Celtics-Magic preview: solving Orlando’s puzzle

Orlando’s defense gave the Celtics trouble during the regular season, crowding passing lanes and breaking their rhythm. With a playoff clash on the horizon, Boston will need to adjust its spacing, timing, and court mapping to regain control.

The Boston Celtics spacing is one of the best in league history since Brad Stevens went all-in in the summer of 2023 and traded for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. With these changes to the roster, Joe Mazzulla and his coaching staff designed elite spacing. Thanks to multiple players who can shoot from deep and attack the rim off the dribble, the Celtics stretch defenses and force them to pick between two poisons—help and leave the three-point line open, or stay home and get beaten one-on-one.

Yet, throughout this season, the spacing has been less unrelenting. Teams like the Grizzlies and the Cavaliers have decided to leave Jrue Holiday open and prioritize rim protection. Other defenses have taken a different route, being extremely aggressive on the ball handler and the passing lanes—like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Celtics’ first round opponent, the Orlando Magic.

With this approach, the Magic have been able to disrupt two of the Celtics’ biggest offensive strengths: shooting threes and taking care of the ball. But how are the Magic able to do it, and what can the Celtics do to turn it around? Let’s dive into the film and find out.

Suffocating defense

In December, the Celtics faced the Magic down in Florida and struggled mightily on offense. Yes, Jayson Tatum was out, but Jamahl Mosley’s defensive game plan was on point and forced the Celtics into giveaways. With their defense, the Magic were able to constrain the Celtics to play differently than they usually do. By pressuring the ball and eating up space, Orlando had a tremendous impact:

13 assists (vs. 26 on average)
38 potential assists (vs. 48 on average)
1 secondary assist (vs. 4 on average)
246 passes (vs. 274 on average)
19 catch-and-shoot attempts (vs. 32 on average)

In that game, the Celtics couldn’t move the ball the way they usually do because the Magic took every opportunity to make passes difficult, constantly gambling on passing lanes.

Not only did they put heavy pressure on the ball handler, but they also fought hard to get around screens and stayed active, forcing the Celtics to execute their actions with precision. On the play below, Jrue Holiday takes just a bit too long to send the ball to Jaylen Brown, giving Trevelin Queen time to get around Al Horford and steal it.

On top of being aggressive on the ball and in passing lanes, the Magic make very deliberate decisions. They’d rather leave Jrue Holiday or Al Horford open in the corners and stunt hard on the drive. With their length and mobility, they can cover a lot of ground and prioritize ball pressure because they have players who can help on the drive and recover in time to contest shots.

They mix zone defense with individual matchups to occupy space as efficiently as possible. On the play below, they’re willing to leave Goga Bitadze covering two players on the weak side so Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can be the low man, while Jalen Suggs fronts Porzingis to disrupt the entry pass.

The Orlando Magic believe they can close space quickly and prioritize pressuring the ball to make ball movement difficult. So, what can the Celtics do to beat this kind of defensive approach?

Celtics keys to open the magic doors

One of the first options is to attack the middle—through short rolls and high-post offense from the elbow. Since the Magic put a lot of pressure on the ball and are willing to leave players open to protect the rim, there’s space between their defensive lines.

With Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics have several players who can operate effectively from that zone—acting as connectors to exploit those pockets of space.

Depending on the Magic’s lineup, the Celtics can also hunt mismatches. Cole Anthony is the obvious target, and he should play significant minutes with Jalen Suggs out. In the January game at TD Garden, the Celtics isolated Anthony with smart court mapping. The Magic couldn’t bring help to Tatum’s post-up because Jrue Holiday was one pass away instead of being on the weak side. On the weak side, the threat level was too high to leave unguarded, which created an easy one-on-one for Tatum.

Court mapping will be key to breaking the Magic’s defensive structure. The Celtics need to optimize spacing with their shooters and be intentional about where they set screens and position players. With smart geometry—like using open-side actions—they can prevent the Magic from settling into their usual help positioning and break the defensive lines.

What the Celtics could do to break the lines is to cut in between these defensive lines. Movement could create a small breakdown within the defensive shell, and the Celtics will need to take advantage of it.

With a cut between the two lines, Jrue Holiday triggered a reaction from Paolo Banchero. The cut, alongside Kristaps Porzingis’ gravity, put the defense under pressure and triggered mistakes from the young Magic team.

Because of the Magic’s defensive approach, the Celtics will need to create pockets of space to give their offense breathing room and execute their game plan. Still, keep in mind: the Magic are a unique defense with a quirky style. Don’t be surprised if we see an unusual Celtics offense in response.

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