Despite this loss, pressure is still on Cavaliers | Commentary

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic 104-103 Tuesday night for one very basic, simple reason.

They had no choice.

Victory was a must for the Cavaliers

They needed to beat the Magic.

They desperately and imperatively had to beat the Magic.

After getting methodically dismantled by the Magic in Game 3 and Game 4 in Orlando and the series tied 2-all, all the pressure was on the Cavaliers in Game 5 Tuesday night.

And even though the Cavs somehow survived Paolo Banchero’s monster 39-point effort for the Magic to win the game and now lead the series 3-2, I’m saying the pressure remains on the Cavaliers. Call me crazy if you want, but let me explain first.

Yes, the Cavs can close out the Magic in Game 6 in Orlando, but even if they do, Magic fans will still consider this breakout season to be a fabulous success.

But if Cleveland doesn’t close out the Magic in Game 6 … uh-oh! Then there will be even more crushingly intense pressure on the Cavs in Game 7 back in Cleveland.

In other words, the Magic are playing with house money. The Cavaliers are playing with their rent money. And you know what happens when you lose your rent money, right? You get evicted.

And if the Cavs don’t win this series, they will be evicted from the good graces of their fans. Their coach J.B. Bickerstaff will be second-guessed for his decision to pull his starters in the fourth quarter to tank the final game of the season against the hapless Charlotte Hornets. The loss assured that the Cavs would face the Magic in the playoffs and avoid a possible first-round matchup with the Miami Heat or Philadelphia 76ers — two opponents who right now look much more beatable than the Magic.

If the Magic lose this series, their stars — Banchero and Franz Wagner — will still be in Orlando for years to come. If the Cavs lose this series, their star, Donovan Mitchell, may decide to leave in the offseason because his two years in Cleveland would have to be considered a massive failure.

But give and the Cavs credit for rising up when they absolutely had to in Game 5. They could have easily caved after getting demoralized during Games 3 and 4 in Orlando; games in which Mitchell was absolutely awful. He scored 13 points in Game 3 in a 38-point loss — the most decisive playoff loss in Cavs’ history. In Game 4, he was held scoreless in the second half as the Magic destroyed the Cavs by outscoring them 37-10 in the third quarter.

In the first four games against the Magic, Mitchell had more turnovers (15) than 3s (seven) and shot only 25% from long range.

“I have to be better. It’s simple,” Mitchell said after the Game 4 loss. “The games we’ve lost, I haven’t been myself. … As much of the success I get, I deserve the criticism, too, and I hold myself to that. My teammates probably hate that I’m saying it, but it’s just a fact. I can’t have 18 points in the first half and zero in the second, on four shots.”

Although Mitchell didn’t shoot exceptionally well in Game 5 (1-for-7 from distance), he did what he had to do in the fourth quarter (14 points) and finished with 28. The Cavs did just enough to win despite playing without starting center Jarrett Allen, who was scratched from the lineup with a rib injury after arguably being the team’s most productive player in the first four games of the series.

Unfortunately, the Magic-Cavs matchup hasn’t gotten much national publicity, but it’s been perhaps the most competitive series in the entire playoffs thus far. The Cavs won their two games at home by double digits and most everybody thought the Magic would either get swept out of the playoffs or lose in five games. The Magic then got up off the deck and annihilated the Cavs during the next two games in Orlando. And then Tuesday night, the Cavs picked themselves up, brushed themselves off and delivered a blow to the Magic.

Unlike the first four games, which were all decided by double digits, Game 5 was in doubt until the bitter end when Evan Mobley blocked Franz Wagner’s layup attempt to tie the score in the final seconds.

Now we head into Game 6 in Orlando and the mathematics tell us that Cleveland has a significant advantage in this series. Teams that win Game 5 when the series is tied 2-2 end up winning 82.8% of time with a 164-34 overall record.

It may seem like the pressure is now on the Magic, but I don’t necessarily agree.

Cleveland must win this series or their season will be judged a failure.

Orlando has already far exceeded expectations.

No matter what happens from here on out, the Magic are still playing with house money.

The Cavs are playing with rent money.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen