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Paolo Banchero emphasized mindset and communication as the Orlando Magic opened their first-round series with a 112-101 road win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night in Game 1.
Banchero described the victory as part of a broader progression for the group after recent postseason struggles on the road.
“Yeah, I would say it’s a step in the right direction for the team, for this group,” Banchero said. “Obviously with our past track record on the road in the playoffs and yeah, I mean, we just got to get ready for Wednesday.”
The Magic forward pointed directly to execution details that mattered against the top seed. Orlando never trailed and controlled key stretches late to secure the win.
“See what we did well, what we can clean up,” Banchero said. “Obviously expect them to come out with a lot of energy and we just got to be ready for it.”
Detroit responded with multiple runs, including a second-half push that tied the game. Banchero said Orlando’s response came from communication and collective focus.
“Just what it was going to take in terms of just our communication and how together we were coming in here on the road,” he said. “We just came together and got back on track.”
Orlando’s five starters finished in double figures, a balance Banchero highlighted as a key factor in maintaining pressure on Detroit’s defense.
“I think everybody just being aggressive,” Banchero said. “It started with me and Jalen early on and then Franz, Dez got going, Tris hit a big shot, AB, Wendell was consistent the whole night.”
He added that the Magic’s offensive flow came from reading advantages in real time.
“Guys just following along,” he said. “We trust the hot hand or trust whatever we see out there.”
Banchero also addressed how setting the tone early impacts Orlando’s structure on both ends of the floor.
“I can just be a calming presence for the team,” he said. “When the ball goes through the net we’re able to set up our defense.”
One of the game’s key sequences came early in the third quarter when Banchero delivered an alley-oop assist to Wendell Carter Jr. after drawing multiple defenders.
“They flooded the floor where the big comes over to my side of the lane,” Banchero said. “He kind of crept into the short corner and pointed it up in the sky. That was my cue to throw it.”
He credited communication on the play as a reflection of Orlando’s overall approach.
“That just is what I’m talking about when I’m talking about the communication and the execution piece,” he said.
Despite the road win, Banchero cautioned against overreaction, noting Detroit’s status as a top seed and the need for consistency.
“It’s just a good win for us as a team getting it on the road against a great team,” he said. “But at the end of the day we got to come back Wednesday and reciprocate it.”
He closed by stressing the importance of a one-game focus in a best-of-seven series.
“It’s first to four,” Banchero said. “Just one game at a time.”
