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Joe Cowley: Was told by a very good source that Orlando's locker room was a mess and Mosley had no control. He wasn't going to survive even if Magic got past Detroit. There's a major Banchero problem. Donovan would walk into a very talented but dysfunctional circus.
In Banchero’s opinion, the work begins sooner rather than later. “It starts in the summer,” he said. “It’s about winning habits. It’s about just creating a winning environment every single day. From September to now, we’ve just got to be better. We’ve got to be better. And it doesn’t start in April when the playoffs start. It starts in September, October, when we get everybody in the building. You build habits, you create an environment where losing isn’t acceptable. Losing in the first round is not acceptable. It’s not good enough. “That should be the attitude. It shouldn’t be comfortable in the building. It should be everybody on their Ps and Qs feeling pressure to be great because this result is not good enough. So, I think that’s the mindset that needs to be there from top to bottom.”
Paolo Banchero on if the Magic are good enough to reach the next level: "I want to say yes, but we haven't been out of the first round, so if you're going off the last three years, the answer is no."
Michael Scotto: Paolo Banchero: “Losing in the first round is not acceptable. That should be the attitude. It shouldn’t be comfortable in the building. It should be everybody on their Ps and Qs feeling pressure to be great. I think that’s the mindset that needs to be there from top to bottom.”
Jalen Suggs also craves collisions. He excels at beating opponents to spots on the floor, sometimes wrecking dribble-handoffs before a big man can give the ball to a guard or anticipating picks. “He’s just so good at getting in-between,” Magic forward Paolo Banchero said. “I guess he’s not afraid of that contact, which is sort of what you would see in a football player. Most basketball players don’t have that natural instinct to do that, and he does.
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Omari Sankofa II: FINAL: Pistons 116, Magic 109. They've forced a Game 6 in Orlando. Cunningham: 45 points (franchise playoff high), 5 assists, 13-23 overall, 14-14 at the line) Thompson: 6 pts, 15 rebs, 6 assts, 5 steals, 2 blocks
Jason Beede: FINAL: Pistons 116, #Magic 109 Banchero and Cunningham both notch 45 points, but Detroit holds off late to extend its season. Orlando leads the series 3-2 and Game 6 is back at Kia Center on Friday night.
Tim Reynolds: Paolo Banchero and Cade Cunningham both have scored 45 so far tonight. It's the first time opposing players have done that in the same playoff game since Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray did it in the bubble.
Justin Russo: Cade Cunningham’s 45 points were the most ever in Detroit Pistons playoff history. Paolo Banchero’s 45 points were the third-most ever in Orlando Magic playoff history.
Jason Beede: #Magic forward Paolo Banchero told reporters after shootaround in Detroit that the team isn’t expecting Franz Wagner to be available for tonight’s Game 5 against the Pistons. Wagner did not participate in Orlando’s shootaround this morning, I’m told.
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Despite not having significant draft capital to acquire Antetokounmpo after making the Bane trade, Orlando has talented young players in former No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero and Wagner. Black also took a step in his development this season. Each player could have appealed to Milwaukee on paper, but it’s unclear how far the talks progressed between both sides. Ultimately, the Bucks kept Antetokounmpo despite various interest in him from across the league. They’ve since hired Taylor Jenkins, who was an assistant coach under Mike Budenholzer when the Bucks won 60 games and advanced to the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals. It’s worth noting that Antetokounmpo and Jenkins are said to have a good relationship, according to league sources.
Nick DePaula: Paolo Banchero is launching a new Jordan Heir 2 PE inspired by his grandmother Sheila’s one-of-a-kind style on May 1st. Extended answer from Paolo on his beloved grandma and his annual themed Jordan sneaker tribute: “This is the ‘Oh Sheila’ and a shout to my grandma, my mom’s mom, and her fashion sense. I feel like I get a lot of it from her. My parents never really dressed super loud or fancy. But my grandma? Man! That’s why the shoe is so loud. You have leopard print, pink, purple, red, and green — cause that’s what her closet looked like. She had a walk-in closet in her house. I used to go over and spend the night almost every weekend growing up. She had a nice walk-in closet with a jacuzzi. She was killing it! [laughs] I didn’t have that at home, so I’d always be wowed and check out her closet. I’d see all these leopard prints, zebra, red leather, and all these crazy clothes. I remember being so enamored by it as a kid. To this day, she wears crazy colors. Whenever my grandma sees me wear an outfit that’s a little louder, she’s always so proud and will say, ‘You look sharp! You look good!’”
His biggest moment came on a late three-pointer that helped Orlando regain control. “I shot it, didn’t feel bad,” Banchero said. “And then it bounced off the back rim, but when I saw how it bounced, went directly up. So the optimist in me was like, that’s going in.” He tied the shot to a mindset adjustment from earlier in the postseason. “I said after the Philly loss, basketball gods don’t reward hesitation,” he explained. “That one I didn’t hesitate and they blessed me with that make.” Orlando’s ability to respond after blowing a 17-point fourth-quarter lead reflected growth, according to Banchero. “When we got in the huddle once they tied it up, nobody was panicking,” he said. “Everybody just understood the moment.”
Jason Beede: “He’s that guy for a reason,” #Magic forward Paolo Banchero said about Orlando teammate Franz Wagner and Wagner’s clutch scoring in Game 3 against the Pistons.
