2024 NBA Playoffs Round 1 Game 1: (5) Orlando Magic at (4) Cleveland Cavaliers

[Howard Mass]

it is good front office made no trades at the deadline, as now we know. It is something totally hidden during regular season, literally nobody knew we dont have guards.

I saw that they needed more scoring.

There were some moves they could have made like for Buddy Hield. My feeling is they wanted it to play out with this group and maybe they wanted to hold their assets. We don't know how close they might have been to a move.

I do feel something will happen this summer in terms of a scoring shooting guard.

Keep in mind, they also need to get Anthony Black more minutes next year too.

So, those are assumptions and opinions, mine is different than yours. Facts are, no improvements has been made and we went into playoffs with glaring holes offensively. As for Black, I'd love him to become a star, but that is fully on him. We don't 'need' to do anything, he needs to improve to a point where he deserves a spot in rotation when games matter and everyone is healthy.

Don't we all have opinions here?

We don't know what deals were on the table and you don't just make a move to make a move.

I think Black will be ready to be at least the backup next season but he needs minutes.

[Message Boar]

Also... wow. 67 pages for a GT.

Good times are back in the Magic board?

Well, we've already established that game threads do better when we lose. And it also turned into the de-facto post-game thread.

But also, yes.

[I Rasharted]

Young Magic team = Eddie Murphy

Hot tub = playoffs

Watch on YouTube

[Skybox]

This is a great question. Unpopular opinion here, there isn't a rush. We have several seasons yet until Paolo and Franz are All-NBA. Player development offers the brightest future before ceilings are still so high. Give AB and Jett a chance.

I don't think it's a great question at all. Do you limit the number of ingredients you give to a 5-star chef? Do you limit a rising organization's hiring if they have the budget because you have some good recruits coming in from an Ivey league school? No. You don't.

As a GM, your job is to accumulate as much top-flight talent as possible.

Adding ingredients that block other ingredients with potentially better taste isn't a good idea.

If they haven’t shown anything… you can’t “block” a superior competitor for long and too much young talent would be a good problem to face at the next trade deadline. I’m ok with bringing them along slowly and hoping for breakouts but betting blindly on kids making total transformations is a losing game with this team already making noise.

[Skybox]

I saw that they needed more scoring.

There were some moves they could have made like for Buddy Hield. My feeling is they wanted it to play out with this group and maybe they wanted to hold their assets. We don't know how close they might have been to a move.

I do feel something will happen this summer in terms of a scoring shooting guard.

Keep in mind, they also need to get Anthony Black more minutes next year too.

So, those are assumptions and opinions, mine is different than yours. Facts are, no improvements has been made and we went into playoffs with glaring holes offensively. As for Black, I'd love him to become a star, but that is fully on him. We don't 'need' to do anything, he needs to improve to a point where he deserves a spot in rotation when games matter and everyone is healthy.

Don't we all have opinions here?

We don't know what deals were on the table and you don't just make a move to make a move.

I think Black will be ready to be at least the backup next season but he needs minutes.

Giving AB more minutes should absolutely happen…that’s not a revolutionary concept to go from dnp’s to 12-15 mpg…it’s a secondary concern to bringing in a starter. AB & Cole should be the backup guards next year with Jett, hopefully, pressing as well…this is assuming none of the three are needed to get the starter that is far and away a superior priority.

[BadMofoPimp]

I expected Cavs to win Game 1. They were pumped up at home. Magic got it to within 4, but could not close. This team has surpassed all expectations and are on the evolution of their development. No need to panic if they don't beat Cleveland. Magic path is the future, not making panic moves like fans here cry constantly cry about.

[Bergmaniac]

We had a grand total of 2 screen assists in this game. Both by Banchero. Our centres had zero screen assists. We just refuse to make it easier for ourselves on offense and we also lack the guards to take advantage of screens.

[Skybox]

I expected Cavs to win Game 1. They were pumped up at home. Magic got it to within 4, but could not close. This team has surpassed all expectations and are on the evolution of their development. No need to panic if they don't beat Cleveland. Magic path is the future, not making panic moves like fans here cry constantly cry about.

“Panic moves” is not the same as “transactions “… unless you think your FO is inept and just got lucky so far and cross your fingers and hope it continues. If that’s the case, we’re dead in the water anyway. Believing in the FO (like I do) means actually seeing that they’ve put themselves in position to make a good move and aren’t just hoping…no serious team ever ascended that way.

