Paolo Banchero left it all on the floor for the Orlando Magic in Sunday’s Game 7 showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, not even a heroic effort from the reigning Rookie of the Year was enough to lift the Magic over a determined Cavs side.
Ultimately, Cleveland prevailed in this winner-take-all matchup, 104-94, to book a spot in the East Semis against the league-best Boston Celtics.
Orlando Magic News: Paolo Banchero Reaches Insane Heights in Game 7 Defeat
Banchero ended his season with a marvelous performance for Orlando, finishing with a team-high 38 points on 10-of-28 shooting, to go along with 16 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and a block, while also going 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
The 21-year-old turned in such a wonderful effort that we actually have not seen this type of production in a season-deciding Game 7 since the great Magic Johnson pulled a similar feat for the Los Angeles Lakers back in 1980:
Paolo gave it his all in his first Game 7, becoming the second-youngest player in NBA history to drop 30 Pts and 15 Rebs in a playoff game 🔥
The future is bright 👏 pic.twitter.com/i388RbXV8a
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 5, 2024
That’s pretty wild, and as the above tweet says, the future is definitely bright for Banchero in Orlando.
In the end, however, it was Donovan Mitchell who one-upped his younger counterpart in this one. The Cavs superstar exploded for a game-high 39 points, with nine rebounds and five assists to lead Cleveland to the second round for the first time since the LeBron James era.
As for Banchero, he will look back on this season with regret, no doubt. At the same time, however, there’s no denying that this was another breakout year for the second-year power forward as he proved to the entire basketball world that he is indeed a bona fide superstar.
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