The Boston Celtics’ title defense is well underway. The C’s managed to keep this young and physical Orlando Magic team at bay for the first two games, earning a crucial 2-0 lead. However, just when everyone thought that the series might be done and dusted, Orlando managed to keep it alive by edging Boston 95-93 in Game 3. Everyone knows that there is a lot of disparity between the two franchises in terms of quality and depth across the floor. Moreover, the Magic aren’t the best offensive team, but they make up for it on the defensive end through their physicality. Boston has already paid a huge price for this, and is looking to keep the damage as low as possible.

As a result of this high-intensity gameplay, the Celtics have been bitten by the injury bug very early into the playoffs. Ahead of the playoffs, their forward, Jaylen Brown, has already taken an injection to address an injury in his right knee. Meanwhile, their other forward, Jayson Tatum, suffered a wrist bone contusion following a collision with Orlando’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Is that all? Nope. Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis got cut on the forehead and had to depart to receive multiple stitches. Six-time All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday is also on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury.

With so many superstars going down one after the other, there’s frustration building up in Boston’s camp. After their recent loss, Noa Dalzell of CLNS asked Jaylen Brown about the hard fouls that seem to have become a part of Orlando’s strategy against Boston. “Might be a fight [that could] break out or something. It’s starting to feel like it’s not even basketball, and the refs are not controlling their environment. So it is what it is; if we want to fight it out, we can do that. We can fight to see who goes to the second round,” Brown replied. These comments from the 28-year-old C’s star suggest that Orlando just wants to fight. However, in reality, it’s his way of saying that the team needs to ramp up their physicality rather than an actual fight.

Boston’s head coach, Joe Mazzulla, echoed a similar opinion as he was asked to respond to Jaylen Brown’s statement. “I don’t know that he said it out of frustration as he did out of the perspective of doing what it takes to win. If the environment calls for upping the physicality, then that’s what we have to do.” Mazzulla stated. While the Celtics are still the favorites to advance to the next round, they need to keep things in control, and if that can be achieved by taking their physicality up a notch, they need to do so. Indeed, they can do that because they’ve got the size and even the depth. So, they need to work on that to close out this series as soon as possible to avoid any more injuries. Meanwhile, Boston’s point guard, Derrick White, has also made a strong demand from the locker room.

Derrick White makes a clear demand of his teammates

The Boston Celtics entered the series as heavy favorites and rightly so. They finished the season as the second seed and are placed against the seventh seed, Orlando. Many people thought that this would be an easy first-round matchup for the Cletics. However, after Game 3, the defending champions have been made to think a little, especially due to the Magic’s defensive tactics. Jaylen Brown isn’t happy with how the series is shaping up. Meanwhile, his head coach is urging players to ramp up their physicality because it’s the need of the hour. At the same time, Derrick White has also entered the conversation and put up his demand to his teammates.

According to the 30-year-old Boston star, whatever the Magic have been throwing at his team is expected because it’s the postseason. “It’s the playoffs. This is what you expect.” White stated before making a demand of his team. “Everything kind of gets raised a little bit. And so we know what to expect, and we’ve been in this situation before, and so we know what to do.” His statement implies that this is what you have to expect going in as the defending champions. Moreover, he also pointed out that this isn’t uncharted territory for him or his teammates. So, they know how to handle these hard fouls and go up against Orlando.

While it’s good advice, the Celtics are the ones who have more to lose. If they get too physical trying to match Orlando’s approach, it could lead to further casualties for them. That’s something they need to avoid at all costs. Their aim should be to get the job done and advance from this series unscathed. If they start picking unnecessary fights, things could backfire pretty quickly and could lead to a disaster for Boston. They need to find the right balance, meaning they need not to be too physical or too soft. Fortunately for Boston, their team and their coaching staff have gone through all of this before, so they should be able to handle it smoothly.