Paolo Banchero Questions Magic’s Championship Ceiling After Game 7 Defeat
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DETROIT — Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero admitted Sunday night that he is no longer certain the team has enough to contend for an NBA title after a 116-94 Game 7 loss to the Detroit Pistons ended Orlando’s season in the first round for the third consecutive year.
Asked directly whether the roster is built to win big, the 23-year-old paused before replying. “I want to say yes, but this is the third straight time we haven’t gotten out of the first round,” he said from the postgame podium. “Honestly speaking, I can’t say we’re good enough to be in the Finals or the Eastern finals because the last three years, we’ve had the same result.”
Big night for Banchero, little help elsewhere
Banchero poured in 38 points in the winner-take-all matchup at Little Caesars Arena, averaging 33.3 points over the last three contests after teammate Franz Wagner went down with a right calf injury. Orlando, the East’s No. 8 seed, had led the series 3-1 before Wagner’s exit.
Through three quarters Sunday, Banchero was 12-for-22 from the field and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. The rest of the Magic combined to shoot 10-for-32 and matched his 32 points. Orlando’s collective slump stretched back to halftime of Game 6, when a 22-point cushion evaporated behind 10.8% second-half shooting. Over the next six quarters, the Magic scored just 83 points — a 16.6-point average per period.
“We were playing well on defense, but we couldn’t put the ball in the hole,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “There’s time to reflect on that and think about changes, but today is about gratitude for how hard these guys fought.”
Pistons find supporting cast answers
Detroit, meanwhile, solved the same depth issue Orlando could not. Cade Cunningham delivered 32 points, but this time veteran Tobias Harris supplied 30 and center Jalen Duren added 15 points and 15 rebounds.
“No one can ever say anything about Tobias Harris,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He’s a leader, a great human being and a high-level competitor. He showed up when everything was on the line.”
The victory pushes Detroit into the Eastern Conference semifinals, while Orlando heads to an offseason filled with questions about how — or if — the current core can move beyond the first round.
Source: ESPN
