BATTLE: Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic – Who Will RISE Without Franz Wagner in NBA Cup KNOCKOUT?

BATTLE: Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic – Who Will RISE Without Franz Wagner in NBA Cup KNOCKOUT?

It is a crossover edition of Locked on Heat and Locked on Magic. A battle of Florida to advance to Vegas. You are Locked on Heat, your daily Miami Heat podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Welcome to a crossover edition of Locked on Heat and Locked on Magic, part of the Locked On podcast network. Now, the number one sports podcast network. Whether you’re tuning in on YouTube or your favorite podcast app, thanks for making us your first listen every day. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit fanuel.com. Place your NFL live bets all season long. I’m Wes Goldberg, host of Lockdown NBA Daily and Real Jam Radio. I’m here with my Lockdown Heat co-host, David Rmill, and the host of Lockdown Magic, Philip Rosman Reich. We’ve got a ton get to get to today, boys. Uh, in this special crossover episode for everybody ahead of the NBA Cup knockout round between the Heat and the Magic of First between these, uh, division rivals. Uh, we’re going to talk about what each team needs to do in order to advance to the semi-finals in Las Vegas in a second, but uh, Philip, I thought we should start with the relatively good news, I guess, out of Orlando that Fron Vagner suffered what is, uh, being called a high left ankle sprain. And and why I say it’s relatively good news, uh, considering how bad the injury looked at the time, some people thought it could be a season ending injury, this one, he’s going to be out indefinitely, probably a few weeks, but his season does not appear to be over. But what’s the reaction been like in Orlando? Yeah, it’s it’s relief. I mean, it’s it’s just pure relief, I think, when you see an injury like that and especially see a player who, you know, is riding on the floor in pain. Like, you know, these are tough guys. like they they they don’t want, you know, they they want to be out there playing and and to not be able to get up to be helped to the back. There’s photos of him on crutches leaving the arena last night in uh or leaving the arena Sunday night in in New York to to to just be have it be not like a a ligament strain or ligament thing or even a bone bruise like stuff that is feels like very big and scary or have some like fancy medical term attached to it. for them to just describe it as a high ankle sprain feels like it is the absolute best case scenario. Um it it it certainly feels like the trip to Berlin is still very much in play. That’s six weeks from now when the Magic go to Berlin to play the Memphis Grizzlies game. That’s very very important to both Fron and Mo Vagner and Mo should be back before then as well. Um it feels like this is going to be no not much longer than Paulo Banker was out um even as as far as the number of games and and there’s a lot of faith that Fron is is going to be able to recover quickly and and be able to contribute to a playoff run later this season. So for our purposes here then he’s not going to be available against the Heat, but Calaban Carol will be back. He’s he was back uh for the game over the weekend. So he’s back. He’s in the fold. He’s getting back into his conditioning. But I guess the big question now becomes whether the Magic can continue doing what they were doing with Fron and all the success that they had with him in these lineups basically with Paulo in that spot if that makes sense. Yeah. And I I think that is the big question and that’s a big question I think a lot of people have had about Paulo. You know, he is he’s a numbers guy. Like he’s he’s he’s kind of your classic 2000s all-star. He’s going to get his scoring numbers. He’s going to put up kind of the raw counting numbers that that everyone likes to see and associates with being a superstar player, but we’re not in the 2000s anymore. We have a deeper understanding of the game. And there’s there’s been this narrative about him that he doesn’t actually impact winning. And and Magic fans would say, “Well, that’s ridiculous. The Magic didn’t become a really good team until Paulo arrived.” But you look at his onoff numbers specifically compared to Fron. And Paulo is in the game when the Magic are losing. And whether that’s because of Paulo, whether it’s because of the lineups he’s playing against, um, that is a fair question to ask and it’s a fair thing to wonder. I I will note that this season the Magic actually have a better onoff net rating with Paulo Bane Carol on the floor than France Vagner on the floor. Um, a lot of that is before the injury obviously and Fron certainly picked up some steam a when Paulo was out too as the Magic picked up steam and got more comfortable. But Paulo’s on-off numbers, I believe, are still better than Fran’s onoff numbers or the like with or without you numbers or what whatever whatever you want to look at. And so I think there is still a lot of optimism that the Magic will be able to hold the boat steady. After all, this is why you go get a guy like Desmond Bane who can slide up into that second score role like he did when Fron was when when Paulo was out with Fron. This is why you you have depth and and you rely on your depth a little bit. The Magic should be able to hold the boat steady. The only difference now is Fran’s had a training camp and those first 12 games to kind of keep rolling into the next 10. Paulo is still working his way back from an injury and clearly isn’t isn’t completely up to speed yet. David, I’m curious. U when you look at the Magic, Paulo and Fron, there’s sort of this quiet little debate who’s better. Where are you at on this? Uh, I just like Fran’s overall approach, the way he plays the game. It’s just it’s it might be just a slight personal preference, but I I his versatility, uh, the aggression with which he plays, just his overall style, like he he was having such a fantastic season last year. I thought he was going to be an all-star prior to his injury and I feel kind of just I I was personally kind of just bummed out about it because I thought he was really way towards like a star level uh you know kind of approach and to see him kind of take a step back