Coming into the 2023-24 NBA regular season, the Orlando Magic weren’t expected to be a team that would do much of anything other than continue to struggle as a young team still trying to find it’s identity.
The consensus seemed to be that the Magic were a talented young team that might be a few years away and another star player away from becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference.
However, that didn’t turn out to be the case, with Orlando coming out on top in the Southeast division with 47 wins to their credit, which gave them the fifth seed in the East, right behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Needless to say, the Magic had already exceeded expectations by getting into the NBA playoffs with the fifth seed, and anything beyond that would be remarkable.
On Sunday, the Magic played in a winner-take-all scenario against the Cavaliers in Game 7, with Paolo Banchero having arguably the best game of his career, which drew the attention of ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins.
Shoutout to the Orlando Magic for an outstanding season!!!! Btw they have them ONE in Banchero. Real Talk pic.twitter.com/uNYKKzRkOM
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 5, 2024
Although most of his teammates struggled on Sunday, Banchero kept them in the game, as he finished with 38 points, 16 rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Despite Banchero’s impressive performance, it wasn’t enough to overcome Donovan Mitchell’s equally impressive performance, who finished with a game-high 39 points.
The Cavaliers erased an 18-point deficit and pulled out the win in the second half to advance to the second round, where they will face the top-seeded Boston Celtics.
Even though the Magic lost, they may have a superstar in the making with Banchero, as he might have a bright future ahead of him in Orlando.
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