10 takeaways from a dominant second half by the Celtics to blowout the Magic in Game 5

#1 – Sloppy start gave us doubts…

It’s hard to say if that was due to the fatigue of coming back from Florida or the late start, but the beginning of the game felt sloppy, even lazy. After eight minutes, they had only scored 12 points, and the visual impression on this transition was alarming.

Blowing away a transition like that, without really trying, in a game to move on to the next round, was uncharacteristic. But they were preserving themselves for a second-half explosion. Indeed, despite trailing at halftime, the Celtics won by more than 30 points — the first time that has happened in NBA history.

#2 – But the run at the end of the third gave us chills!

With less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Celtics took control of the game by running the same play three times in a row. The choreography, designed by the coaching staff, starts with a ghost screen from Sam Hauser for Jayson Tatum. That means Hauser sets a fake screen and keeps running to the other side. This often confuses the defense.

Hauser then runs toward the other side of the ball to use another (real) screen from Luke Kornet to get free beyond the arc. On the first try, they got an open three out of it.

Second try, the Celtics ran the same play, but this time the separation wasn’t created, which triggered the second layer of the action — a Spain pick-and-roll. This is a screen from Kornet on the ball, plus a screen from Payton Pritchard on Kornet’s matchup. That gives space to Kornet to roll and forces help from the weak side, creating enough space for Al Horford to hit the open corner shot.

Then came the classic Jayson Tatum pull-up triple. Three times in a row, the same play — three different outcomes, nine points generated in such a short span.

I asked Joe Mazzulla about that sequence and why he went to the same play three times in a row. He took the time to explain that he wanted to test different layers of the play because he knew the Magic would try different coverages. Very interesting to hear Mazzulla’s thoughts and intentions behind his game plan.

#3 – Kornet impact

With Kristaps Porzingis in foul trouble, Luke Kornet needed to step up and bring an inside presence — and he did. His synergy with Jayson Tatum, screening ability, and willingness to pass from different zones made him one of the difference-makers last night.

The offensive flow feels much better with him on the floor as a connector. He doesn’t attack mismatches like Porzingis or shoot from the corners like Horford, but the separation he creates with his screens is extremely impactful.

The Celtics also used his passing to unlock Jayson Tatum with some off-ball movement. In the play below, Anthony Black is so scared to get stuck on the screen from Kornet that he’s a step behind when Tatum decides to cut to the rim instead of running to the ball.

In #2 we looked into the play that gave the Celtics a big lead late in the third — well, all of that is possible thanks to Kornet’s screening ability. Having him as an option off the bench could be key for the Celtics’ postseason run.

#4 – Targeting Banchero

In the previous 10 takeaways, we talked about the potential of going at Paolo Banchero on defense. Well, it materialized last night and led the Celtics to a decisive win. They started early, involving him in actions, forcing him to switch or read the play.

Then, the Celtics isolated him and forced him to stop Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum one-on-one. Because the Magic don’t want to send help on isolations, they knew they could put Banchero in a difficult position. Tatum and Brown both have the body and the skill set to attack him.

By attacking him relentlessly and forcing him to defend alone, he started piling up fouls. So, the Celtics kept going at him even more aggressively. Here, Brown gets the switch he wants, fakes, and drives on the young star for an and-one. That was Paolo’s fifth foul. He sat after that play, and when he came back on the floor, it was too late — the Magic were already too far behind.

Great offensive approach. Instead of attacking the weak link, the Celtics went after the offensive creator and sent him to the bench.

#5 – Jayson’s pull-up triple sends Orlando to Cancun

With Banchero out, the Magic adapted and tried to include Goga Bitadze in a double-big lineup. They stuck with the switching defense, which meant Jayson Tatum could go get his mismatch and build from there. There aren’t many mismatches on that Magic team, so whenever an opportunity to target one appears, they must go at it.

Jayson Tatum taking over creates a lot of opportunities for himself — but also for the others. As he recognized in the press conference, they opened up a little more in Game 5. Thanks to that, Tatum was able to generate offense for the rest of the team too.

#6 – Jayson’s passing blossoms through his gravity

To close the series, Jayson Tatum had 10 assists — one-third of the Celtics’ total. Most of them came from his scoring gravity.

On this action, Sam Hauser sets a screen that disrupts Orlando’s coverage. JT’s scoring gravity and Hauser’s shooting create a tough dilemma. As Tatum drives, Banchero is forced to help, leaving Kornet open under the basket. Great illustration of Tatum using his scoring gravity to open the court for others.

Late in the third quarter, the Magic started to overreact to Tatum’s scoring performance, and their defensive discipline began to fade. In the play below, Gary Harris tries too hard to strip the ball from Tatum, which opens the driving lane. Then there’s hesitation over whether he should switch with Wendell Carter Jr., and it costs them three points again.

As good as the Magic’s defense can be, Jayson Tatum found a way to figure them out, and they started to collapse little by little. Overall, an impressive 35-point game with 10 assists on only 16 field goal attempts.

#7 – Jaylen Brown bounced back in the second half

Noa Dalzell asked Jaylen Brown about his great third and fourth quarters. He mentioned it took him some time to feel right.

But once his body started to respond well, Jaylen Brown was on a roll. First, he was the one who gave Banchero his fifth foul. Then, he kept looking for mismatches. On the side with Al Horford, for example, he gets into a two-man action, fakes the handoff, and gets the switch he wants. Then he isolates Wendell Carter Jr., freezes him with a couple of hesitations, and uses his speed to find a way to the rim.

His knee hasn’t fully recovered and he takes time to warm up, but the flashes we got from Brown this series were encouraging for the rest of the Playoffs.

#8 – After timeout problematic for Orlando

Before the game, I asked Jamahl Mosley about the Magic’s defense against the Celtics’ after-timeout actions. He emphasized how hard it is to contest those plays and how much discipline and communication it requires. Last night, the Celtics were able to attack the Magic thanks to great play calls and adaptability.

In the play below, for example, they first go for a handoff action between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but Franz Wagner takes away that route. Then the Celtics shift into an alternate route with the ball going to Al Horford. Tatum recognizes Derrick White’s back screen and runs to use it, getting a mismatch on Cory Joseph.

Like we already showed in #2, the Celtics’ coaching staff is very good at designing plays that can dismantle defenses. The half-court offensive flow was way better last night, and despite the Magic coach’s best efforts, the young team from Florida wasn’t able to keep up with the Celtics.

#9 – Celtics’ biggest adjustment? Don’t lose the ball

If the Celtics dominated the second quarter so thoroughly, it wasn’t only because of Jayson Tatum’s scoring and passing or Jaylen Brown’s bounce-back — it was mainly because they didn’t lose the ball once until they were up 23.

They took away one of the Magic’s main offensive routes by doing so, and gave themselves the best chance to win.

#10 – First time covering a Playoff series

I wanted to finish this article by thanking you — the readers — and the CelticsBlog team for making it possible for me to come back to Boston and cover the Celtics’ playoff run. This sometimes feels unreal, and it wouldn’t be possible without you all. So, thank you for that.