Paolo Banchero on Orlando Magic Maintaining Big Leads: 'The Score is 0-0'

After blowing two leads earlier in the season, Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic kept their foot on the gas in a massive win over the Indiana Pacers.

On Sunday, the Orlando Magic decimated the Indiana Pacers, 128-116. While a 12-point win isn’t always a crushing blow, the Magic led by as much as 40 points, and the Pacers were never really in the game.

The way the Magic won was significant because the young team has shown an inability to close games out. Already in this young season, they had to rely on Paolo Banchero to hit a last-second shot to beat the Bulls after losing a 19-point second-half lead, and before that, they lost to the Hawks in dramatic fashion after being up by 11 in the final quarter.

On Sunday, Orlando showed its killer instinct by never letting the Pacers even make it close. After the game, Banchero broke down the halftime mentality in Orlando’s locker room. 

“We knew we had a big lead, similar to the leads we had in Chicago and we know how those games ended up, down to the wire,” Banchero said. “We didn’t give Indiana a chance to get back in it and even though they sort of, kind of did at the end, not really, but we were just happy with how we finished the third.”

Paolo Banchero added 24 points in a winning effort over Indiana.  / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Banchero went on to say that the competitive atmosphere was fostered by players, not coaches. The young Magic just kept telling themselves that “the score is 0-0,” and it worked. The Magic put its foot down.

The Magic has held a lead at halftime in 12 of its 13 games this season. However, the team has won just eight of those games. Even in the team's two wins against the Chicago Bulls last week, the Magic had a big lead and nearly gave it away in the final seconds.

Fans should not expect this mentality to affect every game. In order for Orlando to keep playing with this energy, the team needs to keep jumping out to early leads. In close games, not getting down after a missed shot is key, and in blowouts, keeping to shoot quality shots, make or miss, is what matters. Barely into the meat of the season, it seems like the Magic has grasped that. 

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