2024 NBA Playoffs Round 1 Game 7: (5) Orlando Magic at (4) Cleveland Cavaliers - Series Tied 3-3

[Knightro]

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GAME INFO
Who: Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers
What: 2024 NBA Playoffs - Round 1, Game 7 (Series lead 3-3)
When: Sunday, May 5 at 1pm ET
Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio
How: ABC, 96.9 The Game (Radio)

GAMBLING
Line: CLE -3.5 (Opened CLE -4.5)
Over/Under: 194.5 (Opened 195.5)

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ORLANDO MAGIC HEAD COACH
Jamahl Mosley - Career Record: 103-143 Regular Season, 3-3 Playoffs



ORLANDO MAGIC STARTERS

G: Jalen Suggs


G: Franz Wagner


F: Paolo Banchero


F: Jonathan Isaac


C: Wendell Carter Jr.


ORLANDO MAGIC BENCH

G: Markelle Fultz


G: Cole Anthony


F: Joe Ingles


C: Moritz Wagner


ORLANDO MAGIC DEEP BENCH
G: Anthony Black
G: Jett Howard
F: Caleb Houstan
F: Chuma Okeke
C: Goga Bitadze

Injuries: Gary Harris (hamstring) is QUESTIONABLE.

Cleveland Projected Starters
G: Darius Garland
G: Donovan Mitchell
F: Max Strus
F: Marcus Morris
C: Evan Mobley

Bench
G: Caris LeVert
G: Sam Merrill
F: Isaac Okoro
F: Georges Niang
C: Tristan Thompson

Injuries: Dean Wade (knee), Ty Jerome (ankle) and Craig Porter Jr. (ankle) are OUT. Jarrett Allen (rib) is QUESTIONABLE.

[GelbeWand09]

Damn, the next 60 hours are probably the most nervous I've been as a sports fan in a long time. My favorite teams are one win away from winning a playoff series for the first time in 14 years and one win/draw away from reaching the Championsleaque final after 11 years.
Too bad Magic & BVB are the underog & have a away games.

[cedric76]

Big game

If Paolo decides to play inside and not play behind the 3pt line, we have a huge chance to win

Go Magic

[SOUL]

Whatever happens, so very proud of this team... think they've been a bit heavily criticized this season for the type of season we've had, but I also get growing expectations which is a good thing. Just hope people don't lose sight of how special this year was if we lose, but also don't overreact short-term if we win. Tbh these playoffs are hella stressful so if we lose I can watch stress free basketball but I also want them to experience more success and time spent together since they feel like they're not done yet. Regular season losses have pissed me off more than playoff ones if I'm being real. They just really needed this experience and they're getting the full ride, so this is gravy to me.

Btw I'm missing this game because it's on at the worst time for me, so I'm getting my thoughts out now lol.

Also a bit OT, but was watching a Denver Nuggets documentary on the NBA Finals run and it just shows how hard it is to win.. Malone didn't get them in the playoffs until his 4th year. Then they got to 2nd round, then WCF, then two down years in comparison to those back to 2nd round and 1st round losses. Had to deal with some **** injuries to Murray and MPJ.. and they mentioned how progress wasn't always linear but they committed to the guys who they believed in and it paid off. 8 **** years...

Even though we've had less roster turnover than people have liked, reminds me a bit of the faith we've had in these guys.. and while we are inevitably moving on from some of these guys as we try to contend, it's also important to acknowledge how a lot of these guys have stepped up massively this year, from injuries (Isaac), bust claims (Suggs), not real #1/#2 options labels (Paolo/Franz), and a whole bunch of role guys who have appeared and then disappointed during the regular season but rose to the occasion to help us win three important games this series or kept us afloat in the regular season to get us here, including the Green Goblins.

BUT... I do hope the story continues for the players' sake. They definitely deserve it and I know they have the want and drive to get it done... but the shooting doesn't always agree with those two things - either way, helluva season.

Anyway.. GO MAGIC!

[KillMonger]

we're playing with house money, this season has already been a success.....no one thought we would be in this position, even the front office thought that way....would love to keep it going and if we would've taken care of business in game 5....never mind....win or lose i just want us to give everyone outside the magic something to think about.....i want us to leave the impression with the people at large that this isn't the same old magic you remember....we're about winning now....no longer can you come across us on the schedule and think you can just beat us like before....we're coming for YOU from now on...

[zaymon]

This is such a good position i am not even sure if its better to win or lose in the long run.
More confidence or more unsatisfied feeling ?
This will be a tough game but Franz is so cerebral and Paolo was good on the road that i fell we will need one more scorer to close it out. Cole, Suggs, maybe even WCJ will get hot from 3 ?

[Message Boar]

I'm not as nervous as I thought I'd be, just healthy excited nerves for the game. I believe we can win, but this series and history of game 7's says the Cavs are more likely to win. Need some role players (mostly the guards) to at least contribute a little bit and not crap the bed. Matinee games tend to be weird. Game 7's can be weird. We'll see what happens. I hope we don't get blown out on the national stage. But in general I have faith our players can handle the pressure, there's just the usual "we can't shoot" and "we make stupid mistakes" and the new "their guards are having a layup line" concerns, plus the expected youthful inconsistencies. But it feels like we're fresher, and we mostly seem to have the coaching advantage.

