The Celtics will kick off their postseason with a fully healthy roster on Sunday as they take on the Orlando Magic for Game 1 of their first round series at TD Garden. Boston officially released a clean injury report on Saturday for the matchup, removing Jaylen Brown entirely from the report after he missed the last three games of the regular season with a bone bruise in his right knee.
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Brown has been participating with the Celtics in practice all week after receiving a pain injection in his knee in the final week of the regular season. He declined to address the injury with reporters on Saturday at the Auerbach Center specifically but spoke about his appreciation for the team letting him play through the injury at points in March and April.
“I appreciate Joe and the training staff,” Brown said. “We had a good game plan that we were kind of like filling it out. I know my body pretty well. But the decisions that were made I felt what was best. I think I’m going to use some of that stuff in my back pocket as we go forward. That was a good test for me.”
Boston’s injury report for Sunday echoed what has been an upbeat attitude about his condition from those watching him in action all week long.
“He looks good,” Joe Mazzulla said. “He was able to do everything, no limitations. He’s been great, physically, mentally, really preparing himself, ready to go. So, love the week that he had.”
Derrick White is eager to have Brown back in the fold against the Magic after the All-Star missed several games with the injury scattered throughout the final month of the regular season.
“One of the best players in the game, so it’s always great having him,” White said Saturday. “He looks good, I think he’s feeling good. So we’re all excited, and we know what starts tomorrow, so it’s going to be exciting.”
Outside of Brown, the Celtics have cruised into the postseason riding a promising stretch of health for their other regulars. Boston locking down the No. 2 seed since March has enabled the team to give regulars ample rest down the stretch to go along with a week off between the regular season finale and Sunday’s playoff opener.
Brown says he will not be on a minutes limit for Game 1 and he will get two days of recovery time before Game 2 in Boston before the series switches to an every other day schedule.
The Celtics will face off against a Magic squad Sunday that is also at full-strength expect for two players who have been sidelined for the season in Jalen Suggs and Moritz Wagner.
The Celtics and Magic will tip off at 3:30 on Sunday afternoon in a nationally televised ABC matchup.
