The Boston Celtics launched their 2025 playoff campaign, winning a 103-86 victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 1.
Despite being an off-night from the superstars, the Boston Celtics exhibited their championship pedigree through excellent team play at both ends of the courthouse.
Celtics legend Paul Pierce highlighted this as a critical feature that separates Boston from other candidates. They are the ability to collectively win when individual stars are not at their best.
In the FS1 speaking segment, Pierce explained:
“Thinking about this, Jason Tatum scored 17 points, one point for eight and Brown had 16 and Porzingis.
“What I saw from this game is a team that knows really good because they didn’t play particularly well in the first half. You can see them pressing the button in the second half.”
“We were saying, ‘It’s time to press the button.’ I know that when we raised our strength, we saw it from Boston yesterday.
As Pierce said, what makes this victory particularly impressive is the way the Celtics dominated despite performances from top players.
Kristaps Porzingis managed just five points, while Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum created just one 3 pointer.
However, Pierce said if the Celtics want to go far in the playoffs this season, they need to keep their stars hot on the court.
“Every night, different players can step up when the stars don’t play well. Can they go back to a final like this? No, the stars have to appear. In the first round, they can get away with it.”
This collective approach becomes even more important for Game 2 as Tatum’s status remains questionable after suffering from a severe fall in the fourth quarter with a bone bruise on his right wrist.
Tatum’s potential absence, listed as a daily basis, is a major blow, further testing the depth and resilience of Boston’s championship level.
The Celtics had to bring in the same energy they had in Game 1 when they only had nine turnovers, hitting 43.2% of the three-pointer.
In defense, they also kept the magic at just 37% from downtown.