Though six games, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero's first playoff series has been a rousing success.
The numbers tell all: in three Magic wins and three Cleveland Cavaliers wins in the first round, Banchero has averaged 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. His play has Orlando on the cusp of its first playoff series victory since 2010.
In the first half of Game 7 Sunday, however, Banchero went to another level. The Duke product exploded for 24 points against the Cavaliers—the most by a player 21 or younger in a Game 7 in the history of the NBA.
Whose record did he break? Cleveland fans may know this one.
That's right—Cavaliers forward LeBron James scored 21 points in Game 7 of the 2006 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Detroit Pistons, which the Pistons won by the very '06 score of 79-61.
Cleveland rallied from a big first-half deficit to take the lead against the Magic, but Orlando fans will have Banchero's heroics win or lose.
