Magic Coach Thought This Moment ‘Swung The Series’ Vs. Celtics

The Magic were forced to play without their “life source,” as Jaylen Brown put it, for a critical stretch Tuesday night, and the Celtics took complete advantage at TD Garden.

Boston and Orlando were tied at 53-53 in Game 5 of their first-round NBA playoff series when Paolo Banchero was whistled for his fifth foul of the contest a few minutes into the third quarter. Jamahl Mosley and company challenged the questionable call to no avail, and Banchero promptly moved to the bench.

By the time the 2022 No. 1 overall draft pick returned to the pivotal tilt at the start of the fourth frame, the reigning NBA champions held a commanding 83-62 lead. The Magic, even with their best player back on the floor, didn’t stand a chance the rest of the way, and the C’s went on to secure a 120-89 series-clinching win.

After his team’s season-ending loss, Mosley couldn’t help but look back at the Banchero call.

“Oh, it definitely swung the series,” Mosley told reporters, per Boston.com. “It definitely swung the game. I have no idea what the explanation was. It was — he came into his path. All I saw was Paolo getting an elbow to the face, or backed into the face, and he got the foul.

“And that was a game-changer right there. Your best player picks up his fifth foul in the third quarter. It became tough to come back from that moment, but our guys, you know, continued to fight.”

“Swung the series” might have been a stretch, as Orlando would have been very hard-pressed to win three straight games against Jayson Tatum and company. However, it’s fair for the up-and-coming Magic to lament an impactful sequence that could have extended their season a bit longer if the ruling had gone the other way.

As for the Celtics, they will meet either the Detroit Pistons or the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.