Paolo Banchero has faced his share of criticism this season.
For whatever reason, Banchero has not lived up to the hype. Even though he has his team back in the postseason, Banchero has become the Internet's favorite punching bag.
Things only got worse during the Play-In Tournament loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Banchero went 7 for 22 and missed all five of his three-pointers, passing on several open shots as the Magic looked hesitant and stagnant on offense.
Banchero said the basketball gods do not reward hesitation. So when he got his moment in Game 3, he did not hesitate. And the basketball gods gave the Magic's star his moment.
After Franz Wagner scored five straight points to retake the lead, Paolo Banchero put the cherry on top of the Magic's 9-0 closing kick to Game 3. He got the ball at the top of the key and did not hesitate to shoot. The ball bounced high off the back iron and fell in, sending the Kia Center to hysterics and even getting a smile from Banchero.
"I shot it, it didn't feel bad," Banchero said after Game 3. "But when I saw how it bounced, it went directly up, the optimist in me was like that is going in. It dropped. I said after the Philly loss the basketball gods don't reward hesitation. That one I didn't hesitate and they blessed me with that make. Funny shot, but a big shot."
Narratives on the best players get written in the postseason. Everyone is focused on how a team's best players perform. The responsibility to win or lose ultimately falls on them.
The Magic's stars have had a strange season. But they both came through in the fourth quarter, with Banchero scoring 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter. Wagner had the big shots and scored five of his 17 points in the fourth quarter.
That counteracted Cade Cunningham's 12-point fourth quarter (on his way to 27).
The Magic will need their stars. And Cunningham's individual brilliance has been a defining characteristic of this series.
But through three games, it has been the stars to finish games -- Wagner with his 11 points in the fourth quarter of Game 1 and Cunningham with his control over the third quarter in Game 2. But it has been all the role players and balance that have determined who wins each game.
If the Magic were going to win this series, they would need contributions throughout their roster. They would need to win with their depth.
In other words, Orlando would need to live its Playoff slogan: Everybody In.
And that is where the Magic have found an advantage.
The Pistons' big criticism
The criticism facing the Detroit Pistons this season is that they are too centered on Cade Cunningham. He is too important to everything they do, and they are looking for a second scoring option to relieve pressure.
That was supposed to come from big man Jalen Duren, who averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in his first All-Star season. But Wendell Carter and the Magic's defense have effectively neutered him to 9.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in this series.
The Pistons had only five players score in double figures this season, and just two with more than 15.0 points per game. In the Playoffs, they have only three, and that is with Cunningham averaging 31.0 points per game. Tobias Harris (18.7) and Ausar Thompson (12.0) are the two others.
Detroit is staring down a team that has three players who averaged 20.0 points per game in the regular season and have had a lot of other players step up in key moments.
Ultimately, what matters is who wins and how the team comes together to deliver the victory.
"In the Playoffs, everything is about winning," Desmond Bane said after Game 3. "It's not really about who was performing or who is doing X, Y and Z. Just being ready for whatever the game presented. It was super fun to get a win here tonight."
Victory in this series has truly been about a team effort. In Game 1, all of the Magic's starters scored at least 16 points. In Game 2, all of the Pistons' starters were in double figures. Once again, the Magic had the balance to win Game 3.
Balance is winning
In Game 3, everyone played a role and found their way to get the Orlando Magic to a victory.
Paolo Banchero struggled to shoot, but finished with 25 points on 6-for-17 shooting. He had 19 on 4-for-8 shooting and 11 of his 14 free throw attempts in the second half. He spent a good chunk of the game, absorbing pressure and finding teammates for nine assists and 12 rebounds. He stayed active and engaged even when the shots were not falling and made a positive impact.
Desmond Bane had his breakthrough game with 25 points and seven three-pointers. Jalen Suggs added three 3-pointers himself as the Magic shot 15 for 33 (45.5 percent) to get some breathing room from deep.
Franz Wagner finished with 17 points and helped force nine turnovers from Cade Cunningham. He scored five of those in that 9-0 closing run. It was faith that kept him going as he continues to struggl to find his footing.
Wendell Carter continued his strong play in the paint, locking out Jalen Duren (8 points, 9 rebounds), and scoring 14 points and grabbing 17 rebounds, including eight offensive rebounds.
Even Jamal Cain came off the bench for seven points and some good defense to help with Cade Cunningham.
The Playoffs are about everyone knowing their role and performing them and then stepping up when the moment is right.
"We've been in these situations throughout the season and previous postseasons," Wendell Carter said after Game 3. "Especially after that Game 2, where we weren't able to weather their storm. I thought we did a really good job of weathering that. I have to give a lot of credit to Franz and Paolo for taking those two really big threes. That's what the Playoffs are really about, is make or miss and your will to win."
In the regular season, the Magic had six players average double figures and four average at least 15.0 points per game. Orlando had three players average 20.0 points per game in the same season for the first tiem in franchise history.
In the Playoffs, the Magic have five players in double figures with four players averaging 15.0 points per game or more. Banchero is the only player averaging more than 20.0 points per game for the Magic.
The Playoffs have delivered a bigger defensive battle. And all of these games have still come down to who makes the plays and shots at the critical moments.
But a big key for the Magic has been their balance. It has gotten the team to the finish line.
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