It's been a great season regardless, and all the pressure is on the Cavs. Now let's go win.

LET'S GO MAGIC!!!

This is such a good position i am not even sure if its better to win or lose in the long run.
More confidence or more unsatisfied feeling ?
This will be a tough game but Franz is so cerebral and Paolo was good on the road that i fell we will need one more scorer to close it out. Cole, Suggs, maybe even WCJ will get hot from 3 ?

The first thing has been on my mind as well, maybe in some ways it's better to lose a close one here than to win and get destroyed by Boston in the grand scheme of things. Now if we'd be able to play the C's competitively that's good experience, but I'm concerned that the Cavs just aren't that good, either. Doesn't mean that I don't want us to win. And I want our players/staff to be happy. But I could see some upsides to not achieving too much too soon. Keep some checkmarks left unchecked for now, if you will.

[RookieStar]

Yeah... last game or not this seasom has been a tremendous success already. We have waaaaaaay outplayed our expectations.

Even when we were suddenly in the PO spot instead of outside looking in, a lot thought we would have gotten swept or at best won 1 game.

So yeah... win or lose for this game... GO MAGIC!!!! Hope our adventure continues for the next round but if not, there is the ol draft to look forward and specualte.

[fendilim]

Do or die tonight.

Let’s go Magic.


Should be interesting to see if we attack Mitchell’s left knee. Make him force his way to the left. It was evident last game he was trying to avoid landing on it.

[RookieStar]

Oh and im probably missing this game as well due to personal reasons. Will try to see but if not, hope everyone have fun posting.

See you all when the dust settles. Im out.

[drsd]

LET'S GO MAGIC!!!

I am so excited I am going with the 1989 Magic wizard on this one!

[Fortune Teller]

Game 7 is the ultimate crucible. We need the role players to step up to win, but in the big picture seeing *how* Paolo, Franz and Suggs perform under the bright lights of a nationally-televised Game 7 that is the only game of the day will be fascinating. Win or lose.

[yoyojw17]

Do or die tonight.

Let’s go Magic.


Should be interesting to see if we attack Mitchell’s left knee. Make him force his way to the left. It was evident last game he was trying to avoid landing on it.

Today* lol... We're like 4 hours away from tip off!

Yup... Agreed.... Get that guy moving as much as possible. Make it hard for him to go through layup drills.

We obviously have what it takes to win.... Now we just gotta pack that ish up and take it on the road as well! Cole... Suggs.... Definitely gotta take the extra bags for that. Deep down ... I feel as though we are going to see another level of play by our guys! Something to be very proud of ...win or lose. But... I feel like we will be finishing this series off in impressive form!

Let's go Magic!!!

[The-Stallion70]

I do not care for these "well we were so used to losing and now we're winning a little bit so just happy to be here no matter what" posts

screw that, Kick their ass!!

[best of luck]

Winning this would have be beyond my expectations at day 1 of the season.
Now I would be surprised if we didn’t win, the last 4 games we have been the better team.
Today’s game is midnight for me, both my kids have got a fever and we have an early start tomorrow .
Decided will set the alarm for 1:30am to catch the 2nd half before a bit extra sleep.
Go Magic , wish I could have gotten the whole game experience but will enjoy watching every minute I can.

[eyriq]

47 wins, 5th seed, Paolo all-star, Mosley #2 in COtY voting, Suggs All-Defense buzz, Paolo, Franz, Suggs, Cole, JI, and Moritz proven regular season difference makers, Franz leading the team in win-shares (again).

Wonderful season.

3 wins in the postseason, ahead in net rating, Paolo superstar moment in game 5, Franz, Suggs, and Paolo all > 20 points in an elimination game, performing on the national stage and demanding attention.

A game 7 is such a treat. A chance to make history, a chance for this young core to differentiate themselves from every other successful young core that has come before.

They've earned everything with grit, grind, determination, and belief. Very proud of this team.

[3ddman23]

Just dont look out classed. That's all I ask. This is biggest game in nearly 15 years foe this organization on ABC in a game 7, just atleast put up a fight.

This game is very winnable if we stay away from the same stuff that always kills us... self inflicted wounds.

Win or lose I'm content, but it would suck deep down casue I know we should have been the ones advancing in the event of an L.

Let's just have a good fun game... GO MAGIC

[ChosenSavior]

Believe in MAGIC! This team is tough mentally and physically. They are built for this. Can't wait for the game to start!

[SHAQ32]

As long as Paolo doesn't turn the ball over crazy and we're knocking down our free throws, I'm good with whatever happens

[pepe1991]

Damn, the next 60 hours are probably the most nervous I've been as a sports fan in a long time. My favorite teams are one win away from winning a playoff series for the first time in 14 years and one win/draw away from reaching the Championsleaque final after 11 years.
Too bad Magic & BVB are the underog & have a away games.

2013 finals, Champions league, i was rooting for Dortmund like i was born there.