concern about whether he can figure himself out, but Boston clearly sees something in him that they want to see through.
Well, their win over the Orlando Magic did Robinson absolutely no favors. The Celtics didn't blow out the Magic, but they absolutely were in position to. It would have been a blowout if they had their threes. In fact, many of the threes they missed were open looks, but this is exactly what Mazzulla Ball is about.
The Magic punched first when they were up by as many as nine early on, but Boston hung in because they forced turnovers (Orlando coughed it up 16 times) and corralled plenty of offensive boards (14). This is where Mazzulla's basketball philosophy kicks into high gear when the threes aren't falling.
It not only keeps them in games when they can't shoot, but it also keeps their opponent at arm's length. The Magic certainly made things interest at points, but the Celtics operated at a high enough level that they never got the lead back when Boston was leading after the first quarter.
And they did it without Mitchell Robinson.
It highlights why Robinson's struggles are frustrating
Yes, Boston has every right to be patient with Robinson because the season is long, but times like these make it hard to stomach when he has trouble figuring himself out in their system. It's not like Neemias Queta and Luka Garza dominated today (Garza kind of did, though that's par for the course whenever the Celtics play against the Magic), but it was clear how much more easily everything flowed with them manning the center minutes.
At his peak, Robinson is the better player of the three of them, but when seeing how much more easily the Celtics play as a unit with Garza and Queta, it makes it more frustrating that he can't provide that same presence.
With plenty of season left, Boston has no reason to pull the plug, but their win over the Magic will make it harder not to lean on their most dependable centers until Robinson both proves he fits with this team and that he makes them even better than Garza and Queta.
Whether he figures it out or not, today was also good confirmation that when he's out, the Celtics should be just fine.
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