The rim-rattling dunk. The primal scream. The glare at no one in particular. Jaylen Brown didn’t just return to the playoff stage on Sunday—he re-entered with a statement. And for those watching closely, that third-quarter jam in Game 1 against the Magic wasn’t just about two points. It was a warning to the locker room, a rally cry with hang time: Stay hungry. Stay physical. Stay hunting.

Because if there’s one thing Brown made clear postgame, it’s that this Celtics team can’t afford to play the role of defending champions.

“We got to have the hunter mentality,” Brown said after Boston’s 103-86 win. “We can’t be, you know… we got to set the tone, set the intensity of the game. Orlando did a great job of that in the first half. It’s going to be more fight than it is skill.”

It wasn’t always pretty. The Celtics trailed at halftime and were outworked on the glass. Orlando dictated pace early, led by a fearless Paolo Banchero (36 points). But then came the flip—fueled by transition defense, timely threes, and that Brown moment. He only scored 16 points, but his presence loomed large. Two steals. A game-changing sequence. And an emotional reminder that these playoffs will test grit as much as talent.

“Tonight we got a win, but we got to look forward to playing better,” Brown added. “This Orlando team is not going away.” His tone wasn’t celebratory. It was urgent.

Jaylen might not want to make a big celebration of tonight’s win, but his knee injury update deserves it. After all, it’s the concern that lingered over TD Garden all week. After receiving pain-killing injections and sitting the final three games of the regular season, there was real anxiety about how he’d move, land, and last. But Brown, guarded as ever, brushed it off.

“I felt good today,” he said. “Just taking it one day at a time. I haven’t played in a while, so I’m just building from here.”

That’s not just good news for Boston — it’s a sigh of relief.

According to coach Joe Mazzulla, there’s no concern in the building. “He knows how to take care of himself,” Mazzulla said. “He had some great possessions on Banchero in the first half. He’s right where he needs to be.”

However, Brown’s message goes beyond injury. He’s calling out the collective. This Celtics team may be loaded, but Brown knows the trap of coasting. He’s spent the season adjusting his game—but he hasn’t forgotten what he’s capable of.

“Using my skill set, shooting the ball, scoring from all three levels, playing intense defense. Just reminding myself of that, but also doing what this team needs me to do.”

But with Orlando throwing the first punch and Brown firing back, what exactly did this Game 1 reveal about Boston’s readiness—and what comes next in this series?

Game 1 was a message. Game 2 will be a test.

Don’t let the 17-point final margin fool you. Game 1 was not a cruise—it was a correction. The Celtics found their edge in the second half after sleepwalking through the opening 24 minutes, and Jaylen Brown made it very clear postgame:

“I think Orlando did a great job of that in the first half. So, um, there’s going to be a lot of that this series. Can’t expect nothing less. It’s going to be more fight than it is skill, you know. So our guys got to be ready to fight.”

That wasn’t just about this game—it was a warning about the war ahead.

Because the Magic? They are going to give the Celtics a run for their money.

If anything, Game 1 didn’t rattle Orlando—it probably made them believe they can steal one in Boston. Paolo Banchero dropped 36 points and controlled the game in stretches, and Boston had real trouble with Orlando’s size and offensive rebounding early. Joe Mazzulla’s halftime adjustments paid off—he put a greater emphasis on early help, transition scoring, and forcing turnovers—but those won’t be silver bullets for the rest of the series. Orlando will counter. They always do.

Here’s what Boston can’t afford to mess up again.

Let’s start with the glass. The Magic grabbed eight offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone, which led to seven second-chance points. That’s the kind of stat that swings playoff games. Boston eventually closed that gap by getting more physical, particularly with Al Horford and Porzingis boxing out harder, but it can’t take them a half to adjust again. This is a young Orlando team with length, tenacity, and nothing to lose. They want to out-effort you. They’ll try again on Wednesday.

Then there’s the Celtics’ own issue: turnovers. They’ve flirted with this weakness all season, and when they get too cute or too loose with the ball, they become beatable. Against a disciplined defensive unit like Orlando—who finished second in defensive rating during the regular season—Boston can’t afford empty possessions. They had just nine turnovers in Game 1. That’s the target.

And here’s the real X-factor: Jaylen Brown.

No, not whether his knee holds up. That question was answered. He played 31 confident minutes, attacked the rim, and even delivered a momentum-shifting third-quarter dunk that looked like a flashback to pre-injury JB. The bigger takeaway is what he represents. Brown’s postgame comments revealed a man who’s accepted a quieter role all year for the team—but hasn’t lost the spark.

Boston outscored Orlando by 13 points during Brown’s 30 minutes on the floor—that kind of two-way impact doesn’t always make headlines, but it shapes playoff games. And Boston may need to unleash that version of Brown sooner than later.

Why? Because Tatum was out of rhythm (8-of-22), Porzingis was quiet, and while White and Pritchard bailed them out, that can’t be the default formula. Eventually, a playoff series demands stars to win it. If Game 1 was the bridge between recovery and belief, that dunk was a flashback—and maybe a preview. Game 2 is where Jaylen Brown can plant his flag.

As for Orlando: this is where we find out if they’re here to compete or just participate. Banchero was brilliant, Wagner was steady—but they got just seven points combined from the rest of the roster. If they want to steal a game in Boston, they’ll need someone—Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac, Anthony Black—to step up. And fast. Because Banchero and Wagner can’t carry a Game 2 steal solo. The margin for error now is razor thin.

Boston will likely double more aggressively and bait the Magic’s wings into beating them from deep. That means Orlando will have to generate shots for the role players who went silent in the second half.