The Orlando Magic have fractured plenty of times this season. They have hit adversity and been unable to get over the hill. They have struggled to be on the same page.
Their season of disappointment has never been about the potential this team had or the talent on the roster, but all about how that talent comes together, particularly when it is pushed.
Game 3 was a turning point moment for this team.
Suddenly tied with 3:15 to play, the Magic were staring at all of their questions. Their offense had slowed to a crawl after leading by 17 earlier in the quarter. Cade Cunningham was putting an assault on them that had their defense in a sudden bind.
This is where the Magic could have fractured, frustrated with their inconsistencies and their terrible offense. This is where their season could have been lost yet again.
But in that timeout, Paolo Banchero said there was no breaking. There was the recognition that this was 0-0 and that it was on them to finish the game.
It was on them to respond and close it out at home.
The Magic finished the game on a 9-0 run, starting with a step-back shot by Franz Wagner over Cade Cunningham with the shot clock expiring to retake the lead. Franz Wagner followed with a three off a drive and kick from Paolo Banchero.
Then the cherry on top and the game's last points: Banchero draining a 3-pointer that bounced high off the back iron and in to seal a 113-105 victory and a 2-1 series lead.
RAHHH https://t.co/xP5FqPIQTG pic.twitter.com/nei57zzeus
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) April 25, 2026
"When we got in the huddle once they tied it up, nobody was panicking," Paolo Banchero said after Game 3. "Everyone understood the moment and what had to be done to finish the game off. I think guys have enough experience to not panic in those moments and to stay poised. That's what we did."
All throughout that closing run, the Magic got stops and fed their offense. There was no fracture and no break. Only the trust that comes from being in these situations and playing with these players for so long.
The reason why Orlando is in the lead in this series is their resiliency and trust in one another.
Putting all the pieces together
The frustrating part of the Orlando Magic's season has always centered on the inability to put all the pieces together. The talent always seemed to be there. But the Magic were never on the same page or pulling together.
There were a lot of moments throughout the season where it was clear how out of sync the team was. It was never a dislike in the locker room, but the team has struggled to be together.
As the postseason began, the Magic began to claim that they were starting over. They saw themselves as 0-0 and with a fresh start, especially once they punched their ticket to the Playoffs. What happened in the regular season did not matter.
Except, it did. It was the basis on which the entire season had been built. And the team had to find itself without the six months of trust built up.
"I think we've come so far throughout this season," Desmond Bane said after Game 3. "We've had moments where a run like that would derail us. We grow apart instead of come together. That's the growth of this team. I think we have taken huge strides in that area. It's going to be important for us as we continue to move deeper in this postseason."
If the Magic were going to win this series and score this monumental upset, they could not break as they did in Game 2 when the Detroit Pistons hit them with a 30-3 run.
This moment was about whether the Magic would respond and stick to their foundations. A question that has surrounded this team all season.
They had to lean on each other.
Years of trust built up
This team has been through battles before, though. They went through the seven-game series two years ago against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They went through the playoff battle last year with the Boston Celtics.
This is a group that knows how to play together and what each other likes to do.
That is how Paolo Banchero knows how to feed Franz Wagner the ball in that critical point in the game. That is how the Magic know that if they take a shot, Wendell Carter is going to be under the basket to corral a critical rebound. It is how they know to trust each other to execute their switching defense to contain and bottle up Cade Cunningham.
That is how the team knows that when they get together and problem solve their way through the difficulties and frustrations in a game. That is how the team came together to make the most of their Playoffs this year.
"We've been in a Game 7 as a unit," Jalen Suggs said in the locker room after Game 3. "We've been in some tough environments where we've got to get a bucket. We definitely have that confidence and trust in one another. Once we got in real time, we know that's there, and we're just hooping and flowing off each other.
The Magic put together a balanced effort with everyone contributing.
Desmond Bane scored 25 points and made a franchise playoff record seven 3-pointers. Banchero finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Wagner finished with 17 points and six assists.
Carter was big on the glass with 14 points and 17 rebounds, including eight offensive rebounds.
The team has stepped its game up to answer the challenge.
"I think having been in this position before, it's really important to have that experience and understanding that runs in the game are going to happen," Franz Wagner said after Saturday's win. "Just being as consistent as possible. It definitely helped."
It took them all season, but that trust was still in there. And it came out at the critical point in Game 3.
That does not happen without everyone being on the same page and with everyone knowing their roles and trusting each other to be in the right place.
It is something that was missing so much this season. But the foundation was still there.
"That's the trust that we've built," Wendell Carter said after Game 3. "It's something that has been built over these last couple of years, from the highs and lows to positives and negatives that we can take from these last couple of years. The one thing we can always rely on is our effort and energy. That's something that we can all rely on, no matter if the shots are going in or not."
Right now, the Magic have all the trust in the world. They have earned it.
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