Magic storm back in the series, evening series at two games a piece courtesy of huge games from Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs
Even with Orlando’s dominance at home during the regular season, it was still shocking to see what transpired at Kia Center for games 3 and 4 of the series. The Magic, down in the series after two very stagnant, demoralizing losses, looked like a whole new ball club. For the Cavs, game 3 was an absolute catastrophe. This was shown by their 23.5% 3-point shooting, as well as rough games from Mitchell, Garland, and Mobley. For Orlando, Paolo Banchero had 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists, while third star Jalen Suggs had 24 points on an astounding 82% shooting clip. The Magic were able to get up by a staggering 41 points, and finished the game handing Cleveland their biggest postseason loss ever, at 121-83. Game 4 appeared to be much different for the Cavs, as they controlled many multi-possession leads over the course of the first half. At halftime, Cleveland was up by as many as 9 points, until an utter collapse. During this 3rd quarter, Orlando outscored the Cavs 37-10, and ultimately continued to finish the game with an electric 61-29 halftime run. Franz Wagner was the main catalyst, through his 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists, all while having 0 turnovers and only attempting 17 shots. Guys like Wendell Carter, Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Isaac, and Markelle Fultz, all had very efficient double-digit scoring efforts that gave them an insurmountable 29 point lead, finishing the game with a 23 point victory.
What to know for game 5 / my predictions:
Cleveland has won both of their games at home in this series, averaging 12 point wins. These games also haven’t been as close as the final score suggests, but the momentum of the young Orlando team is worrisome to say the least for a Cavs fan. Coming off of 38 and 23 point home wins, this Magic team seems to have found the comfort they need to be effective on the road. Young teams thrive off of momentum and energy, which is exactly what they have got the past two games. If Orlando wins game 5, they likely win this series heading back home for a Game 6. However, game 5 can be expected to be a dogfight, and it’s a must-win for the Cavs. Ultimately, I think Orlando will take this series in 6 games if they are able to win in Cleveland. Their energy over the past two games have been unbelievable, and I question the shot-making outside of what’s been an inconsistent Donovan Mitchell, as well as the comradery of the group compared to Orlando.
