BOSTON (AP) — It’s been six months since Celtics star Jayson Tatum stood at heart courtroom in Boston’s TD Backyard and addressed followers minutes after receiving his 2024 championship ring and watching the franchise’s 18th banner raised into the rafters.
Tatum welled with emotion as he thanked followers for his or her help throughout the title run. He then paused and expressed one last want.
“Let’s do it once more,” he stated.
That quest begins Sunday when Boston, the East’s second seed, opens its first-round playoff collection in opposition to the seventh-seeded Orlando Magic.
No staff has received back-to-back NBA championships because the Golden State Warriors final did it in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
The Celtics are in good place to finish the repeat drought, coming off their second straight 60-win season.
However Tatum stated that’s the farthest issues from their minds at this level.
“We’re not apprehensive about something moreover the Magic proper now,” Tatum stated. “We’re not wanting previous the second, third, or fourth spherical. We’ve acquired to attempt to make it out of this one. That’s all that’s on our thoughts is making an attempt to prepare for Sport 1.”
There’s one large query mark for the Celtics getting into the postseason, which is the well being of final season’s convention and Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown, who has a lingering proper knee concern that precipitated him to overlook the ultimate three video games of the common season.
Coach Joe Mazzulla confirmed that Brown acquired an injection in his knee not too long ago, whereas additionally including that Brown had no limitations and has been a full participant in practices this week.
“I’m not right here to speak about my knee guys,” Brown stated Saturday when requested about it’s present standing. “It’s what it’s. I’m centered on Orlando.”
However he additionally acknowledged that enjoying by means of no matter ache he has in his knee is motivation.
“You could possibly say that. I don’t put an excessive amount of stress on myself,” he stated. “I simply take it in the future at a time and let issues fall the place they might. I’m very blessed and grateful to be on this place within the playoffs with an incredible alternative. I’ve been enjoying basketball for a very long time. I’m among the best athletes on the earth. It’s sufficient. We’ve acquired sufficient. So, we’ve simply acquired to determine it out in the future at a time.”
Orlando arrives in Boston as a staff no one anticipated to be on this place after guard Jalen Suggs was dominated out for the rest of the season on March 4 after present process knee surgical procedure, and ahead Moritz Wagner was sidelined for the yr after tearing the ACL in his left knee and having surgical procedure on Jan. 9.
But, after ending the common season by successful 11 of their last 15 video games after which routing Atlanta within the play-in event, in his fourth season, coach Jamahl Mosley has the Magic again within the playoffs for the second straight season.
“Nevertheless you get there, you get there,” Mosley stated. “Typically the trail is a method. And for us it was plenty of accidents, plenty of robust nights, plenty of shut video games misplaced, however then discovering a method to get the job accomplished now. That’s the aim, to get there. But in addition, to make some noise in there and never simply accept saying we simply settle for simply being there. This group believes in what they’re able to doing on any given night time.”
Regardless of posting the most effective highway season in staff historical past (33-8), Boston misplaced the season collection to the Magic 2-1, with each losses in Orlando.
Boston didn’t have Tatum in both loss. However what wasn’t a fluke is that the Magic held the Celtics to their fewest 3-point makes this season per 100 possessions throughout three matchups (11.3).
Orlando additionally enters the collection coming off making 11 3-pointers in opposition to the Hawks, a powerful signal for any staff trying to compete with a Boston staff that set a brand new NBA file with 1,457 3-point makes this season.
However Mosley stated they don’t anticipate to attempt to go toe-to-toe with the Celtics in that division.
“You’re not going to attempt to get in a rat race with them. They shoot 50 3s a recreation, that’s not our id and we received’t attempt to make it our id,” he stated. “However on the finish of the day for our guys to go 11 for 29 (in play-in in opposition to Hawks) and nonetheless have 28 assists says one thing about this group, and for our capability to get the defensive stops, which is the place we dangle our hats.”
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