Celtics Sound Off on Magic's Physicality, Flagrants: 'There Might Be A Fight Break Out'

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Magic are by no means ashamed of their physical brand of basketball.

Not only do they talk the talk when asked about it or bring it up in unprompted fashion, but what follows on-court walks the walk. The Magic see their willingness to be rough and tough not only as an equalizer, but as an advantage every time they touch the floor.

The Boston Celtics, however, are the latest team to be fed up with the Magic's employed playstyle.

Orlando narrowly took Game 3 of its first-round, best-of-seven playoff series with Boston Friday night in the Kia Center, making the series 2-1, still in Boston's favor.

But some Celtics, like Jaylen Brown, took exception to how the Magic earned their victory.

"Definitely it was a physical game," Brown said. "They got away with a lot. When you get away with it, I would too. That definitely affected us, but we will be ready for Game 4."

When asked how his Celtics can respond to Orlando's physical play throughout the first three games of the series, Brown took it a step further.

"I mean, I don't know ... There might be a fight break out or something, because it's starting to feel like it's not even basketball," Brown said. "The refs are not controlling the environment, so it is what it is. If they want to fight it out, we can do that. We can fight to see who goes to the second round."

While Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young didn't suggest a fight, he did use similar verbiage when describing the Magic's physical approach after last week's Play-In Tournament game. Young recalled an earlier regular-season contest with the Magic where two of his Atlanta teammates were hurt in the game and, while refraining from calling Orlando dirty, he did question whether it was "necessary basketball."

Brown was caught up by the Magic's third Flagrant 1 foul of the series thus far Friday night. He got tangled up with Orlando guard Cole Anthony, and as Brown came careening to the ground, he dislocated his left index finger on landing. Despite that, he stayed in the contest and finished with 19 points.

"I have nine more, so I'm all right," Brown said.

Earlier this series, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drew Boston's ire after a hard Game 1 foul on Jayson Tatum. Going for a block at the rim, Caldwell-Pope caught Tatum's arm, sending him crashing to the floor.

The foul was upgraded to a Flagrant upon review. Although Tatum stayed in the game, he developed a bone bruise in his right wrist, which forced him out of his first career playoff game Wednesday night. In fallout, Al Horford said publicly he felt the play was dirty and intentional.

Then in Game 2, Magic center Goga Bitadze caught Kristaps Porzingis with an inadvertent elbow while the two went for a rebound, and Porzingis' forehead was gashed. Bloodied badly, Porzingis left the game to receive stitches in his forehead before returning. Bitadze was assessed a Flagrant 1 upon review.

"The flagrant fouls [are] piling up, you know what I mean," Brown said.

Flash forward to Friday night, and Brown did join Tatum and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla in giving credit to Orlando's defensive pressure postgame. Boston's potent offense was held to one of its least efficient showings of the year, and the Magic's physicality was a big reason in that, they agreed.

Brown's sentiments, however, suggested that it wasn't being officiated the same both ways.

"I don't have a problem with the game being physical," Brown said, "but it seems like when I use my physicality, I get called in the opposite direction. That's where my frustration was tonight.

"You are allowing guys to handcheck, then let it go on both sides. Other than that, it was a tough whistle for me tonight."

The Magic were whistled for 23 personal fouls in Game 3, while the Celtics were dinged for 20. The free-throw attempt count favored Orlando 26-22. For the series, Orlando's been called for 63 fouls to Boston's 52, and the Celtics have attempted 73 free throws to the Magic's 61.

Orlando reasons two things: One, it cannot control how the officials call games, and two, it can learn to best take advantage of the physicality allowed. Magic forward Jonathan Isaac told reporters earlier this week in Boston that his team was taken aback at how much officials have let them play.

Asked pregame Friday about finding the balance between scaling back physicality or feeling out the whistle of the game and how it's trending, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley noted the difference in calls that have stuck out to him in film review.

"It's not necessarily that we're changing the style of play – we're going to stay just as physical, same aggression," Mosley said. "It's just now, can we attack the basket with more force, so now that whistle has to blow because you can't get away from it."

Porzingis told Boston reporters postgame that his Celtics have to be better about doing the same.

"[The Magic are] borderline fouling," he said. "Borderline fouling and fouling. Some of it, [officials] call it, of course, and some of it they don't. That's how it's going to be. We have to accept the reality."

With tensions rising and the Magic back in the series, time will tell if all will boil over in the remainder of the series.

But one thing is for certain: While one team will walk out of the best-of-seven series and the other will go home, the winner will be worse for wear.

Up Next

Orlando hosts Boston in Game 4 on Sunday, April 27, at 7 p.m. on TNT.

To see the full series schedule, click here.