Magic SF Franz Wagner Reveals Biggest Change Ahead of Game 3 vs. Cavs

Orlando Magic star Franz Wagner reveals what the team needs to fix in order to get back into the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Apr 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives against / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — Tonight's game will decide whether Home Sweet Home applies at the Kia Center. The Orlando Magic are down 0-2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and desperately need a win.

Fortunately, playing in Orlando presents a crucial opportunity for the team to leverage home-court advantage, a factor that has been instrumental in their success this season. 

Magic fans have been fortunate this season, seeing the team win 29 of the team's 41 games at home. That type of home-court advantage is precisely what the team needs to correct its mental rut as of late. 

After the team’s last loss, star wing Franz Wagner spoke about what needed to change. 

"I think coming with the right mentality and executing a little bit better," Wagner said. "Looking at the film, I thought we did a pretty solid job again. Just didn't get enough shots. A couple adjustments sounds better. But we worked on it all year all summer. I think that's that's the biggest thing."

Orlando is one of the best defensive teams in the league, but for as much as defense is known to win NBA championships, the team needs its offense to show up if it wants to survive the first round of the playoffs. 

So far, the Magic have the worst offensive rating in the playoffs, firmly in sixteenth place at 88.5. The average among the other 15 playoff teams is 110.6; the team needs to wake up fast. 

In the regular season, Orlando averaged 110.5 points per game; through the team’s first two games, the team’s scoring average plummeted to 84.5 points. 

A year ago, Cleveland center Jarrett Allen said the playoff lights were brighter than expected for him and his inexperienced squad last year. For the young Magic roster, it seems as though the team may also be adjusting to what playoff basketball feels like.

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