This is the moment Paolo Banchero was built for. The lights of TD Garden. The defending champions. The noise, the pressure, the stakes. Boston may be the favorite, but Orlando isn’t just here to compete — they’re here to test belief. To challenge a dynasty with length, grit, and a No. 1 option who has blossomed into one of the league’s most relentless young stars.

The thing about playoff basketball is this: it’s a lie detector. It strips away the hype, the record, the seed — and gets straight to the core of who’s really built for this. For Paolo Banchero, that journey started in the quiet of last year’s playoff loss. He felt the weight of those possessions, the urgency of every fourth-quarter miss. And he returned this year with a sharper edge, a deeper bag, and a chip that doesn’t seem to go away.

Banchero Cleared, and the Magic Know What’s at Stake

They’ve heard the talk. The betting lines. The backhanded praise. But inside the locker room, there’s only one word on repeat: prepared. “Once we shock the world, everyone’s going to become a fan of the Orlando Magic,” Wendell Carter Jr. said, reflecting the collective edge Orlando is bringing into this series. “We’ve been underdogs before. It just gives us fuel.”

Orlando Magic head into their Game 1 showdown against the Boston Celtics with their All-Star forward Paolo Banchero ready to go. After minor concerns about lingering soreness following the Play-In grind, Banchero participated fully in practice sessions leading up to Sunday and is expected to shoulder his regular offensive and defensive responsibilities.

But this isn’t just about his availability—it’s about what he represents. Banchero is the Magic’s offensive engine, averaging over 29.1 points per game in the regular season and showing a growing command as both scorer and facilitator. Against a team like Boston, which is built on smothering perimeter defense and elite rotations, Orlando needs every ounce of shot creation it can offer.

He’s faced elite defenders before. He’s seen doubles. But the playoffs are about matchups, and this one puts him squarely against a wounded All-Star in Jaylen Brown.

The Celtics know this. That’s why Brown, one of the team’s most versatile defenders, is likely to draw the Banchero matchup at key stretches. But here’s where things get interesting: Brown, though cleared to play, has been dealing with a knee issue that required pain injections just last week. While Boston insists he’s ready—”JB is just gonna be JB,” Jrue Holiday said—there’s a narrow window Orlando can exploit.

Banchero, along with Franz Wagner, must test Brown early. Force him to move laterally. Attack his hip on drives. Make him defend on switches and play through bumps. The Celtics are deep, but if Brown’s knee isn’t 100%, and if Orlando can pile on the pressure, they might start bending the Celtics’ structure in ways no injury report can predict.

Brown’s Status Creates a Crack in Boston’s Armor

Boston’s injury report may read “clean,” but there’s context behind the curtain. Jaylen Brown practiced without restriction and is expected to start, but this is a player who missed multiple games late in the season and required medical intervention to even get playoff-ready. His quote said it all: “I’m not here to talk about my knee. It is what it is.” That’s not defiance—it’s caution. And that matters for Orlando.

Boston’s defense, ranked top five in the league, relies on trust, timing, and elite wing containment. If Brown starts leaking on rotations or loses bursts on closeouts, it compromises Boston’s shell and forces help defenders into uncomfortable positions. That’s where cutters like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Wendell Carter Jr. get open dunks, and where second-chance chaos begins.

Joe Mazzulla might be forced to experiment with more Jrue Holiday on-ball or even larger lineups if Brown struggles to anchor the wing. “He doesn’t get distracted by things around him,” Mazzulla said of Brown’s mentality. “He just puts himself in a position to be effective no matter what.”

But Orlando’s job is to test just how effective Brown really is right now. The question isn’t whether Brown will suit up. It’s how long he can sustain that “warrior mentality” against a team determined to make him prove it. Banchero is ready. Brown says he is, too. But playoff basketball has a way of exposing the smallest cracks. And for a Magic team built on physicality and belief, this is the time to pry one open. Game 1 isn’t just about talent—it’s about pressure. And both sides are about to feel it.