Magic vs. Cavaliers Silences Critics Ahead of Game 7: What's Been Learned?

What have the Orlando Magic proven with the small market team finally getting national coverage against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2024 NBA Playoffs?

May 3, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) goes to the basket / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

When the first round of the NBA playoffs was announced, a lot of jokes were made at the expense of the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers for being unwatchable small-market teams lacking stars.

Now, the NBA playoffs have moved onto the second round except for the Magic versus Cavs series, so what have we learned? 

Well, the joke is on the media for having a big market bias. Yes, the New York Knicks advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs by defeating the Philadelphia 76ers, but the same can’t be said for either of L.A.’s teams. The Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers were sent home packing, with the highly marketable Lakers suffering a gentleman’s sweep. 

Yet somehow, today, Orlando travels to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers for game seven in a series that was considered to have no star power. Many accounts joked that this would be the first series to air solely on NBA TV rather than on the bigger stations like ESPN or TNT. 

Instead of succumbing to the toxicity of social media, the Magic stayed locked in on controlling what they could on the court. Orlando head coach Jamahl Mosley spoke about the team’s belief in one another after winning game six.

"A big example for me was postgame,” Mosley said. “I walk up, and you're just watching Cole and Jalen hug. I think that says a lot about what this team is. Celebrating each other & knowing exactly what guys are going through and how they continue to battle."

In this series, Orlando has shown not only its belief in one another but also the amount of stardom it possesses on the national stage. 

Before this playoff series, 2022’s No. 1 overall pick and reigning Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero had played in just one nationally televised game. It came against the eventual No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Magic lost handily on Shaquille O’Neil’s jersey retirement night. 

In this series, though, Banchero has shot nearly 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. He has averaged over 25 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, including one game in which he dropped 39 points and nearly willed Orlando to a win on the road single-handedly. 

The city of Orlando hasn’t learned anything in this series that it didn’t already know, but the rest of the NBA has been put on notice. The Magic are here and have one of the best young stars in a 21-year-old Banchero; the future is bright in Orlando. 

Today, the team will have a chance to advance to the second round despite its entire big three being 22 or under. Regardless of the outcome when the Magic play in Cleveland at 1 p.m. EST, the team has proven many naysayers wrong.

Related stories on the Orlando Magic

• MAGIC TRIO MAKES HISTORY: In their first career playoff appearances, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs are etching their name into the NBA history books for the Orlando Magic. CLICK HERE

• GAME 7 RECAP: Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic aren't shying away from the moment in Game 6 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. CLICK HERE

• MAGIC GAME 7 HISTORY: The Orlando Magic forced the fourth Game 7 in franchise history with their Game 6 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. CLICK HERE