On Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers looked like their season was going to come to an end much earlier than anticipated as Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic got out to an 18-point lead in Game 7 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
The Magic were in control and well on their way to pulling off the upset on the road to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs to face the top-seeded Boston Celtics.
However, the second half of this game was another story entirely, with superstar guard Donovan Mitchell getting hot and helping the Cavaliers erase the 18-point deficit in order to come out on top and win this hard-fought first-round playoff series against a talented young Magic squad.
Apparently, the Cavaliers erasing the 18-point lead to pull off the comeback against the Magic made NBA history, with the league’s Twitter account tweeting out that it is the largest Game 7 comeback in the play-by-play era.
18-POINT GAME 7 COMEBACK ‼️
The Cavaliers completed the LARGEST Game 7 comeback in the play-by-play era to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals 🤯#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/MViu8CldKM
— NBA (@NBA) May 5, 2024
With the Cavaliers seemingly running on fumes earlier in the game and headed for the offseason, this is a great sign that this team might be able to give the Celtics are run for their money in the second round.
However, if they need Mitchell’s heroics every game to get through Boston, Cleveland’s chances of coming out on top in the next round and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals are slim at best.
The Celtics are a juggernaut in the East and are arguably the best team left in the conference, which means the Cavaliers will have their hands full moving forward.
NEXT:
Donovan Mitchell Sends A Clear Message After Game 7 Win