The Maine Celtics are one win away from another G League Finals appearance — but standing in the way are the Osceola Magic, the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics and the Magic face off at 7pm ET in the Eastern Conference Finals in Kissimmee, Florida.
The winner of that match-up will punch their ticket to the Finals, where they’ll face the winner of the Western Conference match-up between the Austin Spurs and Stockton Kings in a three-game series that begins on Tuesday.
JD Davison continues ridiculous postseason run
The Celtics will once again be led by G League MVP JD Davison, who is averaging 35 points on 56% shooting, along with 14.5 assists across two playoff games. Davison struggled in the first half of Thursday’s win over the Westchester Knicks, but exploded for 14 points in the final four minutes of the third quarter to help blow the game open and finished that one with 32 points and an astonishing 17 assists.
“He can hoop,” said Jordan Walsh of the MVP. “He’s really good at just controlling the pace of the game.”
Alongside Davison, Miles Norris has also been a key contributor; Norris is averaging 21.5 points and shooting 69.2% from three this postseason, and has become increasingly comfortable since signing a two-way contract with the Celtics in early March.
Norris didn’t make the G League playoffs last year as a member of the College Park Skyhawks but has enjoyed being a part of this year’s postseason run.
“Winning is a big thing in this organization and for everybody,” he said. “So, just taking this game one game at a time. We know it’s a March Madness type of style. You just gotta lock in every game, no matter who you play, just taking it one game at a time.”
Fellow two-way player Drew Peterson has been one of the team’s steadiest players all season, averaging 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists this year. Peterson is one of five returners from last year’s Maine rosters that came up one game short of a franchise-first G League title. (That list also includes Davison, Walsh, Jordan Schakel, and James Banks III).
Walsh, who spent all year with Boston, has joined Maine for the playoff run and provided a burst of energy and rebounding; he’s averaging 15 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3 assists with Maine these playoffs.
Another player to watch is Jordan Schakel, a second-year Maine Celtic player who has stepped up his game this postseason and is averaging 15.5 points and shooting 50% from three.
“Shak is such a culture center for us in terms of his toughness and his energy and his resilience,” said head coach Tyler Lashbrook of the 26-year-old sharpshooter.
What to expect from Mac McClung and the Osceola Magic
On the other side, the Magic are led by last year’s G League MVP Mac McClung, who averaged 23 points and 5.3 assists this past season. McClung exploded for 39 points on 12-21 shooting in the Magic’s opening game of the playoffs, and has consistently been one of the G League’s most dominant players in recent years.
“Mac is probably the quickest guy ever guarded,” Davison said. “So I just try to try to stay in front of him, rough him up a little bit, he’s smaller than me — so, try to to put my hands on him a little bit.”
The Magic finished the season with a 22-12 record, tied for best in the G League. They ended up with the league’s third-best offensive rating at 115.5 — in part due to McClung’s strong play. In addition, Magic two-way player Ethan Sampson has been a key contributor all year, averaging 18.4 points and shooting 39% from three.
“We gotta guard our yard,” Davison said. “They play a lot of small ball, where we gotta play a lot of 15, lot of switching. So we gotta go out there yard and compete. And I think we’re gonna come up with one.
JD Davison will be tasked with slowing down Mac McClung in the Celtics’ playoff game on Sunday:
“Mac is probably the quickest guy I’ve ever guarded. I just try to stay in front of him, rough him up a little bit, he’s smaller than me — try to put my hands on him a little bit.” pic.twitter.com/bSr4rwC5ok
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) April 4, 2025
The Celtics and Magic last faced off on March 20th, when Osceola came away with a 140-133 win. The Celtics nearly overcame an early 20-point deficit,
“I threw that game out the window,” Davison said. “It’s a different type of game. Now we’re in the playoffs, so I’m not worried about that game, the game we lost.”
Lashbrook is looking forward to the rematch.
“It’s always been a battle against those guys, and they do a really good job as an organization, as a coaching staff, players are well prepared, so we’re excited,” said the first-year head coach. “It’s gonna be a challenge. It’s gonna be a battle. That team has been on a roll. About the same time that we started getting on our run, they went on their own run. To me, it’s been the two best teams over this last back half of the stretch, and so it’ll be fun game for us to match up.”
