NBA Playoffs: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic series preview

Many NBA fans will look at the Cleveland Cavaliers versus Orlando Magic series as fodder for a second-round drubbing at the hands of the Boston Celtics. Be that as it may, both teams have some high quality talent and will look to prove that they can hang with the best the NBA has to offer this spring.

To get ready for the 4-5 matchup in the East, we’ll take a look at the Cavs-Magic series from several different angles. After that, we’ll take a stab at predicting which team will win the series, and in how many games. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Cleveland has one of the best rim-protecting frontlines in the NBA, anchored by Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. While both will play an important role in this series, Max Strus’ shooting at small forward might make a huge difference for the Cavaliers this postseason. Sports Illustrated called his signing one of the best moves nobody talked about, and that borne out to be true.

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In just his second NBA season, Paolo Banchero has led the Magic to the postseason. It’s going to be fascinating to see how he attacks Cleveland’s sizeable frontline. Orlando has also tinkered with their frontline down the stretch, as they opted to start Jonathan Isaac at center in their final regular season game.

While Banchero might be the most talented player on either frontline in this series, the Cavaliers’ versatility at the forward and center position gives them the edge here. Additionally, Strus’ experience in big games from his days with the Miami Heat could help Cleveland overcome some adversity.

After a disappointing performance in the NBA playoffs a year ago, Donovan Mitchell will look to rebound this season. The Athletic wrote in April 2023 that it was time to have an uncomfortable conversation about his standing as an NBA star. He’ll have a lot of pressure on him to perform, but point guard Darius Garland will also need to show out as well.

Orlando’s guards probably aren’t going to keep up with Cleveland’s backcourt in the scoring department, but they can make Garland and Mitchell work to get their points. Sports Illustrated wondered in January whether Jalen Suggs was a top five defender in the entire league. Suggs and likely fellow starter Gary Harris will need to make perimeter shots to keep Cleveland’s defense honest.

Even though Orlando’s guards should be able to play physically to annoy the Cavaliers, Cleveland has a much more talented duo in this area than the Magic. Additionally, Garland and Mitchell have the potential to take over games in this series, which is more likely to happen than them being bottled up.

Bickerstaff has a lot more tools at his disposal than he did a year ago when the Cavs faced the New York Knicks. Depending on the type of look he wants to give Orlando, he could feature a heavy dose of Isaac Okoro or Caris LeVert, in addition to bringing veteran physical players like Marcus Morris or Tristan Thompson off the bench.

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This is Mosley’s first time in the postseason as a head coach, so NBA fans will be watching his decisions closely. His frontcourt rotations are going to be pretty much set, but it’ll be intriguing to see who he gives the lions share of minutes to in the backcourt. Players like Harris, Anthony Black, Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz could all factor in.

There isn’t much of a resume to refer back to with Mosley, and Bickerstaff didn’t seem to have too many answers for the Knicks in the playoffs last year. It’s hard to say that either coach has a significant advantage over their opposite number.

As mentioned earlier, Cleveland has a strong variety of weapons to choose from on their bench. LeVert, Okoro, Thompson, Morris, Dean Wade or Sam Merrill could all make a difference in the first round. Sports Illustrated wrote in January that the Cavaliers’ bench deserved more credit for the type of impact they had in games.

Mo Wagner will see a healthy amount of playing time in this series, which could get under Cleveland’s skin as the series progresses. AOL highlighted his personality, which can sometimes annoy opponents. Speaking of potential instigators, Orlando also features veteran swingman Joe Ingles, who The Athletic noted has a penchant for getting a conversation started on the floor.

Orlando has some players coming off their bench with intangibles that could make for an interesting series, but Cleveland’s well-rounded reserve unit should give them a boost when their starters are taking a breather.

Many of Orlando’s important players have never appeared in a postseason game; Banchero, Suggs, Wendell Carter Jr., for example. Cleveland was the inexperienced team a year ago, as Allen admitted to HoopsHype that the lights were “too bright” for the Cavaliers. That shouldn’t surprise Cleveland this time around, but Orlando could take a little time to get adjusted to the intensity.

The Magic have had an impressive season, as they’ve turned around their franchise in a direction that gives fans hope for the future. However, given that Cleveland has been in this position, and should be motivated to erase last season’s postseason struggles, they should dispatch of Orlando relatively quickly.

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