The Orlando Magic may have just lost this week to the Celtics, 109-106, but their president of basketball operations had some choice words for the C’s in the wake of the defeat. “They act tough,” Smith said. “They’re not really tough. They act tough.”
Smith’s point was that making intense faces and yelling loudly meant nothing — executing on the court is what it’s really all about. But the Celtics do plenty of that too, don’t they?
The Celtics are physical on both ends of the floor. They protect the rim, they crash the boards, they put a body on every offensive player who touches the ball. On offense, they’re not afraid to drive the lane, draw contact and get dirty.
And then there’s mental toughness. We’ve seen the C’s grind out countless wins in the final seconds, and we know all about their determination to get it done when it matters most.
So what gives, Otis? What are we missing? What about the Celtics isn’t “tough?”
