2024 NBA Playoffs - East 1st Round: #4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #5 Orlando Magic (CLE WINS 4-3)

[NyKnicks1714]

It is hate. When people continuously downplay the Magic's accomplishments, it is hate.

Plus, I was talking mostly to the first reply here saying " the series that no one will watch." Very uneccessary comment for no reason. Move on if you aren't watching this series, no one cares.

Well one, you clearly care. And no one is downplaying anything. We all recognize they had a great season and completely outperformed expectations. We're poking a little fun at this series not being the most compelling. The NBA TV series joke has been a thing for decades now. Don't know why you're getting so upset.

Because it's been said about this team nonstop for 2 straight years. "Paolo is an inefficient chucker." "Wow they lost to the Magic?" That team was tanking, that's why they lost." "If we shot it normally, the Magic would've lost." "Paolo is the worst All-Star this year." "They're paper tigers." All of these things said about the Magic and more.

People were even arguing against Paolo for ROY last year and a few even saying Walker Bench Player Kessler should've won it.

There's no anti-Magic agenda. This is silly.

[The Real Dalic]

Regardless, I'm just looking for the Magic to be competitive in this one. Just learn what you can from your first playoff experience and try to steal a game or two.

[The Real Dalic]

Well one, you clearly care. And no one is downplaying anything. We all recognize they had a great season and completely outperformed expectations. We're poking a little fun at this series not being the most compelling. The NBA TV series joke has been a thing for decades now. Don't know why you're getting so upset.

Because it's been said about this team nonstop for 2 straight years. "Paolo is an inefficient chucker." "Wow they lost to the Magic?" That team was tanking, that's why they lost." "If we shot it normally, the Magic would've lost." "Paolo is the worst All-Star this year." "They're paper tigers." All of these things said about the Magic and more.

People were even arguing against Paolo for ROY last year and a few even saying Walker Bench Player Kessler should've won it.

There's no anti-Magic agenda. This is silly.

1 nationally televised game in two years says otherwise. Plus plenty of posters and their posts on the GB also says otherwise.

[Dubnation]

Cavs in 6

[eyriq]

My quick thoughts are that Mobley gives Franz fits and the Cavs will have the best players in Mitchell and Garland. That said, JI has been unleashed and Franz is a world champion, so calling Magic in 6. Playoff Paolo could be special.

[jbk1234]

Cavs got lucky, this might be the only match up they can win.

Lot's of randoms big mad the Cavs might win a series. I feel like Realgm will melt down if they upset the Celtics.

[Residual-Heat]

im suprised the results are even close. must be a lot of Magic fans voting and probably some fans of other EC teams that dont want to face the Cavs lol.

Cavs in 5. Great season by the Magic, but they are way too young to overcome obvious holes in their roster. Its going to be a good experience for them though and i hope they can do find their starting PG this offseason.

[Mad Guru]

Cavs got lucky, this might be the only match up they can win.

Lot's of randoms big mad the Cavs might win a series. I feel like Realgm will melt down if they upset the Celtics.

You guys shamelessly tanked to face the playoff newbies, you aren't exactly the darlings of the moment.

[Mad Guru]

im suprised the results are even close. must be a lot of Magic fans voting and probably some fans of other EC teams that dont want to face the Cavs lol.

Cavs in 5. Great season by the Magic, but they are way too young to overcome obvious holes in their roster. Its going to be a good experience for them though and i hope they can do find their starting PG this offseason.

Yeah but what if all their players that can't shoot suddenly could shoot though, I bet you didn't think about that.

[3ddman23]

This is all house money for the magic at this point. Nobody had them doing what they did this year.

All I want is a tough competitive series, I don't expect to win at all but hopefully it's a fun series.

Being bumped in the first round means nothing this year the the team and magic fans. Time is on our sides.
Go magic

[Duke4life831]

Agreed with others that are saying that ORL is basically playing with house money in this one. Young team where their main core are just in year 3 and year 2. The fact that theyre not even in the Play-In but in the playoffs will have to make this year be viewed as a big success for them.

I expect ORL to make this feel like a pretty tough series. But I do think the lack of offensive firepower will end up burning them. I think CLE takes this is 6 games.

[Roger Murdock]

With competent coaching this should be Cavs in 4 or 5 but I'm picking Orlando in 6.

JB Bickerstaff is the worst tactician in the game.

