CLEVELAND — As the Cavaliers and Magic stagger back to their stools preparing for a sixth round, the cutman working to close the wound under the left eye and the spit buckets full of blood and incisors, a few truths have been revealed.
Most significant is the fact the Cavs may not have the best player in this series after all. Donovan Mitchell entered as the biggest name two weeks ago, but Paolo Banchero is maturing a bit faster than expected.
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Banchero was magnificent in Game 5 here on Tuesday, dragging a young Magic roster into his greatness. Orlando lost, 104-103, and the Cavs are now one win away from closing out a series that has been much more difficult than anticipated — largely because of Banchero.
In the process, Banchero and all of his young friends are helping to redesign the league’s terrain yet again because that’s how it works in the NBA. A new wave of young stars is always rolling onto the shore and dragging the old kings and their castles out to sea.
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If Magic and Bird saved the NBA, then Michael Jordan elevated the league high enough to make your ears pop. Kobe Bryant was emerging as Jordan faded and LeBron James arrived with his own scepter and throne.
Each time one legend fades, a new face always seems ready to begin again.
And so it is today with James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry eliminated from the postseason before the first round is even complete. We haven’t had a second round without any of those three since 2005. It very well could be our new normal going forward.
There are established stars such as Nikola Jokic and Jason Tatum, but these playoffs are serving as the announcement for younger players like Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgous-Alexander and, yes, even Banchero. Eventually, Victor Wembanyama will join them and very likely surpass them all just as Jordan soared past Magic and Bird, then LeBron eclipsed Kobe.
For now, the kids are in charge.
PAOLO BANCHERO💥 pic.twitter.com/ZJGNsCmEOh
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) May 1, 2024
Banchero’s 39 points and eight rebounds Tuesday were nearly enough to put the Magic in control of this series. The Carmelo Anthony comparisons are accurate, from the signature headband to the smooth jumper and the way he moves in space, gets to his spots on the floor and can take over a game. Banchero might be the best young star in the league nobody knows about — yet.
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He is creating for himself in this series. There’s no elite shooter to take the pressure off him, no great guard to run pick-and-roll plays alongside. All of that will likely come in due time as the Magic build out their roster around him. For now, Banchero is doing this all on his own.
He has broken 30 points in two of the last three games in this series and he’s done it against an excellent defensive team. Doing it on the road Tuesday, even in a losing effort, broke down another barrier. Banchero looked extremely comfortable in a hostile setting and now returns home with a chance to save the season and force a Game 7.
Just last year, the Cavs were in the Magic’s position: The young, inexperienced team just finding its way through the postseason. They weren’t much of a match for the Knicks, who tossed them out in five games.
Two games into this series, the Cavs had a comfortable 2-0 lead and looked like the Knicks from last year while the Magic were the inexperienced toddlers fumbling through their first postseason. The kids sure do grow up quickly these days. The Magic went from crawling to dunking in about 72 hours.
The Cavs did some growing up, too. Darius Garland looked like Darius Garland again with 23 points and only two turnovers. Mitchell continues to struggle miserably with his shot, but he was aggressive attacking in the fourth quarter and got to the line more than anyone else in the game.
PROTECTED HOME COURT. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/bxlPT7N6UD
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 1, 2024
The Cavs survived without Jarrett Allen, their most consistent player in this series and a tentpole to what they do defensively. Allen was a surprising scratch with bruised ribs.
Nothing has come easy for the Cavs in part because nothing is ever easy in the playoffs and in part because this is a team still struggling to fit and find its way. Maybe a series victory will be their launch point. Maybe it’s just delaying the inevitable. We’ll know soon enough.
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For as great as Banchero was on this night, he wasn’t afforded the opportunity to finish it off. Following a Mitchell miss that would’ve given the Cavs a four-point lead, Banchero held the ball briefly with 14 seconds left and a chance to tie or even win the game.
Rather than call a timeout to set up a play for him or at least dribble up the floor himself and try to create once more, he passed off to Franz Wagner and never got the ball back. Growing pains.
Wagner has enjoyed some nice moments in this series, particularly during the games in Orlando, but he didn’t shoot it well Tuesday and he shouldn’t have been the one taking the most important shot of the night.
Banchero set a screen for Wagner as the clock ticked down and spun to the perimeter. Both defenders chased Wagner to the rim and left the best player on the court wide open on the 3-point line.
EVAN MOBLEY. GAME WINNING BLOCK. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/6MHuQNk9xK
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 1, 2024
The Cavs won this game because their best chance at a next young superstar made his most important play in his most important moment. Evan Mobley has struggled with Wagner in the few minutes he’s been matched against him in this series, but as the help defender in the game’s final seconds Tuesday, he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
“Evan read the play,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He anticipated him trying to get to that left hand.”
Mobley made an incredible block at the rim to preserve the Cavs win. Banchero was a bystander, watching all alone helplessly from the 3-point line. He’ll have plenty more opportunities to win a playoff game, if not in this series then in the years to come.
The tide is rolling in again and the kids are storming the shores. In Orlando, Banchero is quickly building a new castle.
(Photo of Paolo Banchero shooting against Evan Mobley: Ron Schwane / Associated Press)
