The Orlando Magic put up a commendable fight against the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics. Yet, in the battle of two East titans, the Celtics successfully closed out the series in Game 5. Both teams were well poised for the moment. The Shamrocks didn’t get anything handed to them. However, a reason for the high octane of this clash was also due to some unique dynamics between the two rivals. Notably, Jayson Tatum left with even more respect for Paolo Banchero than before.

They both belong to the same brotherhood, sharing Duke as their alma mater. Since committing to the college, Banchero has been in regular contact with Tatum, even attending his summer basketball camps. But in this setting, they were rivals, and Tatum put their close bond to the side. “I didn’t say two words to him during the series. You know, that’s tough, but that’s part of competing,” the Celtics’ cornerstone revealed.

It’s hard to put these things aside. Even LeBron James, who spent the Paris Olympics with Anthony Edwards, could be seen smiling and bonding with him during their ongoing playoff series. Of course, they don’t share the same bond as Tatum and Banchero.

But even though they were on opposing corners, Jayson Tatum watched the promising forward’s growth with immense pride. “I couldn’t be happier for him and the player that he’s become. Um, you know, from Duke and, you know, year after year. He was unbelievable this series. He made it tough on us. Um, he’s a matchup nightmare and he’s only going to continue to get better and better,” the reigning NBA champion said about Banchero.

The Magic entered the series as underdogs. But they put up a formidable fight. Even taking one game off the star-studded Celtics team isn’t an achievement to be taken lightly. Aside from Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner also shone throughout the series. They were the only Magic players to average over 15 points per game, putting up 29.4 and 25.8 points per game, respectively.

Tonight, though, with their survival on the line, Banchero and Co. were putting up another resisting performance. But a key mistake let the game slip away from them.

One mistake turned the series around

Going into halftime, the Orlando Magic actually held the lead against the Shamrocks. Albeit the lead was slim, with only a two-pointer separating the teams. But Paolo Banchero seemed poised for another big game against a tough defense. That’s when things would go south for the underdogs.

Within the first 3 minutes of the third quarter, Banchero picked up three fouls. His fifth foul caused major controversy as the referees stood b their decision even after looking at the review. In an elimination game, Banchero stood just one foul away from being out of the game. It forced them to keep the prolific forward on the bench. And just as that happened, Joe Mazzulla saw his window of opportunity open up.

“I think it was just obviously their coverage has changed uh because of the personnel that they had and uh we had no turnovers in the third quarter,” the Celtics coach said about the impact of Banchero’s limited contributions.

What was a tie game when Paolo Banchero left the floor turned into an overwhelming 21-point lead for the Celtics. From there, the game opened up. The Magic could never get back as the former Duke standout had to restrain himself from fouling out. It invoked frustrations within Jamahl Mosley, who felt the fifth foul on his superstar changed the entire series.

“I have no idea what the explanation was. He came into his path All I saw is Paolo getting an elbow to the face or back into the face, and he got the foul. That was a game changer right there,” said the Magic coach.

This was the night the Orlando Magic needed their focal star on the floor for as many minutes as possible. Instead, a questionable foul call limited him to playing under 30 minutes. With no Paolo Banchero to worry about, the Celtics won the game by 23 points. Just one error caused the Magic’s entire season to blow up.

At the same time, their young core continues to develop and show promise for a bright future. Banchero felt the story wasn’t written for them this season. But it’s hard to disagree with Tatum. The 22-year-old seems to be a long way from reaching his peak.