ORLANDO - The energy inside Kia Center during Game 3 of the Orlando Magic’s first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers was what we all expected it would be. From the opening tip to the final buzzer – even after the Magic grew the lead to 43 – the crowd was electric.
On Saturday, for Game 4, there will be 23 kids from one of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida that will get to experience that same incredible atmosphere in person after being surprised with tickets.
That all came about on Friday evening during a basketball clinic hosted by the Magic and AdventHealth. This was the second of two clinics they held this week as part of their “Everybody In” playoff campaign.
Community Ambassadors and former Magic players Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw were at the Levy-Hughes Boys & Girls Club in Parramore to surprise the youth with the tickets, guide them through some basketball drills, and share with them some life lessons.
“For me, Nick, the Orlando Magic and AdventHealth to partner up to make this possible, that’s big time to give back to the community that we not just work in,” Outlaw said. “I’m pretty sure these kids (will) walk by the building, see the Kia Center and say, ‘man, now I get to go in there and go to the playoffs.’ That’s a great thing.”
In Thursday’s Game 3, the Magic took their first lead of the series midway through the first quarter and then, behind the crowd’s relentless support, never trailed the rest of the night.
The 38-point margin of victory was the third largest in Magic playoff history. Meanwhile, for the Cavs, it was their largest loss in their postseason history.
Paolo Banchero put up historic numbers. With 31 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, he became the first player in NBA history to have a 30/10/five game in less than 30 minutes. The only players younger to have a 30/10 game in the postseason were Magic Johnson and LeBron James. Also, with three consecutive 20-plus-point games to begin this series, he’s the second youngest to do that. Only James did it younger.
“When I made my first basket,” the 6-foot-10 forward said of when he realized he was going to have a good night. “I just threw it up and it went in. I missed the first five or six, and I knew that they were all pretty easy shots. I was kind of too excited almost, too much energy, (my shots) were too strong – left and right. So when the first one went in – it wasn’t even supposed to go in, I was really trying to get a foul – that’s when I was like, okay, I have it going from here.”
The Magic, as a team, ended up shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from 3-point range – major increases from the two games in Cleveland.
After every basket, the crowd would erupt – which not only ignited the Magic’s players to keep their foot on the gas pedal, but also made it awfully difficult for the Cavs to get into any sort of a rhythm on the other end. Cleveland shot 39.0 percent overall and 23.5 percent from beyond the arc.
“They (the fans) played a huge role,” Banchero said. “I don’t think people realize how much of a difference it makes, you know, when you make a play, or you score and the whole arena erupts every single time. It just gives you a huge energy boost and it makes you forget that you’re tired or whatever it may be. Definitely give a lot of credit to the Magic faithful.”
Each of the Boys & Girls Club members were ecstatic upon learning they would be attending Saturday’s game. They also showed their appreciation for the advice given by Outlaw and Anderson.
“It’s life lessons,” Outlaw said. “We got kids. We’ve been in their shoes. We’ve been in those positions. We are just trying to give them information to better themselves for the future. We know as a kid, you have a lot of distractions (and) a lot of opportunities – good and bad. We are just trying to give them some information that (helps) them have better opportunities.”
