After taking the first two games at home then exploding in Game 3 in Orlando, we were waiting to see Cleveland's reaction for this Game 4. The Cavaliers are clearly trying to play fast to attack a Magic defense not yet in place, taking advantage of his defense, which extinguishes Paolo Banchero.
The strong winger fails to make a difference when he attacks the circle, and gets the ball stolen several times, just like Jalen Suggs.
It is therefore the Ohio franchise which gets the best start, even if it only takes a good entry from Markelle Fultz to put the teams almost equal (23-22) after 12 minutes. But the Cavaliers seem to have found solutions, with the duo Evan Mobley – Jarrett Allen who is served at the heart of the Florida racket.
Cleveland's black hole
At halftime, Cleveland therefore had control of the match (60-51) and we said to ourselves that the Magic's offensive explosion in Game 3 was perhaps without a future. Except that everything will change when we return from the locker room. Franz Wagner is unleashed and the entire Magic is heating up in his wake, behind a defense that is asphyxiating the Cavaliers!
JB Bickerstaff's men no longer found any openings and conceded a 31-5 which gave control of the game to a euphoric Magic, to the delight of Tracy McGrady, present in the front row.
It's an ordeal for Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and company, suffocated by their opponents.
With their heads underwater, the Cavaliers found no solution to get back into the match and only scored a few points in garbage time, finally losing 112-89 after a second half lost 61-29…
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– From the great Wagner. Paolo Banchero unable to make a difference, and constantly intercepted, it was Franz Wagner who took over, notably to launch his team's decisive “run” after the break. With his 34 points at 13/17 shooting, 13 rebounds and 4 assists, he really hurt Cleveland. His +/- of +32 illustrates this well.
– General asphyxia in Cleveland. The second half was an endless ordeal for the Cavaliers, dominated by the energy and physical impact of the Magic defenders. Donovan Mitchell thus did not score a point after the break, at 0/4 shooting and 4 ball losses, when Evan Mobley never managed to win near the circle, notably against a very strong Jonathan Isaac. form, finishing his second half at 1/7 on shots.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
