Magic left searching for answers after blowing 3-1 lead

This one is going to sting for a while in Orlando.

The Magic had a 3-1 series lead, a real shot to end a 16-year drought without a playoff series win, and it slipped away with a Game 7 loss to the Pistons. That alone tells the story. But the deeper you go, the more you see what’s missing.

As Josh Robbins of The Athletic pointed out, the absence of Franz Wagner over the final three games changed everything. No secondary creator. No steady hand. Just a lot of guys trying to figure it out on the fly.

And that’s kind of been the issue all along. Orlando doesn’t really have an organizer. They went with a point guard by committee look all season, and in a playoff setting, that tends to get exposed.

Rebounding didn’t help either. Desmond Bane called that out, noting the Magic were out-rebounded in all four losses, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.

Then there’s Paolo Banchero, who had his moments but not enough of them. Afterward, he didn’t sugarcoat it.

“Losing in the first round is not acceptable,” Banchero said, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “It shouldn’t be comfortable in the building. It should be everybody on their Ps and Qs feeling pressure to be great.”

And honestly, that might be the biggest takeaway. The Magic are talented. They’re just not there yet, and now they know it.