The win was all the more impressive in a game that never felt in danger of being lost despite the absence of Jayson Tatum.

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.

In the playoffs, massive underdogs don’t usually win by playing pretty. They win by making things ugly — and for the Magic, that’s not just strategy; it’s survival.