BOSTON — A monster second quarter lifted the Boston Celtics ahead of the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. They scored 48 points in the frame—the second-most Boston has ever scored in a single quarter—taking a 23-point lead into halftime, on pace for a huge bounce-back victory after a brutal loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.
Orlando’s starting lineup only played 3:44 in the fourth quarter, all of which was Desmond Bane. That stat alone would typically indicate a blowout, with garbage time taking up most of the final minutes. But on Sunday, that couldn’t have been further from the case.
Instead, Jett Howard exploded for 28 second-half points, including 20 in the fourth alone. Rookies Noah Penda and Jase Richardson both exploded, with the former dropping 13 in the third and the latter notching 14 in the fourth.
“They started to put some fresh legs out there,” said Anfernee Simons. “Guys [who] are hungry and want to prove something, [who] normally don't play. So, they used that to their advantage well, and we kind of had to adjust to maybe some players that wasn't on the scouting report, that we didn't necessarily prepare for.”
Celtics' near-disaster loss to Magic showed where they need to grow
What was once on pace for a massive victory quickly turned into a potential disaster situation. The Magic whittled Boston’s lead all the way down to six before a Derrick White free throw and Payton Pritchard inbound-play layup secured a scary victory.
With Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze sidelined and Neemias Queta leaving the game in the first due to an ankle injury, both teams closed the game with non-center lineups.
That turned the game into an all-out race.
“Both teams were playing small, and it's just a dribble drive,” said Joe Mazzulla. “You're just creating a ton of indecisions on reds and staying square and driving angles. That's one of the advantages of us, and both teams were doing it to each other. So, we have to just continue to work on the reds, the angles, the communication, individual defense.
“That's the disadvantage, advantage of playing smaller, and when you have 10 guys out there who can do it, it just becomes a track meet. So, you just have to adjust to that.”
Orlando’s five did that better than Boston’s for most of the second half. Even when the Celtics made a shot, the Magic plucked the ball out of the basket, got it in, and sprinted up the floor. More often than not, Boston wasn’t ready for it.
By the time the final few minutes came around, Orlando’s shooters saw enough shots go down that they were hot. Even the tough ones were falling at that point, with Howard and Richardson leading the charge.
Friday night vs. Brooklyn caused a stir. Jaylen Brown challenged his guys at the podium post-game. “Come ready to play or don’t come at all,” he said.
Well, the Celtics came to play on Sunday night. They just didn’t come ready to step on throats when the time came.
“You can't take your foot off the gas,” said Brown. “I feel like, young teams, you get up by a comfortable margin, and think the game is also sewn up. I now have enough experience to know that anything can happen. Teams can come back, get back into the game. Twenty points is not really anything. So, you can't go away from what got us to lead.
“You got to keep playing the same brand of basketball. I feel like, when we get up, sometimes we veer and try to get into our own thought process of what we need to do, and I feel like that's how you open the door for a team to come back.”
Whether it was the surprise of the unknown that Simons mentioned or the freneticism of no-center basketball, the Celtics got caught on their heels against Orlando.
Slowly but surely, they let their lead slip away into oblivion, and what was left was a slippery slope that could have resulted in catastrophe. In the end, a 12-point mini run by Brown helped secure a victory, as he finished with 13 in the fourth in total.
It's not the first time the problem has popped up this season. The Philadlephia 76ers nearly came back to beat Boston earlier this year, with a pair of Josh Minott missed free throws almost acting as the nails in the coffin. Even just a few days ago, a James Harden blow-up almost ruined the Celtics' Friday night.
Margin of error, or the lack thereof, has quickly become a talking point surrounding this Celtics team. Playing around with 20-point leads isn’t something they can afford to do. Brown knows that. Mazzulla knows that. White and Pritchard know that. But a large chunk of the rotation still has to learn.
“Honestly, I think it's experience,” said Brown. “I think that being in that position enough times, I've known that if you kind of change your mentality, or you let your foot off the gas, that a team could come right back.
“I think we have a bunch of guys who are in that position for the first time, and kind of learning that just because you're up 20 points going into the fourth quarter does not mean the game is over. And I think that is something that just through experience, people who've played in the league or played on teams, winning teams, know that.”
If this version of the Celtics wants to win basketball games, they need to take care of business, especially when they have already laid the groundwork. Taking their foot off the gas pedal is a surefire way to lose.
“You can't change your mentality,” said Brown. “You can't think, 'Oh, now it's time to play around,' or 'Now it's time to go away from the game plan.' You got to, no matter what the score is, you got to treat it like it's 0-0. And that's the mentality. But you can see that, when you have less experience, that mentality wanes.”
But that’s where Brown is ready to take the lead. That’s where the guys who have been there before can help.
And that’s how the Celtics can win.
“Just holding each other accountable,” said Brown. “I think stepping up, having voices, being a leader. Me being able to speak to that, but even guys [who have] been in the league for a while. Derrick's voice is important. Even Xavier. X. His voice is important on the sideline. And our coaches as well.
“Being able to reiterate that sometimes we all get caught just watching the game, but we need to be able to empower and speak to each other and communicate to make sure we keep the same mentality.”