Magic most to blame for heartbreaking Game 7 loss to Cavs

Orlando has been known for their defensive presence this season and while Cleveland definitely felt it, they had trouble stopping Cavs star Donovan Mitchell who scored 39 points in Game 7 and 50 in Game 6. The young team will now be watching the rest of the playoffs from their couches as their opponents will take on a rested Boston Celtics in the second round after they beat the Miami Heat in five games.

Looking at the Magic and the seven-game series against the Cavs, here are the two players most to blame despite there being a bevy of variables:

A struggle for Magic star Franz Wagner

Besides Banchero, people point to Wagner as the No. 2 option for the Magic and it is a well deserved notion as he had a successful season averaging 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field. However, he was virtually non-existent Sunday afternoon leading to the eventual Game 7 loss for Orlando.

Wagner would finish the game with six points as he made only one shot from the field out of 15 attempts where most of the production came from the free throw line where he drained four of them. The University of Michigan product is only 22-years old as age could easily be equated to the down performance in a high-stress game, but despite that, he needed to perform and Wagner could not come through.

If there is any bright side from this, the experience in being radio silent in Game 7, arguably the most important game in his NBA career so far, could motivate him next season when the Magic look to continue to making noise in the postseason. Being his age, the ceiling is still through the roof as he looks to thrive as the No. 2 guy next to Banchero as if you look by the year, Wagner is improving as he is one of the top younger players in the league.

Jalen Suggs with a down game

Besides Banchero and Wagner, the Magic usually look to Jalen Suggs for any offensive burst as he has been throughout the series, especially in Game 6 where he scored 22 points, helping the team push a Game 7. While it did not end up being as bad of a statistic line like Wagner, Suggs still had a disappointing game nonetheless.

The University of Gonzaga product would finish the game with 10 points, making only two shots out of 13 attempts from the field. It was also a struggle from the three-point line as he attempted 10 shots from beyond the arch, draining only two which as said before, ended up being all he made. On the season, Suggs has averaged 12.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field.

Like Wagner, the reasoning could be the same as he is also 22-years old and is green to these big, stress-inducing environments, despite being in huge tournament games in college. On the other hand, it is still the NBA where the game slows down a ton more which benefits a player like Mitchell who displayed excellence during the series.

There is no doubt that players like Wagner and Suggs will think about their Game 7 performances from Sunday afternoon in the future and use it as fuel to come back even better next season along with Banchero, who is 21-years old. Now that this Magic group has some playoff experience under the belt, they will be a team people look out for.