Celtics Torn on How to Handle Magic Physicality After Game 3 Loss

ORLANDO — Jaylen Brown sat for three minutes in foul trouble while the Celtics managed only one basket in a one-possession game over the final 4:37. He returned with 0:48, when Boston only had time for one shot, a two that the Magic allowed, and a last-ditch lob play with 0.3 seconds on the clock in what became a 95-93 loss. Frustrated that two of those came on the offensive side while he tried to use his physicality, he called out the officiating after the game.

“I don’t have a problem with (physicality),” Brown said. “Just don’t call an offensive foul when a dude is trying to jump on the back or whatever the case may be. Let it go. If you’re gonna let it go on defense, let it go on offense too. Just a tough whistle tonight. Orlando played well, so we’ll be ready for Game 4. We had every opportunity to win this game and we came up short. We’ll be ready for the next one.”

Brown also pointed out that the Magic had committed three flagrant fouls through three games, the latest coming early in the second quarter when Cole Anthony pulled Brown down by the arm and dislocated his left index finger. He finished the game after returning to the injury report with his right knee earlier in the afternoon, while Jayson Tatum played after missing one game with a right wrist bruise he suffered on from a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope flagrant in Game 1.

Officials haven’t ejected an Orlando player. They have also allowed some fouls to fly, Kristaps Porziņģis said, but while Brown wanted the officials to crack down, Porziņģis believed after the game that Boston should also utilize the no-calls to their advantage. The Celtics have wanted to limit their fouling through three games, which is how they’ve built a 2-1 lead, but offensive frustrations have shown differences in opinion on how Boston should combat the Magic’s defensive approach after three games.

“(They’re) borderline fouling. That’s what it is,” Porziņģis said. “And fouling. Some of it, they call it, and some of it, they don’t and that’s how it’s gonna be. We gotta accept the reality, and also, we can use that. It’s not that there’s only one way, it’s both ways. For sure, we get away with some stuff that they’re scratching their heads. So it’s just how the game is right now. It is a pretty big difference from the regular season. You’re gonna have to make that adjustment as a player, and not expect anything. Go out there and play through contact.”

Porziņģis’ point better reflected the reality of the series. The referees have called fouls in droves on the Magic, 23 in Game 2 powering the Celtics’ win behind 33 free throw attempts. They called 23 more in Game 3, and free throw attempts finished relatively even, 26-22, in favor of Orlando. Officials have called 63 fouls on the Magic and 52 on the Celtics to this point. And the Celtics have utilized that to beat an Orlando team at free throw line that drew the most fouls in the league this year. Boston has won the free throws made battle, 56-42, so far.

Beyond love, that’s likely why Joe Mazzulla stressed that Jayson Tatum rise to his feet when Caldwell-Pope took him down in Game 1. Tatum did that in Game 3, popping right up instantly after absorbing another hard foul from the Magic wing — who defended his approach following the flagrant and embraced TD Garden boos. The Celtics don’t want to show that the hard hits have impacted them. But Brown indicated that they could lead to a fight if they continue. Anthony, by contrast, took what he called complaining by Boston as a win for the Magic.

“I wanted to get up,” Tatum said of his Game 1 fall. “That s*** was just a lot worse than Joe thought it was. But it’s cool. We move on and get ready for the next game.”

Al Horford began the day toning down his tensions with Caldwell-Pope after the pair clashed in Game 2 after a back court foul that also drew a flagrant review. He didn’t entertain the discussion the way he did after the first two games, wanting to focus on what the Celtics needed to do. Not responding. That’s what they discussed in the huddle after the tense moment that tipped-off Game 2, and that approach won them the game. Boston paraded to the free throw line, even with blood pouring down their face, and shot every free throw.

That approach required discipline through two games that the Celtics lost in Game 3. Boston’s 19 turnovers marked the most since January, something they’ve only done twice all year. They generated a season-low 27 three point attempts on Sunday and have only averaged 33.7 per game, down from their league-leading 48.2 from the regular season. The movement Horford called for at shootaround never developed, and the Magic, beyond bullying the Celtics, have pulled them from their game.

As urgency increased into the fourth, following an 11-point third quarter, Brown, Tatum and Payton Pritchard turned to isolation late to fight their way out of a six-point deficit. Lobbying for calls is part of series, Brown did so post-game whereas Jamahl Mosley complained about Paolo Banchero’s treatment before the game, but the Celtics have actually controlled the foul game. But they’ve struggled to feel it as a victory through the bruises.

“We’re not responding to anything, we’re just playing the game,” Mazzulla said after Game 1. “It’s just hey, be aware of your environment, and what’s the environment need? And do it. Do it as a team. What’s the most important thing? Focus on the margins, the details, the execution, the toughness, all those things. We’re not responding to anything. We’re out there playing, we’re reading the environment, then we’re taking what the environment gives us and going from there.”