With a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Cleveland Cavaliers now head to Orlando to face the Magic in Game 3. The Magic, who boasted the sixth-best home record in the NBA during the regular season, will be eager to protect their home court and give their fans something to cheer about. They haven’t made the playoffs in three years, so the atmosphere in Orlando is sure to be electric.
The Cavs, however, are not intimidated. They know that a win in Orlando would put them one step closer to the Eastern Conference Finals and that silencing the Magic crowd would be a major statement. “We know that they’re going to play with a certain level of desperation knowing that they have to get this next one,” said Caris LeVert. “So for us, it’ll be fun to go down there, play against their crowd, play against their energy, their youth, and try to get the next one.”
The Cavs have played well in the first two games of the series, but they know they can still improve, especially on the offensive end. They are ranked 12th out of 16 teams in the playoffs in offensive rating, and they need to find ways to score more consistently. One area where they can improve is three-point shooting. They are shooting just 29% from three-point range in the playoffs, and they need to get that number up if they want to continue to win. “We got to continue to defend,” said coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “That’s what this series is going to come down to, and all the small things that we continue to talk about that give us an advantage. We have to take care of the paint. We got to limit their individual guys from having big nights, make everything tough on them, [and] do the job on the glass. I still think we can improve on our turnovers we can be better there. So I don’t think we’ve played our best basketball yet. I think we’re still working towards that, but I think the guys have an understanding of what we need to do and how we do it when we’re at our best.”
The Magic, meanwhile, are facing an uphill battle. They have not won a playoff game since 2019, and they are now facing a Cavs team that is playing with a lot of confidence. But they are not giving up. They know that they have a chance to make a statement in Game 3, and they are determined to make the most of it. “We’re really excited to get back home and play in front of our fans,” said Franz Wagner. “We know that the Cavs are a great team, but we’re confident that we can beat them. We just have to play our game and execute our game plan.”
Game 3 is sure to be a pivotal game in this series. The Cavs have a chance to take a commanding 3-0 lead, while the Magic have a chance to get back into the series. The atmosphere in Orlando is going to be electric, and both teams are going to be giving it their all. It’s a game that no fan will want to miss.