“Cry constantly” ? …just silly

[Last Guardian]

Paolo and Franz are 3 years at least away from their prime. There is no point in getting in AB or Jetts way here next season. I get it...we won 47 games. But we are still not a win now team. I myself have been guilty of it...asking for someone like Caruso. But I retract that.

Big thing we need to target right now is getting a C prospect. Someone 7' or bigger.

[Last Guardian]

We had defensive problems in the beginning of the game and the Franz interview where he said WCJ was the key to their defensive system, or something along those lines, is still making me second guess moving Isaac to the starting lineup.

Isaac clearly is the better defender but it may work better to have him anchor the 2nd unit.

Our offense was putrid but everything was way too easy for them.

Isaac is probably the best defender in the league. But he simply isn't a C. Just look at the C's of the playoffs...Lopez, Zubac, Nurkic, Embiid, Joker, Hartenstein, Robinson, Gobert, etc. All taller and bigger than him. He has all the rim protection you could want, but he can't be asked to fight those guys in the post or try to keep them off the boards. He's our best option at C for sure, but ideally he's roaming around at one of the F positions.

[eyriq]

Paolo and Franz are 3 years at least away from their prime. There is no point in getting in AB or Jetts way here next season. I get it...we won 47 games. But we are still not a win now team. I myself have been guilty of it...asking for someone like Caruso. But I retract that.

Big thing we need to target right now is getting a C prospect. Someone 7' or bigger.

You've convinced me!

[thelead]

Paolo and Franz are 3 years at least away from their prime. There is no point in getting in AB or Jetts way here next season. I get it...we won 47 games. But we are still not a win now team. I myself have been guilty of it...asking for someone like Caruso. But I retract that.

Big thing we need to target right now is getting a C prospect. Someone 7' or bigger.

You've convinced me!

Imagine where the Celtics would be deploying this logic... No White, no Holiday, no Porzingis.

While developing Tatum and Brown into the players they are today, they surrounded them with guys like Kemba, Kyrie, Brogdon, etc along the way.

We surround Paolo and Franz with players like Fultz and Harris.

One franchise has the most championships in the league (17) ... the other has zero...

[RookieStar]

Also... wow. 67 pages for a GT.

Good times are back in the Magic board?

Well, we've already established that game threads do better when we lose. And it also turned into the de-facto post-game thread.

But also, yes.

Oh yeah.. I kinda want to ask the mods to make a post game thread and lock the game thread when the game is over...

[Bensational]

Paolo and Franz are 3 years at least away from their prime. There is no point in getting in AB or Jetts way here next season. I get it...we won 47 games. But we are still not a win now team. I myself have been guilty of it...asking for someone like Caruso. But I retract that.

Big thing we need to target right now is getting a C prospect. Someone 7' or bigger.

You've convinced me!

Imagine where the Celtics would be deploying this logic... No White, no Holiday, no Porzingis.

While developing Tatum and Brown into the players they are today, they surrounded them with guys like Kemba, Kyrie, Brogdon, etc along the way.

We surround Paolo and Franz with players like Fultz and Harris.

One franchise has the most championships in the league (17) ... the other has zero...

Tatum and Brown were drafted into freak situations as top 3 picks landing on an already top 4 team. They went from playing with Kyrie and Horford to playing with Kemba, Fournier and Theis within 3 seasons. This fan base would implode from that sort of downgrade.

What allowed Boston to recover was having strong internal development that allowed their drafted guys like Rozier, Nesmith, Smart, R.Williams, G.Williams to develop enough value they could be traded for the likes of Brogdon, JRue and Porzingis.

Our time will come, but I’ll happily skip the Kemba/Fournier phase.

[tiderulz]

Paolo and Franz are 3 years at least away from their prime. There is no point in getting in AB or Jetts way here next season. I get it...we won 47 games. But we are still not a win now team. I myself have been guilty of it...asking for someone like Caruso. But I retract that.

Big thing we need to target right now is getting a C prospect. Someone 7' or bigger.

Paolo and Franz may not like wasting away their early years with glaring team deficiencies and the front office doing nothing. Why would they then want to stay when they can see how bad the front office is bumbling this

[Last Guardian]

Paolo and Franz are 3 years at least away from their prime. There is no point in getting in AB or Jetts way here next season. I get it...we won 47 games. But we are still not a win now team. I myself have been guilty of it...asking for someone like Caruso. But I retract that.

