Let’s leave the conversation concerning whether a defending champion should require a gut-check game in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the more insincere and histrionic outposts of the Boston sports universe.
The truth is that the Celtics did face such a circumstance Sunday night in Game 4 of their first-round matchup with the feisty seventh-seeded Orlando Magic.
The result did not arrive without tension, but it sure was reaffirming.
Guts? Check.
After Friday’s ugly loss, the Celtics reminded us what they are made of, to a man, in a 107-98 victory, giving them a 3-1 lead in a series that heads back to the Garden Tuesday night.