Mike Bianchi: Even with Paolo Banchero’s brilliance, Magic can’t close out Pistons without Franz Wagner
· Yahoo Sports
The Orlando Magic walked into Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday night with a chance to finish something.
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Instead, they walked into a fight — the kind of barroom brawl that defines a playoff series where both teams are trying to emerge from nearly two decades of NBA irrelevance.
But let’s make one thing perfectly clear: Before anything else unfolded in the Magic’s 116-109 loss to the Pistons in Game 5; before the Magic’s myriad of missed free throws; before the Pistons’ massive rebounding advantage; before the growing concern about Franz Wagner’s calf injury, this night belonged to two stars refusing to let their seasons slip away.
Paolo Banchero vs. Cade Cunningham.
Wow.
What a show.
Each scored 45 points and played more than 40 minutes. It was possession after possession of high-level, high-pressure basketball where neither player blinked.
This wasn’t just a playoff game; it was a showcase. Two former No. 1 overall picks trading blows like heavyweights, each carrying the full weight of his franchise. Cade would score, and Paolo would answer. Paolo would surge, and Cade would streak. Step-backs, deep 3s, power drives, trips to the line — every element of their games was on display, and every possession seemed to raise the stakes.
In many ways, it felt like a preview of the NBA’s future, unfolding in real time. But in the end, it also reminded us of this harsh playoff truth: even when the stars cancel each other out, the game is decided everywhere else.
Cunningham didn’t just score 45 points; he controlled the game. He set a franchise playoff record for points scored, went 13 of 23 from the field, hit five 3-pointers and, most importantly, was perfect from the free-throw line, going 14 for 14. His step-back jumper with 32 seconds left was the exclamation point, a shot that ended Orlando’s final push and extended Detroit’s season.
Banchero was just as spectacular. He drilled six 3-pointers, attacked relentlessly and willed the Magic back into the game multiple times, including a late surge that cut the deficit to three with just over a minute remaining. But where Cunningham was flawless at the line, Banchero missed 7 of 12 free throws. In a game decided in the margins, that difference loomed large.
And those margins were everywhere.
Detroit made 80% of its free throws. Orlando made just 53%. The Pistons dominated the glass, outrebounding the Magic 49-33. They never trailed, playing with the urgency of a team fighting for its season and the precision of one that understood exactly what it needed to do to survive.
The Magic, meanwhile, played like a team trying to close out a series — close, competitive, but just a step behind in the details that matter most in the postseason.
Which brings us to the part of this game that Orlando cannot ignore, no matter how brilliant Banchero was.
Franz Wagner didn’t play.
And his absence wasn’t just noticeable; it was decisive.
Wagner has been one of the central reasons the Magic built a 3-1 lead in this series. His scoring, his versatility and, perhaps most importantly, his defense have been critical in shaping the matchup. He is the player who has spent the most time frustrating Cunningham, using his size and instincts to make life difficult for Detroit’s star.
Without him, that matchup vanished.
As former Magic coach and Amazon Prime color analyst Stan Van Gundy said during the Game 5 broadcast, “Without Franz Wagner, the Magic have nobody to match up with Cade Cunningham. Cunningham is too big and too strong.” Translation: Cunningham was able to dictate the game in ways he simply hadn’t earlier in the series, getting to his spots, drawing contact and controlling the tempo without the same level of resistance.
That’s not to say the Magic didn’t compete. Banchero’s performance alone ensured that. Time and again, he dragged Orlando back into the game when it appeared Detroit might pull away for good. When the Pistons built a 17-point lead in the second quarter, the Magic clawed back. When Detroit pushed the lead to 15 early in the fourth, Orlando responded again. Each time, Banchero was at the center of it, creating offense, absorbing contact and refusing to let the game slip entirely out of reach.
But playoff basketball is rarely about one player, no matter how great he is in a given moment. It’s about the collective – the supporting pieces, the extra possessions, the ability to execute in small but critical situations. And without Wagner, the Magic were missing too much of that collective strength.
Now, the series returns to Orlando for Game 6, and while the Magic still hold a 3-2 lead, the tone has undeniably shifted. What once felt like an opportunity to close has become something closer to a necessity. The idea of returning to Detroit for a Game 7, especially without clarity on Wagner’s status, is not just uncomfortable; it’s dangerous.
“I really don’t know, honestly,” Wagner said when asked for a timeline for his return.
That uncertainty is the cloud hanging over everything. Wagner already missed 48 games during the regular season while working his way back from injury, and the caution surrounding his current calf strain is understandable given the risk associated with rushing that type of issue. But understanding the caution doesn’t lessen the impact of his absence.
The Magic are still in control of this series, but Wagner has been one of the primary reasons for that control. It is not just coincidence that Orlando routed Charlotte in the play-in game and surged to a 3-1 lead against Detroit with Wagner healthy and contributing on both ends of the floor. His presence allows the Magic to be more balanced, more versatile and, crucially, more equipped to deal with a player like Cunningham.
Without him, everything becomes more difficult.
So as the series shifts back to Kia Center, the Magic find themselves in a position that is both familiar and uneasy. They are one win away from advancing, but the path to that win suddenly feels far less certain than it did just a few days ago.
Game 5 showed two things at once. It showed that Paolo is capable of going toe-to-toe with one of the league’s brightest young stars and matching him at the highest level. And it showed that without Franz, even a performance like that might not be enough.
Friday night will reveal whether the Magic can finish what they started — or whether this series, once seemingly in their control, is beginning to slip into something far more complicated.