Franz Wagner has had enough of the Cavs

but don't start celebrating yet.

There were plenty of images that jumped off the TV screen during the Cavs’ 96-86 handling of the Magic on Monday: Jarrett Allen grabbing one of his NINE offensive rebounds (he had 20 boards!!), Georges Niang screaming mockingly at Mo Wagner after he missed a free throw, Darius Garland, who hasn't been assertive enough this series, canning a beautiful and timely fourth quarter triple, Jalen Suggs hobbling back onto the court after leaving it with what looked like a major knee injury, Isaac Okoro hitting a stepback three, for crying out loud. 

Yet none of those paints a picture of the series with as much detail or accuracy as a brief moment during the third quarter. 

With the Magic down 47-64, Franz Wagner brought the ball to the left wing. Paolo Banchero walked up to meet him, setting a screen on Max Strus. As Strus recovered, Banchero’s defender, Evan Mobley, shuffled to his right to stay in front of Wagner. By the time Strus was back in position and Mobley moved to recover on Banchero, Jalen Suggs had slid over to the elbow, where he set another screen. This one kept Mobley from reaching Banchero, who was open in space at the top of the arc. The play had worked perfectly. 

But when Wagner went to toss the ball to Banchero, Donovan Mitchell, ignoring Suggs for a moment, lurched forward into the passing lane, cutting off what should have been an easy swing pass to Orlando’s ready-to-attack All-Star. 

It’s almost impossible to see, but before Wagner dumps the ball off to Suggs to reset the possession, he shrugs his head to the side and (probably) rolls his eyes in the wordless physical expression of, “Come on, man. Can’t we just have one easy pass over here?”

You could argue that the Magic’s constant complaints to the refs, or Wagner asking security to eject a fan (who probably deserved it), or all the other screams and fits of obvious frustration the Magic showed on Monday are better examples of how Cleveland has worn down Orlando’s patience. But throwing your arms in the air or scoffing to an official or slapping the ball a few extra times when the whistle blows aren’t things that Orlando–or any team–tries to hide. So there’s something significant I think about a small physical slip in a tiny moment in an otherwise uneventful play. It shows just how annoyed Orlando is with the Cavs and with themselves. 

And they have every right to be. 

The Magic have a postseason-worst 88.5 offensive rating, nearly ten points below New Orleans’ second-worst mark. The Magic are shooting 23.6% from three, and a just-as-dreadful 34.3% from the field. Wagner is averaging slightly more turnovers than assists. Orlando’s other young and even brighter star Paolo Banchero has fifteen turnovers through two games. He’s dished out merely eight assists. He’s made only 18 total shots. 

Orlando’s miserable offense certainly shoulders the majority of the blame for Banchero’s poor showing and for Wagner’s obvious frustration. But so too does Cleveland’s defense. 

Look at what the Magic are dealing with every time down the floor. 

Trying to score against the Cavs, who’ve reclaimed their defensive identity and then some, is a miserable and often thankless task. Cleveland’s defense has them completely in control of the series heading into game three tonight in Orlando.   

But the Magic aren’t the only team grinding to score the ball. And where Cleveland’s defense deserves more credit than it’s getting for the Magic’s struggles, I worry Orlando’s D gets too much airtime in discussions about the Cavs’ slouching attack. 

After shooting 30% on Monday, Cleveland is making merely 29% of its long balls in the series. Max Strus and Georges Niang, the two marksmen Cleveland added in the offseason, are a combined 2-18. Niang is 0-8. Outside a scorching first quarter, Donovan Mitchell was 4-15 from the field on Monday. And while it’s reasonable to expect those three playoff veterans to turn things around, and for them to pull Cleveland’s offense along with them, shooting is not the only concern. 

The Cavs have turned the ball over an inexcusable 32 times in two games, the most of any team in the postseason. Lead guard Darius Garland has almost as many turnovers as assists. It’s both an individual problem of Garland’s and a symptom of the Cavaliers’ inability to execute consistently on the offensive end. In the fourth quarter on Monday, for example, the Cavs took their feet completely off of the gas pedal, forgetting to even turn on the cruise control.  In the process they let a 22-point lead dwindle to nine before waking up and putting away the game in the final minutes. 

Against the Magic, at home, that was enough.

But in Orlando–where the Magic are a much better team–a 13-0 run could blossom into a bonafide comeback. And should the Cavs manage to win two more games and advance to play even better competition in the second round, even three minutes of poor execution will be enough to swing a game. 

And we shouldn’t feel too good about our chances of advancing yet. Not at least until the Cavs go into enemy territory and continue to assert themselves and their gameplan upon the young Magic. 

As the saying goes, “The series doesn’t start until somebody wins on the road.” 

Here’s hoping that somebody is the Wine and Gold tonight.       

Cheers, and go Cavs.