Big thing we need to target right now is getting a C prospect. Someone 7' or bigger.

Paolo and Franz may not like wasting away their early years with glaring team deficiencies and the front office doing nothing. Why would they then want to stay when they can see how bad the front office is bumbling this

Except we don't know if Jett and AB are answers...they have to actually play next season to figure that out.

[JF5]

Paolo and Franz are 3 years at least away from their prime. There is no point in getting in AB or Jetts way here next season. I get it...we won 47 games. But we are still not a win now team. I myself have been guilty of it...asking for someone like Caruso. But I retract that.

Big thing we need to target right now is getting a C prospect. Someone 7' or bigger.

Paolo and Franz may not like wasting away their early years with glaring team deficiencies and the front office doing nothing. Why would they then want to stay when they can see how bad the front office is bumbling this

Except we don't know if Jett and AB are answers...they have to actually play next season to figure that out.

I can't imagine the Magic waiting 3-4 more years of development on these guys (since they're not that good right now and need more time to develop) to make a decision on how to build around the Banchero/Wagner core with the impending extension/contract situations with Suggs/Wagner/Issac literally after next season.

The money they have to spend on complimentary players and the flexibility is realistically only available during this offseason. And I'd be shocked if multiple moves weren't made.

[BadMofoPimp]

I expected Cavs to win Game 1. They were pumped up at home. Magic got it to within 4, but could not close. This team has surpassed all expectations and are on the evolution of their development. No need to panic if they don't beat Cleveland. Magic path is the future, not making panic moves like fans here cry constantly cry about.

“Panic moves” is not the same as “transactions “… unless you think your FO is inept and just got lucky so far and cross your fingers and hope it continues. If that’s the case, we’re dead in the water anyway. Believing in the FO (like I do) means actually seeing that they’ve put themselves in position to make a good move and aren’t just hoping…no serious team ever ascended that way.

“Cry constantly” ? …just silly

I believe the asking prices were too high or management wasn't interested in breaking the team vision. This is about developing the core, not panicking. I see your panicking. This isn't NBA2k where all trades can be feasibly made. Trades like the ones thrown around here rarely happen that often. I am sure once the Magic reach the plateau where they feel the need to make a move to reach the next plateau, then it will happen. No need now as the concentration is purely on developing youth, not fans quick turnaround dreams.

[MagicMatic]

I expected Cavs to win Game 1. They were pumped up at home. Magic got it to within 4, but could not close. This team has surpassed all expectations and are on the evolution of their development. No need to panic if they don't beat Cleveland. Magic path is the future, not making panic moves like fans here cry constantly cry about.

“Panic moves” is not the same as “transactions “… unless you think your FO is inept and just got lucky so far and cross your fingers and hope it continues. If that’s the case, we’re dead in the water anyway. Believing in the FO (like I do) means actually seeing that they’ve put themselves in position to make a good move and aren’t just hoping…no serious team ever ascended that way.

“Cry constantly” ? …just silly

I believe the asking prices were too high or management wasn't interested in breaking the team vision. This is about developing the core, not panicking. I see your panicking. This isn't NBA2k where all trades can be feasibly made. Trades like the ones thrown around here rarely happen that often. I am sure once the Magic reach the plateau where they feel the need to make a move to reach the next plateau, then it will happen. No need now as the concentration is purely on developing youth, not fans quick turnaround dreams.

Except people were talking about building around the core of this team since last offseason and the deadline… not just after 1 playoff game loss in Cleveland.

It’s not panicking. It’s called addressing the roster by maximizing the core’s strengths and minimizing their weaknesses. None of this needed to be done 100% at once, but they haven’t even started. They kicked the can down the road AGAIN.

If they knew playoffs were a possibility by the deadline they should have made 1 move to address the obvious problems with the offense before they embarrassed themselves on national television.

Is that too much to ask? Is that crying or panicking ?

[Bensational]

It was obvious when we started the rebuild we’d be drafting players who needed time to develop and become their prime versions of themselves. So it’s pretty outrageous that WeHam didn’t invest in a Time Machine to speed that up when it has always been such an obvious problem we were going to encounter.