As the Celtics and Magic prepare to face in the first round of the playoffs, there’s some familiarity already between the two teams. Jayson Tatum and Paolo Banchero, both Duke products, have been close for a few years as Tatum has taken the young Magic star under his wing.

Turns out, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla also have a friendship from crossing paths a few times. Mosley had a lot of complimentary words about Mazzulla ahead of the first-round series, which opens Sunday at TD Garden.

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“Joe is an excellent basketball mind,” Mosley told reporters in Orlando. “We spent time in the summer a little bit. Just being able to talk and have nice dialogue at coaches association meetings. Seeing him in Vegas a few times. Just a great basketball mind. They talked about him being young and winning his first championship, I think he’s handled it with an unbelievable amount of grace and resiliency and toughness for someone’s first time.

“He’s done a great job with that group of commanding and demanding respect for a group that has come together and him stepping into that moment. So a very good basketball mind, for sure.”

The Magic beat the Hawks in the play-in tournament to earn the No. 7 seed in the playoffs, which sets up the clash with the Celtics. Boston is heavily favored as the defending champions, though Orlando will look to be physical throughout the series and lean on its stout defense.

While the Magic surprised and turned heads last season when they went 47-35, they endured injuries throughout the year. Guys like Banchero and Franz Wagner missed significant time, among others, as they had an up-and-down season. But they played solid basketball by the end of the season to finish 41-41, plus they’re in the playoffs for the second straight season.

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Mosley also said he’s prepared his team to be ready for the Garden crowd throughout the series. The Celtics themselves spoke about the atmosphere this week during the playoffs. So, Mosley and the Magic are prepping for a raucous crowd that will surely have an impact.

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“It’s a different environment in Boston,” Mosley said. “We know how loud it’s going to be. We understand how those fans are and how they root and support for their team. We gotta be able to embrace that, but understand that we’re capable of doing that on the road.”

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