Things I expect to see:

1. The Magic trapping Mitchell and Garland when they cross halfcourt. Nobody on the Cavs being prepared for the pass out of the trap. Rather than punishing the Magic with 2-3 quick hitting passes for open looks to beat the trap, I expect the Cavs to scramble to reset their offense with 14 seconds or so in the shot clock and get a bad look. This happened 20-30 times against the Knicks last year and it caught us by surprise every single time.

2. The Cavs to over rotate and chase bad scorers, leaving the backside wide open for offensive rebounds and putbacks. Again - this was a theme the entire Knicks series, where we'd shut down the Knicks first look but have nobody near the basket. Paolo and the Wagners will be bullying Garland and Levert on the backside for second chance looks.

3. Poor ATO plays from the Cavs all series long

4. Terrible offense from both teams. First to 90 wins.

5. Players to get visibility frustrated with coaching decisions, at least 1 meltdown loss from the Cavs.

[canada_dry]

This and the pacers were the only series i said the cavs are likely to beat in the first round.

Dont trust any Donavan Mitchell lead team in the playoffs. At all.

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[bmurph128]

Cavs got lucky, this might be the only match up they can win.

Lot's of randoms big mad the Cavs might win a series. I feel like Realgm will melt down if they upset the Celtics.

You guys shamelessly tanked to face the playoff newbies, you aren't exactly the darlings of the moment.

We would have ended up playing the Pacers had we won, which I would prefer to the Magic.

But you're also talking about a team who may have been hit the hardest by injuries this season....not a surprise that we rested and took guys out early when we had a top 4 seed locked up. If we were truly tanking the game we wouldnt have played any starters at all.

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[bmurph128]

If the Cavs lose this series, we will be quasi blowing this thing up

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[jbk1234]

Cavs got lucky, this might be the only match up they can win.

Lot's of randoms big mad the Cavs might win a series. I feel like Realgm will melt down if they upset the Celtics.

You guys shamelessly tanked to face the playoff newbies, you aren't exactly the darlings of the moment.

I mean we took care of business against the Pacers on Friday night in order to be able to rest our starters today. Our starters played fewer than 20 games together this season due to injury and Mitchell is still a little banged up. We're willing to face the Celtics in the 2nd round and health is huge factor in the playoffs. The only fans that should be mad are the Hornets.

[Harry Garris]

The matchup nobody cares about

This is actually the first round series I'm most looking forward to

[Iwasawitness]

Cavs got lucky, this might be the only match up they can win.

Lot's of randoms big mad the Cavs might win a series. I feel like Realgm will melt down if they upset the Celtics.

You guys shamelessly tanked to face the playoff newbies, you aren't exactly the darlings of the moment.

Trust me when I say this, the Cavs didn’t tank at all.

[jbk1234]

With competent coaching this should be Cavs in 4 or 5 but I'm picking Orlando in 6.

JB Bickerstaff is the worst tactician in the game.

Things I expect to see:

1. The Magic trapping Mitchell and Garland when they cross halfcourt. Nobody on the Cavs being prepared for the pass out of the trap. Rather than punishing the Magic with 2-3 quick hitting passes for open looks to beat the trap, I expect the Cavs to scramble to reset their offense with 14 seconds or so in the shot clock and get a bad look. This happened 20-30 times against the Knicks last year and it caught us by surprise every single time.

2. The Cavs to over rotate and chase bad scorers, leaving the backside wide open for offensive rebounds and putbacks. Again - this was a theme the entire Knicks series, where we'd shut down the Knicks first look but have nobody near the basket. Paolo and the Wagners will be bullying Garland and Levert on the backside for second chance looks.

3. Poor ATO plays from the Cavs all series long

4. Terrible offense from both teams. First to 90 wins.

5. Players to get visibility frustrated with coaching decisions, at least 1 meltdown loss from the Cavs.

If No. 1 happens, I'm firing JBB at halftime of Game 1 and handing the team over to Walton.

[Mad Guru]

Lot's of randoms big mad the Cavs might win a series. I feel like Realgm will melt down if they upset the Celtics.

You guys shamelessly tanked to face the playoff newbies, you aren't exactly the darlings of the moment.

Trust me when I say this, the Cavs didn’t tank at all.

You guys had Tristan Thompson running point for the final 5 minutes of the season and you are saying that the Cavaliers were *trying* to win the game?