What to look for going into pivotal Game 5 between Magic and Cavaliers — and beyond | Analysis
The Magic, who looked hopeless after their first two games in Cleveland in this first-round playoff series, are right back where they started.
Even.
So who is under more pressure to win Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse? The only way the Magic can win the series with the Cavs, now tied 2-2 after Saturday’s 112-89 triumph at Kia Center, is taking Game 5 or 7 (if necessary).
The former is preferred by the No. 5 seed.
“We both got pressure,” guard Jalen Suggs said about going to Cleveland. “Nobody wants to go down 3-2. We’d rather come home with an opportunity to seal it. There’s pressure on both sides.”
Their defense has been as good here as it was in the first two games. The Cavs have yet to score 100 points in any of the first four games.
It’s the offense that can come and go:
When the Magic don’t play well in this series, watch Paolo Banchero. When they get into trouble, he can overdribble and isolate too much — and against tall and long defensive stalwarts Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Sometimes both. He’s not the only one guilty of it, just the most prominent because he’s the All-Star. That was a symptom of how the Magic went from being tied at 41 in the second quarter to trailing by nine in less than 120 seconds. He pounded the rock too many times at the elbow with a switch against Donovan Mitchell and the guard stripped him for a transition layup. He tried to iso Allen, ran into traffic and couldn’t get up a shot. But when Banchero immediately reversed the ball up top to Gary Harris for an open 3, good things began to happen. Open shots. It wasn’t until 3:12 remained in the first half that Harris, who excels as a spot-up shooter, had his first look. He only had two shots in 24 minutes, but Jonathan Isaac (4-for-6 on 3s) and Wendell Carter (2-for-3) helped fill the void.
Mobley’s offense is awkward away from the rim. He cooked the Magic underneath. He has bullied Moe Wagner in his matchup for most of the series, pushing him under the rim, getting into his body and exposing his post defensive liabilities. Wagner responded better Saturday. Mobley had all but one make inside the restricted area in going 6-for-13. Outside the area accounted for five of his misfires. And the Magic are content to allow him to shoot from there without closing out his attempts, and they definitely won’t close him out at the 3-point arc.
Joe Ingles, who has seen his minutes decrease in each game of this series, logged just five. The Cavs have hunted his matchups, sending his man to ballscreen to force the 36-year-old onto switches against the speedy Mitchell, Darius Garland and Caris LeVert. The Magic have blitzed the ballhandler with Ingles to make the Cavs pick up the dribble. This shielded him from having to get stuck in an unfavorable switch, but there’s inherent risk there. Sending two to the ball leaves three to defend four behind them until he can recover to his assignment.
Watch for this elite defensive rebounding lineup: Suggs, Franz Wagner, Banchero, Isaac and Carter. In the regular season, coach Jamahl Mosley used this lineup for a total of 24 minutes. They grabbed 90.5% of defensive rebounds, by far his best unit that played at least 10 times and more than 20 minutes together. Mosley has rolled out the lineup in only one game for just three minutes in the postseason, so it’s unclear if he’ll need it or if it’ll be as effective as the regular season. Overall Saturday, the Magic pounded the Cavs 43-29 on the boards. In Game 3, it was 51-32.
