It’s the best two words in sports: Game 7. That’s what will be happening between the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland could not get any help on offense in the fourth quarter except from star guard Donovan Mitchell. On the other hand, the Magic spread the wealth beautifully, with three players scoring over 20 points.
The Orlando Magic slid past the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-96 to force a Game 7 in Cleveland. The Cavaliers are the more experienced and talented team, having four players who have averaged 15 points or more this season. The Magic only have two players with this stat.
While the Cavs are the more experienced and talented team, the Magic have the momentum now in this series. When nobody except Donovan Mitchell scores in the fourth quarter for the Cavaliers, that’s pretty demoralizing.
A Great Night For Orlando Magic Trio
The Magic trio of Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, and Franz Wagner helped force a Game 7 in Orlando 🪄
Banchero: 27 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST
Suggs: 22 PTS, 6 3PM, 6 REB
Wagner: 26 PTS, 5 REB, 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/U9VPXKylYv— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2024
Three Magic players had over twenty points in this win. The only other trios to do that in a playoff game are Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden on the Thunder, and Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka. Paolo Banchero had 27 points while Franz Wagner had 26 points and Jalen Suggs had 22 points. This trio might be creating something special. After being 2-0, they have a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics.
Paolo Banchero took off in the fourth quarter. The Magic shot 40 percent from the field in the fourth quarter. Banchero had 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, including two big shots to put the Magic ahead with just over three minutes to go. First, it was a 28-foot three-pointer to put the team up 92-89, and then on the next possession, it was a driving layup that put Orlando up for good.
It is an unusual thing in the NBA nowadays for such a young team like the Orlando Magic to have this kind of success. Paolo Banchero has lived up to the hype in his two years in the NBA so far, being the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The former Duke player is one of the NBA’s youngest stars.
Stats Breakdown
https://gty.im/1918194475
Neither team was particularly efficient from three-point range but the Orlando Magic shot better from deep, recording a three-point percentage of 30.6 while the Cleveland Cavaliers shot just 25 percent from three. Orlando also far outpaced Cleveland in offensive rebounds, grabbing 15 to the Cavs’ seven.
The Cavaliers pummeled the Magic inside though, scoring 66 points in the paint to the Magic’s 38. The Cavs also shot better than the Magic, recording a field goal percentage of 48.8 to the Magic’s 39.3.
Donovan Mitchell had 18 of his 50 points in the fourth quarter while the rest of the Cavaliers had zero! It was a bad time for Cleveland to go cold, but an especially bad time for all of the Cavs besides Spida to fail at making their shots. It’s a wild concept for a player to have more than 45 points and then lose. It was a fairly close game throughout as the Cavaliers’ largest lead was nine while the Magic’s largest lead was eight.
After being down 2-0, the Orlando Magic have roared back and have the chance to win a playoff series for the first time since 2010 when they beat the Charlotte Bobcats, the former name of the Hornets. That’s going back to the Dwight Howard days along with Vince Carter and JJ Reddick also being on that team. Feel old yet?
While this series has gotten a bad rap on X, it is turning out to be pretty interesting. While it contains two teams from small markets, it has been pretty good basketball.
The Orlando Magic Have Had A Quick Turnaround
MY FAV SONG FR pic.twitter.com/ylzwjVc3Gg
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) May 4, 2024
The Orlando Magic had a winning record this season for the first time since the 2018-2019 season when they went 42-40 and finished seventh in the East. Going back to last season, the Magic went 34-48 and ranked 13th in the East. The season before, the team went 22-60 and finished last in the East!
This has been quite the turnaround for the Orlando Magic. It’s great to see them have a glow-up in such a short amount of time. It’s a testament to how great Paolo Banchero has been, along with Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs as a supporting cast.
We’ll see if they can finish the job this Sunday at 1:00 pm ET in Cleveland.
About The Author
Cooper Sherman is an avid NFL fan and enjoys watching and covering it the most. The NFL is king. He previously wrote and was a podcaster for the online publications Pro Sports Fanatics and Jersey Column. He is also an NBA fan and watches it occasionally, more when the NFL season ends. Tennis is also an underrated sport to watch. His teams are the Patriots and Celtics, as tough as it is to be a Patriots fan right now. He is optimistic that Jerod Mayo will turn this team in the right direction! Follow him on Instagram and Threads @coopstershermy456, and X/Twitter @justcoopthings.
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