BOSTON — Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard were sidelined by phony injuries. Jayson Tatum sat next to them in street clothes on the bench. A group of lesser-known players wore the home whites in their places.
At the beginning of the regular season, some critics suspected the Boston Celtics would wrap up their schedule in similar fashion. It’s a testament to everything they have already accomplished that, with the Eastern Conference’s second seed wrapped up, they were able to do it on their own terms. They weren’t sheepishly concluding a disappointing season but resting up for what could be a long playoff run.
It’s a testament to the depth of the Celtics and the culture within the organization that they won anyway, finishing a 56-26 regular season by knocking off the Orlando Magic 113-108. Though Orlando was playing for home-court advantage in the first Play-In game, Boston’s backups and third-stringers prevailed in what they considered a telling victory, dropping the Magic from seventh place to eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
“I think today is kind of the perfect example of just the locker room,” Joe Mazzulla said, “and the group of guys that we have. And how important it is that everybody knows that if you’re on the floor, you’re expected to play a certain way to put us in position to win, and the guys did that tonight.”
Baylor Scheierman scored a career-high 30 points. Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. added 27 points apiece. The Celtics stunned the Magic with a dominant third quarter but still needed to rescue themselves down the stretch after losing all of a 15-point lead.
Garza said he had not hit a 3-pointer in the NBA quite like the one he knocked down to give Boston a 111-108 lead with 31.6 seconds left.
“I’ve had a dagger in college maybe,” Garza said, “but nothing of that sort.”
The big man added, “It felt awesome. Seeing it go in, just feeling the crowd, too, it was definitely a top moment for me.”
Though meaningless for the Celtics in the standings, the game meant plenty to the players who suited up. Before the game, Harper said Garza emphasized the opportunity each player would have.
“This is for all the times that we’re on the bench, all the times that we wanted an opportunity,” Garza told his teammates. “We had a chance to go out there and show it.”
Garza, who has proved himself this season after years of toiling on the Minnesota Timberwolves bench, recently lost most of his minutes to trade deadline acquisition Nikola Vučević. With the playoffs coming soon, Garza had another chance to state his case that he deserves a spot in the postseason rotation. Over 38 minutes, he shot 10 for 18 from the field while grabbing 12 rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. On the go-ahead 3-pointer, he executed Mazzulla’s wishes perfectly to give the Celtics a two-for-one.
“I just knew I wanted to get it off quick,” Garza said. “And obviously, I tried to face up. And it was kind of a wild shot, but I’m glad it went in.”
Even while sitting most of their regulars Sunday, the Celtics produced one more example of their depth and resolve. After taking a 61-52 deficit into halftime, they outscored the Magic 42-20 during the third quarter. After Scheierman drained an impossible 3-pointer and Harper followed up with a pull-up triple moments later, the TD Garden crowd rose to its feet to deliver a loud show of appreciation. Some of the fans must have been disappointed initially to learn the Celtics would sit all of their starters and some of their key reserves but came alive as the available players handed in a gritty effort.
“The last game of a season, some circumstances, they could have easily have not been (as invested in the game),” Mazzulla said. “But I think the great thing about our fans is, one, they’re smart, they know good basketball. Two, they care about winning. They care about playing the right way, and I think as they see that, that’s what they want to see.”
Baylor Scheierman and Ron Harper Jr. came up big for the Celtics in expanded roles in the regular-season finale. (Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
Harper began the season on an Exhibit-10 contract. He needed to win a competition for a two-way roster spot in training camp. In his fourth professional season, he was in danger of falling out of the NBA. Instead, he played well enough to force his way into the Celtics’ plans. They converted his contract to a standard deal earlier this month.
With so many players out, Harper stepped into a much bigger role than he normally plays. He took advantage of it by sinking 10 of 20 field goal attempts, including 5 of 12 3-pointers, is 37 minutes. Afterward, he didn’t sound shocked by his team’s performance.
“I just feel like we know our group, we know our capabilities,” Harper said. “Some guys just need a chance, so I feel like we all got a chance tonight, and we capitalized great. But we definitely didn’t go into the game thinking this is David vs. Goliath, thinking we’re like ultimate underdogs. We came into this game expecting to compete and expecting to win at the end of the day. So just being able to go out there and execute with that group of guys was special. I’m glad we all capitalized on that moment, and it was just a great team win.”
With the postseason looming, the Celtics still have things to prove. As well as Garza played against Orlando, their backup centers could be an issue in the playoffs. Most of their supporting cast lacks postseason experience. Tatum has met or exceeded all reasonable expectations since returning in March, less than 10 months after he tore an Achilles, but the playoffs will test him in new ways.
Still, after they could have been broken by Tatum’s crushing injury and an offseason overhaul, the Celtics will enter the postseason as an Eastern Conference favorite. Mazzulla set a cutthroat tone during training camp. Brown proved himself in the No. 1 role. Up and down the roster, the Boston players showed a relentless competitiveness that helped them soar together.
Even without any of the usual starters, the Celtics demonstrated their usual spirit during the regular-season finale. That’s why they considered the win a rewarding one.
“It’s a validation of what we’ve been talking about,” Mazzulla said. “One, our player development staff does a great job of putting guys in position and helping them stick to the process. And the most important thing is our guys, it’s very easy if you’re constantly in an optional shoot or playing in a stay-ready game, you could see (it) as if your job is meaningless, but they have to stay ready, because at any moment, as soon as they step on the floor, you’re held to the same standard. I think that’s what guys who are on the court today are looking for. So it’s more of a validation to the staff, but really to the locker room, that they care about winning, and they care about playing.”