Magic Or Cavs? Who Celtics Should Want In Round 2 Of NBA Playoffs

The Boston Celtics took care of the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, punching their Eastern Conference semifinals ticket in five games, which means it’s time to, once again, sit back and patiently wait.

By putting away Miami through three straight lopsided wins, Boston became the first team in the East to advance out of Round 1.

In Game 5, the Celtics unleashed a playoff identity the team hadn’t presented in recent postseason runs, jumping out to a 41-point first quarter and never allowing the Heat to fight back. Boston’s defensive urgency limited Miami to under 25 points through each quarter and eviscerated its 3-point threat — the Heat shot 3-of-29 (10.3%).

Even the Celtics admitted there was some preference in playing Miami, the team that eliminated Boston as the No. 8 seed in a seven-game conference finals battle last season, amid their redemption run.

“I was thinking when the play-in game was (happening), they was trying to figure out the standings in the last week or so, I just had in my mind made up that we was gonna play Miami,” Jayson Tatum revealed after Boston’s Game 5 victory. “I wanted to play Miami in the sense that, maybe last year, playing against Atlanta we may have relaxed a little bit. But knowing the history with Miami and how hard they play and how well-coached they are, for a first-round matchup, regardless of the seed, that we were gonna have to be ready to play, be ready to fight.”

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While everyone else in the East remains fighting for a second-round spot, the Celtics only know one thing: they’ll either play the Orlando Magic or the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s it, although that series could end with Cleveland leading Orlando, 3-2, heading into Friday night’s Game 6 duel.

So… does Boston have a preference this time?

“Um… they’re both good,” Derrick White said. “So it’s gonna be a challenge.”

Well, the Celtics should. In reality, the answer is rather clear: Boston ought to cheer on the Magic in Game 6 and keep doing so if a potential Game 7 with the Cavaliers is played on Sunday.

Both teams are less talented in their respective star power, however, the Magic don’t have a true No. 1 option. Paolo Banchero, 21, has been Orlando’s postseason scoring leader (24.8 points), picking up the same slack as he did during the regular season. But even that isn’t enough to compete with Boston.

Orlando ranked 24th in 3-point shooting (35.2%) this past season and dead-last in threes made (11) per game. They lack the skill, creativity, and offensive versatility necessary to make up for that lost ground and bridge the gap between their non-existent 3-point touch and Boston’s NBA-leading 16.5 threes drained. It’s even gotten uglier for the Magic in the playoffs, who’ve shot only 30.7%, connecting on 10.2 attempts. That’s the difference between going five games while trailing the Cavaliers and possibly going five games while leading them.

Considering how well Boston flipped its switch after dropping Game 2 to Miami, and suffocated the perimeter in the final three games of the series — the Heat shot a combined 33-for-127 (25.9%) — Orlando isn’t quite prepared. Miami actually can get hot from beyond the arc, the Magic can not, therefore, it’d be up to them to find other ways to score, which is easier said than done.

Orlando’s a fringe contender relying on an ailing offense that the front office didn’t invest in during February’s trade deadline. They don’t have a Donovan Mitchell, who can take over a night, has mental toughness, and can be a fearless leader. The last time a player of that caliber wore a Magic uniform was Dwight Howard, who left in 2012.

Sure, Orlando defeated Boston once this past season, but that didn’t indicate anything. Moritz Wagner, the little-known villain of November’s In-Season Tournament upset win by the Magic, has averaged just 7.8 points on 2.8 shots made this postseason — not exactly qualified for being labeled a threat.

The Magic had their 15 seconds of glory over the Celtics, but Boston’s since made the adjustments. The Celtics lost no more than twice consecutively in the regular season, still have home-court advantage, and just bulldozed Miami in a brutal close-out beatdown.

“You gotta credit Boston. They took control of this game,” Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said Wednesday night, per CLNS Media. “You could sense that they wanted this to end right now tonight, and not let this thing get back to Miami. That’s a sign of a mature team.”

There’s also a bonus incentive: if Orlando extends the series, injured Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis will be granted an additional two days of rest.

Either way, even without Porzingis, it shouldn’t be a race, but a slaughter.