The Cleveland Cavaliers have managed to find themselves one game away from advancing into the second round of the playoffs. Standing in the Cavs’ way are the Orlando Magic, who are not going to go away quietly. The Cavs cannot afford to waste a perfect opportunity to put the Magic away on Friday and must do everything they can to go a winner-take-all Game 7 in Cleveland.
Between the two teams, Cleveland is the better squad. The Cavaliers are about a year or two ahead of the Magic on their competitive timeline. There is an established competitive roster in Cleveland, while Orlando is still working on figuring a few things out. Sure, the Magic have some good pieces to build around, but they are still in the team-building process, while the Cavs are supposed to be in deep playoff run mode. But that does not mean that they should be taken lightly.
Cavs need a better result in Orlando this time around
The Magic handed the Cavs two ugly losses on their last trip to Orlando, leading to questions about Cleveland’s viability. There is a very good chance that a third could be on the way, and that cannot be ignored. Orlando will not go away quietly and will do everything in their power to force a seventh game.
The time is now for the star players on the Cavaliers to do what is expected of them. Cleveland needs Donovan Mitchell to play at the elite level he is capable of. Darius Garland is also going to be counted on to make a meaningful impact. But this game is going to come down to the big men on both rosters. The Cavs must prevent Paolo Banchero from getting going early, as he has come to life as this series has progressed. If they can limit Panchero, the Cavs should be in a good position to win Game 6 and the series.
Going to a seventh game would be pretty close to a disaster scenario for the Cavaliers. JB Bickerstaff’s tenure as head coach seems to be murky at best. Meanwhile, Mitchell’s future in Cleveland is also far from certain. Playing and losing a Game 7 against a Magic team they should beat could result in major, possibly catastrophic changes coming this summer, and it is best to avoid that possibility entirely.
