On April 26, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs continued, and in the first two rounds of 16 games in the first two rounds of the first-round series that had ended, there were a total of 5 groups of 2-0 and 3 groups of 1-1. In the East, the Cavaliers lead the Magic 2-0, the Knicks lead the 76ers 2-0, and in the West, the Timberwolves lead the Suns 2-0, the Thunder lead the Pelicans 2-0, and the Nuggets lead the Lakers 2-0. In addition, the Celtics 1-1 Heat, can be pulled back by the Heat without Butler, it is surprising, the Bucks 1-1 Pacers, the Clippers 1-1 Mavericks. The third round is in full swing, and the Magic are back at home to face the Cavaliers. In the first two games, the Magic lost a total of 24 points, similar to the Nuggets Lakers series, the Cavaliers suddenly made a force, and the Magic could not match the offense, and Banchero, as the absolute core of the team, averaged 22.5 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 7.5 turnovers per game in the first two games.
The Cavaliers had a chance to challenge for second place in the East this season, but Mitchell + Allen + Garland missed more than 25 games in the regular season, and injuries became the biggest problem for them. However, Mitchell has been in the West for so many years, although he has been beaten every year in the playoffs, but when he came to the East, he gradually became an old seniority, averaging 26.5 points, 5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the first two games, and his ability to take over the game at critical moments is very strong. According to the data, the probability of the Cavaliers advancing in this series reached 81.9%, and the Magic only 18.1%. In addition, the data shows that the Cavaliers went 15-0 after leading 2-0 in the all-time series, and 0-9 when the Magic went down 0-2 in the all-time series. Even so, Banchero bluntly said in an interview that he believes in the team's energy bursting out at critical moments, and they will prove themselves with actions.
The Cavaliers starters: Garland + Mitchell + Strus + Mobley Jr. + Allen; Magic starters: Suggs + Gary Harris + Wagner Jr. + Banchero + Wendell Carter. At the beginning, the Cavaliers were mainly anti-away, Garland and Mobley Jr. took turns to train Ban Cairo, and Mobley Jr. hatted Carter, and then continued to make kills, after Wagner Jr. stopped the bleeding, Mitchell strongly opposed the throw, and the Cavaliers played a 10-3 start. But in the middle of the game, it rained three points from Xiaowa and Suggs, and Banchero also blossomed inside and out, and the Magic came back with a wave of 13-4! In the second half, the two teams fell into a tug-of-war, and at the end of the quarter, Banchero and the Wagner brothers played a 10-0 climax again, and the Magic led the Cavaliers 31-21 in the first quarter.
Back in the second quarter, Garland and Isaac hit three-pointers, Fultz and Isaac continued to hit the basket, Banchero and Anthony blossomed inside and out, and the Magic instantly led by 16 points. In the second half, Banchero continued to name Mitchell, after Isaac seized the empty three-point opportunity, Banchero educated Xiao Mo, Mitchell made a three-point shot to stop the bleeding in time, and at the end of the quarter, Mitchell continued to fight and throw to narrow the difference. The Magic led the Cavaliers 61-45 at halftime. Banchero returned to the home court as if he was a different person, with 19 points and 7 rebounds in the first half, 12 points and 5 assists for Jr., and Mitchell 9 points and 7 assists. Coming back in the second half, Xiaowa and Banchero burst out to shoot, and the difference was again 21 points. Suggs stopped the Cavaliers with consecutive layups, the Cavaliers scored incoherently, and Banchero and Suggs missed shots!
In the middle of the game, it rained three points again, Banchero and Suggs, and opened up 32 points in a wave! The Cavaliers were indeed stunned, and Mitchell had no feeling, and the Cavaliers couldn't shoot three-pointers, couldn't grab rebounds, and were constantly chased by the Magic to fight back. In the second half, Fultz and Banchero continued to make single jump shots, and the Cavaliers' defense nearly collapsed. It wasn't until the end of the quarter that the Cavaliers relied on Morris Jr.'s three-pointer to stop the bleeding, and the Magic led the Cavaliers by 35 points 96-61 after the third quarter! But the Magic did not stop, and at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Fultz and Anthony took turns to play singles, and the two led the team to open a 40-point difference! After that, the Magic took the lead in switching to the third lineup, and the game entered garbage time. In the end, the Magic defeated the Cavaliers 121-83 at home, creating the first tragedy in this year's playoffs! The Cavaliers led the Magic 2-1.
Cavaliers statistics, Mitchell 13 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, Mobley Jr. 10 points and 3 blocks, Allen 15 points and 8 rebounds, Garland 5 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists, LeVert 15 points and 3 assists, Merrill 9 points and 3 rebounds. Magic statistics, Banchero 31 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists, Wagner Jr. 16 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, Suggs 24 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Fultz 11 points, Anthony 10 points and 3 assists, Isaac 8 points.
It was a surprise from the process to the result, the Cavaliers came to the home court of the Magic after taking a 2-0 lead, obviously not responding enough to the game, trying all kinds of three-pointers in the first two quarters, lacking the attitude of attacking the offense, lazy and lazy on the defensive end, and the rebounding ball was blown up by the Magic. In the third quarter, when the magic found their touch, the knight was instantly smashed. The Magic were not as weak as they thought, and the whole Cavaliers team looked unmotivated, as if they didn't intend to win this game at all. After the Magic passed this wild victory, and the young people built up their confidence, it was difficult for the Cavaliers to press down again.