“Whether it’s preseason, regular season, in-season, postseason, to me, it’s all the same,” Mazzulla said before Friday’s game.
ORLANDO, Fla. — The stage was set for an intense game of basketball. The Celtics spent their Friday afternoon in Orlando, playing the Magic in an in-season tournament game that both teams desperately wanted to win.
Fans of both teams packed Amway Center to watch these two hungry teams battle on the Magic’s gray and navy in-season tournament-themed court.
The deafening sound of cheers seemed to fill the entire stadium whenever any play happened during the Celtics’ 111-95 loss to the Magic.
It was a game with very high stakes, but to Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, Friday’s in-season tournament game was no different than any other.
“Whether it’s preseason, regular season, in-season, postseason, to me, it’s all the same,” Mazzulla said before Friday’s game.
This isn’t the first time Mazzulla has said that he approaches the tournament like any other game. He referred to his first ever tournament game — a 121-107 win against the Brooklyn Nets — as “one of 82”
But Mazzulla still admires the concept of the in-season tournament and how it’s implemented in other sports. He just doesn’t want his team to view these games as any bigger than non-tournament games.
“I understand where it can get to, I have respect for other leagues and other sports that have in-season tournaments and to what they’ve grown to.” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day, I’d rather create an environment where winning every game is most important.”
The Celtics’ defeat at the hands of the Magic on Friday marks their first in-season tournament loss in franchise history, but they’re not out of it yet.
They are currently second in Group C behind Orlando, and they could take the top spot from them if they defeat the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday by more than 22 points.
If that happens and if Brooklyn loses against Toronto that night, they could advance to the second round.
“It all comes down to the same thing: the hardest-playing team usually wins,” Mazzulla said. “And the team that executes usually wins, and that’s our goal.”
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Look, we all know the upcoming season for the Boston Celtics will be a bit of a tightrope walk.
They are overwhelmingly talented, and with all six of their top players intact, it’s not likely that there is a team in the NBA who could knock them out of a seven-game series.
But we also know the Kristaps Porzingis injury history, and that will keep Celtics fans and observers on their toes all season.
Porzingis gave Bostonians a fright with a calf injury on Friday afternoon in Orlando, during a loss that showed how the Celtics can be vulnerable when not at 100% (Porzingis played only 22 minutes, and Jrue Holiday was out with an ankle injury).
Coach Joe Mazzulla said after the game that there would be an MRI and that the injury was not too severe, but NBA fans know all too well that it is a short walk from a calf injury to an Achilles injury.
On Saturday, though, Porzingis offered an Instagram post that, he said, was “Good news this morning.”
Kristaps Porzingis Injury Concerns Will Linger
Good news, indeed. Porzingis is off to a very good start with the Celtics, averaging 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds for a team that is clearly the best he has been on in his nine seasons in the NBA.
He’s shooting 54.7% from the field, a career high, and attempting 11.9 shots per game, a career low.
He is also, with Luke Kornet, the only 7-footer on the Celtics roster, and thus, an important part of the team’s ability to guard the paint and protect the rim.
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Atlanta Hawks (8-7) at Boston Celtics (12-4) Game #16 11/25/23
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The Celtics are back in action taking on the Atlanta Hawks today. This is the first of three meetings between the two sides.
The last time they squared off in Georgia was Game 6 in the first round of the playoffs where the C’s advanced, beating the hosts 128-120.
Atlanta is coming off the first game of a back-to-back after beating the Washington Wizards last night 136-108.
Boston is looking to get back on track after losing their In-Season Tournament match with the Orlando Magic (113-96). Not only did Boston lose its last game, but they’ve dropped two of their last three games.
Kristaps Porzingis left the game with a calf injury on Friday and had an MRI to determine the severity. According to his Instagram, it’s not as bad as initially feared:
Although it looks like Porzingis avoided a major injury, he will miss today’s game. The Celtics recalled rookie Jordan Walsh from Maine to fill the extra bench spot with KP out.
Walsh is off to a good start with the Maine Celtics. In six games, the rookie is averaging 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists.
With the Latvian out, the C’s can turn to Ol’ Reliable in Al Horford. Horford has been great this season, especially when he’s had to start for Porzingis.
Continuing with injuries, Jrue Holiday sat out against the Magic and is questionable for today with a right ankle sprain he suffered on Wednesday against the Bucks.
For Atlanta, Jalen Johnson left yesterday’s game with a wrist injury and didn’t return. If Johnson can’t go, that is a big miss for Atlanta.
The forward is averaging 14.1 points and 7.3 rebounds. The Hawks are also without Mouhamed Gueye (back) and Kobe Bufkin (thumb).
Atlanta currently sits eighth in the conference and are having mixed results, although they are currently on a two-game winning streak.
Matchups to watch
Trae Young and Dejounte Murray against Boston’s guards. Ideally, Boston will have their defensive duo of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday.
Young is averaging 26 points and 10.6 assists this season. The former Oklahoma Sooner is in a rich vein of form over the last three games, averaging 35.7 points while shooting 52.3% from the field and 56.3% from deep.
In addition to the red-hot scoring stretch, Young has made five or more threes in each of those three games while dishing out nine assists.
Murray on the other hand is shooting the best he’s had in his career. Entering Saturday, Murray was averaging 21.6 points while shooting 47.5% from the field and a career-best 41% from three.
White and Holiday will have their hands full as Young is a threat from anywhere on the court, while Murray is a creative scorer and can get to his spots.
If Holiday doesn’t suit up for the matchup, I expect Jaylen Brown to start on Murray. Brown has his defensive lapses at times, but if he is the primary defender he needs to be up for the challenge.
Keys to the game
Limit Trae Young: With the run he’s on, he’ll be feeling himself tonight, and the C’s must always know where he is on the court.
As much as Bogdan Bogdanovic, Murray, and De’Andre Hunter can hurt teams, Trae gets everyone going. Limit him and Boston has a good chance of winning.
Don’t mess around in the fourth quarter: In the last three games, Boston either let teams back in (Charlotte and Milwaukee) or there was a run in the game that took all momentum out and wobbled the C’s (17-0 run against the Magic).
Today, if Boston has a lead midway through the fourth quarter, I’d like to see them close it out and not have a nervy finish like the prior games.
It’s great that the Celtics can blow out teams, but it’s important for them to also figure out how to put games away in the fourth quarter before it gets to crunch time.
Rebounding: Maybe because all of my coaches growing up always emphasized the importance of winning the rebound battle, it’s ingrained in me that grabbing more rebounds will give you a better chance of winning.
With no KP, everyone will have to be active on the glass especially since Clint Capela (9.9 boards per game) is still one of the better rebounders in the game.
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