Mike Bianchi: If Paolo, Franz have no assistance, Magic have
The uplifting news is this: Paolo Banchero was dazzling in Video game 1 of the Magic’s playoff series against the Boston Celtics.
But the dismal news is this: Once again, it didn’t matter.
Video game 1 must have been a statement. Banchero alone outscored Boston’s two stars– Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Magic fell back by 12 points early, weathered the assault and in fact led at halftime. For a moment, the upset narrative was composing itself. Then reality got the laptop and I needed to start composing this brand-new column.
A third-quarter collapse, a bench vanishing act and a 103-86 Celtics win turned the script back to what the majority of everyone expected– the Magic being outgunned and topped by the protecting champions.
The loss to the Celtics wasn’t about effort or heart; it had to do with truth. And the reality is this: Banchero and Franz Wagner are stars, however stars can’t shine without a constellation around them.
This must appear like a terrible joke to Paolo. In his last two championship game– Game 7 versus Cleveland last season and Video game 1 against Boston on Sunday– he’s scored 38 and 36 points. 2 Herculean efforts and 2 losses. That’s the kind of production that need to raise a team to a significant success; not sink into the abyss of an awkward defeat.
This wasn’t simply the Celtics beating the Magic. It was the Celtics exposing the Magic. It exposed a Magic group that, for all its guarantee, simply does not have the toolbox to compete with the elite. Yes, Paolo and Franz did their part and then some. Together, they scored 69 of Orlando’s 86 points. I don’t understand what the chances of winning are when an NBA group scores just 86 points, however I would think it’s approximately the very same percentage of finding both socks in the exact same load of laundry.
Cory Joseph, the Magic’s beginning point guard with Jalen Suggs out for the season, scrambles with Sam Hauser for a loose ball. Joseph only took 1 shot in 26 minutes Sunday.( Maddie Meyer/Getty )Sadly, Paolo and Franz accounted for 80.2 %of the Magic’s offense, and still it wasn’t almost enough. Think of that for a 2nd: Two young stars, 22 and 23 years of ages, entered into the safeguarding champs’structure and outdueled Boston’s to All-NBA players in Tatum and Brown. In truth, Paolo outscored Boston’s 2
stars by himself, 36
to 33, however the
scoreboard told a different story: Celtics by 17. Why? Because Boston is a chamber orchestra of skill and depth.
The Magic are Simon & Garfunkel.
Case in point: Boston’s Derrick White hit 7 3-pointers en path to 30 points. Payton Pritchard came off the bench firing, dropping 19 on 4-for-6 from deep. Pritchard outscored the whole Magic bench.
“It’s something we harped on coming into the series,” Banchero stated. “They do have two primary guys, but it’s truly the other guys that kill you.”
Meanwhile, Orlando’s other guys were just bonus in the Paolo highlight reel. Starting point player Cory Joseph took one shot and didn’t rating. Starting center Wendell Carter Jr. scored simply 4 points. Secret offseason acquisition Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored just 6. And Cole Anthony, who led the Magic with 26 points coming off the bench in the Play-In game versus Atlanta, played simply 10 minutes and scored only 4.
Jrue Vacation safeguards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a $ 66 million free-agent acquisition who only tried 5 shots in the Magic’s loss Sunday. Caldwell-Pope has actually taken 5 shots or less 22 times this season.(Michael Dwyer/AP) I get it. No one provides the Magic an opportunity in this series. They are the biggest underdogs of the NBA postseason. But if they wish to avoid being a footnote– or worse, a punchline– somebody, anyone, has to rise.
Take a look at the Boston plan. Boston’s stars had off nights. Tatum and Brown shot a combined 14-for-36, including 1 of 8 from range. And, yet, the Celtics won in a thrashing. Since their facilities is developed for moments like that. Because their bench does not simply endure. It prospers.
Do not get me incorrect, this is still a series. It’s 1-0, not 4-0. Don’t forget, the Cavaliers beat the Magic by 14 in last year’s series opener. Video game 1sts do not specify fates. But they do offer glimpses. And what we saw Sunday was a Celtics group with layers, and a Magic group stretched method too thin.
This is not a condemnation of the Magic’s season. In spite of all of the injuries, they earned their playoff spot. They should have to be here. But being here and staying here are 2 various things.
If there’s any hope of extending this series, the Magic requirement a third man. And possibly a fourth. It does not need to be 20 points a night. It can be momentum-swinging plays, defensive stops, made 3s when they matter. It just needs to be something substantial.
If the story of this series ends up being Banchero pouring in 35-plus while taking a look around and seeing no cavalry, then we currently understand how this series will end.
The Celtics are champs for a reason. They have actually developed a system that can absorb bad nights from their stars. The Magic, on the other hand, are a work in progress. There’s no shame because, however there’s no reasons either.
It’s time for the remainder of the Magic to not simply appear, but step up.
Otherwise, we’ll be left wondering how much more Paolo Banchero can bring before the weight breaks him.
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Strike me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame. com/listen
Initially Published: April 20, 2025 at 9:01 PM EDT