earlier this season then finally find his footing and then to have another injury that might derail that. So for me, I like Fran and everything he does, the way he attacks, the way he makes plays for others. Just the the the simplicity and versatility of his game makes it a lot more personally satisfying for me rather than and I don’t want to say this, but it feels sometimes like the Apollo are kind of empty type scoring. But again, that’s just maybe that that’s the way I’m hardwired as a person who who likes versatility in their basketball players. And that’s not to say that Beno isn’t. I mean he is an all-star and deserving of such you know I think he’s a great player in and of its own in of himself but uh just personally I prefer France Philip what what what’s sort of the split among Magic fans. Yeah. I mean I think I I think a lot of Magic fans are trying not to fall into this trap of comparing the two. Like let let the national media do that. Let let the people on the outside do that. But you know I I and that’s and that’s fair. like, you know, until you win, like Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown went through the same thing. You know, I I would honestly say like LeBron and Wade, as good as they are, they they kind of went through the same thing those early years in in the Heat era in the in their Heat era before they season, Philip. It was one season. Yeah. I mean, obviously obviously we’re they still went to the finals. Yes, they still went to the finals. It’s apples and oranges, but like you you go through these struggles of like how do you find the right balance when you have two guys that are kind of on the ball and you know I think most Magic fans would say that yes, Paulo has to be a little bit faster with his decision-m and faster with how he plays and not hold the ball as much and do some of those things that that his critics say, but at the same time, they also recognize that they’re not going to get where they want to go like like they’re not going to compete for the Eastern Conference Finals if they don’t have both Paulo and France because Paulo is the guy that can get you a tough shot in the playoffs. You go look at his playoff record against Cleveland in the series against Cleveland and Boston. Like he was undeniably the better player. Like he was just able to thrive in that environment. Whereas Fron I think I think Fron can be a number one guy and I’m not saying that that he can’t succeed there. I feel like his preference is always to defer to other people. I I just think that’s his makeup a little bit. his mental makeup and that’s not a good or a bad thing but you know I don’t think Fron would be as successful in a playoff series or in the long run without having a guy like Paulo eating up attention if if if you watch Paulo Ben Carol play and it’s even the case now with him being at whatever speed he’s at 50 60 70% speed he will take three defenders with him every time he goes to the basket and and that’s just a gravity that I don’t think Fran always has when he’s attacking I think you hit the nail on the head there if if the Magic want want to do what they ultimately want to do, which is I guess win the Eastern Conference and make the NBA Finals, you you need Paulo to be the best player on the team. And the this idea of Fron or Paulo honestly isn’t even like a luxury the Magic have to worry about. That’s not they need both of them to be really good. Like they don’t get to choose, hey, we could probably just have one and be in the No, it doesn’t work that way. Paulo is that guy. He is that gravity guy. He is that ultimate advantage creator. He’s kind of got that mindset, which I think is an underrated thing as we kind of get into this efficiency landscape in the NBA of willing to take lots of shots. It’s it’s just a skill set and a mindset that I think is really underrated among players and Paulo has that for better or for worse a lot of times, but he has it. They kind of need him to be the head of that snake and for Fron to fall into that spot. They just they need to make it work with those two. I guess the unfortunate thing for the Magic is it’s always one of these guys is hurt all the time and that’s and that’s just the last two years. Let’s let’s I mean and two years old, but it’s their most important years. I mean the most recent years are the most important years. Yeah, exactly. And and like look, you know, we haven’t seen this magic team at full strength yet. Um last year, Jaylen Suggs, Paulo Beno, and France Logger played only 97 minutes across six games together. Um I believe this year, this year before the injury, before the Paulo injury, their starting group of Paulo Bankro, Jaylen Suggs, Fran Vager, Desmond Bane, Wendell Carter had played only 101 minutes together in about in 12 games. Um, if you sort their line, if you sort the lineups by net rating and say any lineup that’s played more than 100 minutes, I believe that lineup is still the best lineup in the league by net rating. It may it may have slipped after the last few games because Paulo’s clearly still working its way back into shape, but we just haven’t seen this Magic team at full strength. And I guess that the real frustrating part right now is that as we’re starting to see the Magic kind of pick up some steam, they get hit with this roadblock and now we’re going to have to figure out they’re going to have to figure out how to play together again and we’re not going to see them at their peak. You know, maybe we’ll see it in March and April when it really matters, but but it’s going to take some time to get revved up again. Uh we’re going to talk about the Miami Heat, who also got some interesting uh big lineup news and what their lineup is expected to be on Tuesday night. We’ll talk about that next here on our crossover episode of Locked on Heat and Locked on Magic. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. NFL Sundays move fast, one big play, and suddenly everything feels different. And that’s what makes live betting with FanDuel so exciting. You’re not just watching the game, you’re reacting to it in real time. 