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BOSTON – The series will be remembered for its physicality, competitive basketball and battle of wills. For seasons to come, it may be the first of many meetings between the two teams in April and May. But to Paolo Banchero, his Orlando Magic's 4-1 first-round playoff series loss to the Boston Celtics will be remembered as just that: A loss.
"We wanted to go to the second round," the third-year pro said after having his season ended in the playoffs' first round for a second consecutive season. "I don't think anyone is necessarily happy that we didn't get blown out in four games. That wasn't the goal.
The goal was to win and go to the second round. "I'm not taking any moral victories from this series. The goal was to win.
" Orlando feels, and rightfully so, that decimating injuries pulled the rug from its top-4 playoff aspirations. Banchero, his running mate Franz Wagner, and several other contributors missed chunks of the year, and season-ending knee surgeries for Moe Wagner and Jalen Suggs further capped what was possible this year. And yet, the Magic entered the arena with the Celtics, the NBA's mighty defending champions on a quest to repeat, and were far from a pushover.
In fact, for portions of each game, Orlando was the better team on the parquet. That yielded close losses on the road in Games 1 and 2 , a come-from-behind victory in Game 3 , a tie game through 44 minutes in Game 4 and a lead through 26 minutes in Game 5 . Although the result wasn't what they wanted, both coach Jamahl Mosley and center Wendell Carter Jr.
expressed pride in what their group accomplished despite the turbulent year they endured. "You can go down the list for the things that have happened to this group and [have] every reason to understand that we could've felt sorry for ourselves, and we never did," Mosley said. "We've been through a lot," Carter said.
"From injuries to the ups and downs of the season, to people counting us out, to a lot of outside noise, frustrated guys. It was a lot of stuff that we went through as a team." But for many of the on-court faults the Magic flaunted during an up-and-down regular season, regardless of health, Orlando lost the final two games of its season frustratingly.
It's not necessarily a matter of who the Magic fell to, either, because Boston would've been a tough customer regardless of Orlando's status heading into the series. And make no mistake – a playoff series opposed against a team of Boston's caliber will pay dividends going forward. Rather, it's how the Magic lost that should finalize a crystal-clear offseason checklist for how to better prepare them to be back in this position again next year.
"You have to take the lesson," Mosley said. "You have to reflect on it as you go forward this summer, and not look at an excuse, but how do you improve on what you need to [do] for the next season." "We won one in the series, but we're not satisfied," Carter said.
"I think as competitors, guys want to do better ...
not only for themselves but for this team. So, yeah, a moral victory. We can look at the good, but at the end of the day, we're competitors and we want to win.
" Orlando has long been a dismal outside shooting team, and an 8-for-38 three-point effort Tuesday night was a fitting cap on a year that saw the Magic rank as the NBA's least accurate three-point shooting in the last nine regular seasons. They converted on a playoff-low 26.3 percent of their outside shots in the series.
"It's very obvious," said Franz Wagner of the poor shooting, who had a stellar season in all facets but that one and made just 18.9 percent of his threes in the five-game playoff series. "Looking at the stat sheet, it's definitely something everyone on the team has to work on.
"I think there's also a lot of good in that, knowing that if we improve that, then I think we are an extremely dangerous team." He's right. Orlando's defense proved time and again that it can dismantle even the most potent of offenses.
Combined with the series' physical nature, that was a big reason why the far-overmatched Magic could spar with the well-rounded Celtics throughout the five games. And, Banchero and Wagner took turns leading the Magic throughout the series, further reinforcing that the star duo leaped forward this year and can shine on the big stage. A lot is asked of the two 6-10 ball-handling point forwards, and to their credit, they have the skills and determination needed to handle it.
To that point, when asked the morning of Game 5 about his heavy usage throughout the playoffs, Banchero said the reliance is something that "as a hooper, you love it. "Those games where you have that heavy of a usage and you're guarding the other team's best player, it's a hell of a challenge," Banchero said Tuesday morning, "but it's something that I'm not afraid to step up and take on." Moments before, Banchero said everything about Wagner, from his attitude to his approach, to his selflessness and ability on either side of the floor, is "really solid" for the Magic.
"That's why we love him," Banchero said. But the offense that surrounds them – the spacing in particular – was again not up to par to properly supplement them. So much so that while Boston could withstand off nights from their two stars throughout the series, the Magic were not afforded that luxury.
Orlando's second-half flailing as Banchero sat with foul trouble is proof of that. Going forward, Banchero and Wagner's brilliance can no longer be viewed as just a bonus. They've set a standard for how they can play – one that could take advantage of an otherwise top-heavy Eastern Conference.
Not attempting to capitalize would be falling short of due diligence. That puts the pressure on the Orlando front office, led by president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and general manager Anthony Parker, to capitalize on the historic tandem , and fast. Orlando's cap situation is on an expensive trajectory, and the flexibility the Magic have with roster construction will soon wilt away.
Such a process will require intense evaluations and tough decisions to be made. If it is not the most potentially consequential summer in franchise history, it certainly is in this core's tenure. If the players who valiantly fell short don't want to accept moral victories, neither should the rest of the organization.
The stars are in place and the foundation is strong. Time to build off it. Want more Orlando Magic coverage on Sports Illustrated? Follow ' Orlando Magic on SI ' on Facebook and like our page.
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