The Celtics went 61-21 in the regular season, finishing second in the Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Magic, meanwhile, earned the No. 7 seed in the East bracket with their Play-In Tournament win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Playing without superstar Jayson Tatum in Game 2 against the Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics answered the physicality of Orlando, with a tough, fought out victory. Although Boston never got their lead to a wide gap,

BOSTON — Before the Orlando Magic left Florida to begin their first-round playoff matchup against the Boston Celtics, they felt they had learned valuable lessons last spring about the mental side of an NBA postseason series.