Dwight Howard shocked NBA fans this week when he boldly predicted that his former team, the Orlando Magic, would upset the defending champion Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. On his Above the Rim podcast, the Magic legend made his case:
“I got Orlando beating the Celtics… Who gonna stop Paolo? Who gonna stop a healthy Paolo in the seven game series?… He’s 6-10, 275… All it take is them to get a little bit of confidence.”
Orlando Magic legend Dwight Howard picked his former team to beat the Celtics on his podcast Above the Rim:
“Who gonna stop a healthy Paolo [Banchero] in a seven-game series, you tripping. Paolo is 6’10 275, [Boston] too little, they too small.” pic.twitter.com/8DRImXoOYC
— Fawzan Amer (@FAmer__) April 19, 2025
Howard’s confidence in the Magic is admirable, if not slightly delusional. While it’s true that Orlando boasts the second-best defensive rating in the NBA this season, their glaring weakness lies on the offensive end.
The Magic finished the regular season ranked just 27th in offensive rating, struggling mightily to generate consistent half-court production. Against a Celtics team loaded with elite scorers and versatile defenders, that kind of imbalance could prove fatal.
Meanwhile, Boston enters the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 61–21 record. They possess the second-best offensive rating, the fourth-best defensive rating, and the second-highest net rating in the league.
The Celtics are not only defending champions, they’re arguably better than they were a year ago. With a fully healthy roster featuring Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jaylen Brown (despite some minor injury maintenance), they are deep, versatile, and playoff-tested.
Orlando, by contrast, finished with a 41–41 record and had to fight their way through the play-in tournament just to make the postseason. That 20-game gap in regular-season wins is hard to ignore.
The Magic did win the season series against the Celtics 2–1, which gives Howard a small leg to stand on. But context matters. In one of those wins, Jayson Tatum didn’t play. In the other, Boston rested nearly all their starters.
It’s hard to take either result as a true indicator of what’s to come in the postseason, when rotations tighten and the stakes rise.
Injuries also add to the Magic’s uphill battle. Jalen Suggs, their best perimeter defender, has been sidelined since March and is not expected to return this season. Moritz Wagner, a key rotation piece, hasn’t played since January.
While Boston has been fortunate to remain largely healthy, the Magic are already shorthanded before the series begins.
Howard’s faith is centered on Paolo Banchero, who has undeniably been a rising star. His size, physicality, and confidence do create matchup issues, and the Celtics will need to be deliberate about how they guard him. But even if Banchero goes off, the Magic simply lack the overall firepower to hang with Boston in a best-of-seven series.
Banchero has already blossomed into a go-to scoring option, averaging 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists this season while shooting 45.2% from the field and 32.0% from deep. He’s become the centerpiece of Orlando’s offense and the kind of player who can swing a game or two if he gets hot.
Alongside him, Franz Wagner has quietly become one of the most polished wings in the league, averaging 24.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on 46.3% shooting. His ability to attack closeouts, create off the dribble, and finish through contact gives the Magic a legitimate secondary star.
But against Boston’s elite switching defense, both Wagner and Banchero will have to process the game faster, pick their spots perfectly, and somehow stretch the Celtics’ rotations to their breaking point.
That’s a massive ask.
It’s not just that Banchero and Wagner need to be brilliant. They need to be consistently brilliant, on the road, under pressure, and likely matched up with All-NBA defenders.
For Orlando to stand a chance, the two must combine for 55–60 points per night, limit turnovers, and create for others, all while shouldering heavy defensive responsibilities on the other end.
And even that might not be enough.
If Orlando manages to take this series to six or even seven games, it would be a massive win for the franchise’s young core and a statement about their future. But an upset?
As much as Howard wants to believe, the reality is that this likely ends in a sweep or, at best, a gentleman’s sweep. The Celtics are simply too good, too experienced, and too deep for the Magic to overcome.