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Thanks for making the Locked on Podcast Network your first listen every day and for making us the number one sports podcast network according to FanDuel. The Miami Heat opening as one point favorites. Oh, it’s flipped on the road. It’s flipped, I think, with the Fron’s news now being official, even though it’s weird because we knew he was going to be out. So, perhaps it flipped because of the news coming out of Miami. Yeah, that’s what it is. Yes, I think the the news regarding Tyler Herro, DaVon Mitchell, etc. coming back or or that they’re probable to play. I think that was the last update we received. Yes. Yeah. Mitchell said he’s gonna play. Um, now it’s not totally up to him. You gotta play. You gotta play for the cup. You gotta play for the cup. before. Okay. Are we fans of the NBA Cup? I am. You know how I feel about it. Yeah. I You’ve been on the fence about You’ve flip-flopped a couple times since its inception. I don’t know. Once once once you see that trophy, you will be a fan once once it is in the building. Once What is the furthest the Magic have uh advanced in the past? They got they they lost to the quarter. They lost in this round to Milwaukee last year. They were the wild card last year. Lost at Milwaukee. The eventual champs, right? The Bucks won it last year. I’m sorry. I should I cover the league. I should know who’s winning the NBA Cup every single year. Um there’s only two of them. That’s right. It was the Lakers and the It feels like it’s been around around longer, but also these last talk about a lot longer. Um that’s true. Uh okay, so the the good injury news, right? Hero Tyler Hero, Norm Powell, and Davon Mitchell are expected to be back in the lineup together for the first time uh in the last three games. The Heat have been on a three-game losing streak here. It’s also coincided with those guys being in and out of the lineup. The last time they played together, they made 24 the Heat as a team made 24 three-pointers against the Clippers in a blowout win last week. Um, but David, like I mentioned, the Heat on the heels of three straight losses, including a loss to this Magic team in Orlando on Friday. The Heat are 0 and2 against the Magic so far this season. What do they need to do to get their first win against the Magic and advance in the NBA Cup? That’s a tough thing to exactly specify because it feels like with this team, I’m not really sure what to expect with all their players healthy and then whether or not those players are all going to mesh. So to me, I I think they have to kind of rely on their defensive intensity. Like we’ve seen this team kind of struggle defensively over this last three games. And I think that’s the bigger key for them is is that’s going to ignite their offense. They kind of have shied away from what made them such a potent offense earlier in the season. And while they’ve had spurts here and there, it seems like things might be kind of regressing to the mean a little bit. And so I think they just need to play defense uh at the kind of level that we would expect from a Miami team. And in that case, I think that’s why DaVon Mitchell’s return is going to be so crucial. I mean, they’re going to get the scoring they need from Pal or Hero. Obviously, they’re going to be able to at least I in my opinion find a way to blend together, but as far as what they can do defensively, Mitchell is such a key component of that. So having him back is really crucial for Miami’s chances to get a win. Philip, I’m curious as the guy covering the other team, who’s the player because the Heat don’t have that palibano Fran Vagner guy like that cuz it’s always one of them in the lineup for the Magic, never both like that guy that’s okay, if that guy goes off then it’s a problem, right? Like the Heat are kind of have this sort of ensemble thing going right now. So, as the guy on the other side, who’s the guy on the Heat that you’re looking at and saying, “That’s the guy that scares me the most?” I mean, I I think it’s it’s still I mean, Norman Powell’s had two really good games against Orlando uh this season. Like, he like it’s it’s more right now it’s more the ability for both Powell and Hero to just hit a bunch of shots. Um, you know, Orlando is a better three-point shooting team than they were last year. It’d be hard not to be, but they’re still not a great three-point shooting team. And and I still and while the Orlando I believe they still lead the league in fewest three-point attempts allowed and and they do a really good job keeping teams off the three-point line, I still feel like especially right now with the offense kind of sputtering and and and the flux that’s going to be on this team offensively right now. I I think that they’re still liable to get to to teams that can hit a bunch of threes and and that’s you know that’s still Miami. You know, that’s still a big piece of this Heat puzzle, whether it’s Norman Powell going off. You know, it’s one thing if it’s only Norman Powell making shots, and I think that was kind of the case on Friday. It’s another thing if you could get Norm and Tyler Hero going. And obviously, we’ve seen Tyler Herro hit big shots against this Magic team. You know, the Magic haven’t had to deal with them yet. They were both very, very close games. Hero, you know, Hero could be the kind of thing that tips it over the edge and be like, you know, see it it was just one little thing. And obviously, no Fron as well. So, you know, I I feel like I feel like that that spurt ability from three that Miami has that that Orlando they might have like Dez, you know, you never know. Desmond Bane could have his seven, eight, three point three-point game coming here pretty soon. Um, but it it’s it’s certainly not reliable from Orlando in the same way that it might be with Miami. Fair point, David. Um, what do you think the lineup is going to be? Because on Friday and no Tyler Hero in that game, but they started KL Wear with Bam. They went double big against the Magic. It didn’t really work, but I understand the idea from Spolster. Let’s try to limit what the Magic are going to do on the boards. Try to cut down those second chance points and all this. It didn’t work. The Magic outscored. Keep Bam. Keep Bam on on Paulo and guarding Carter. Exactly. And so there’s going to be an element of that too, right? Like do you start with uh Bam and and wear so that Bam is defending Po or do you just say let’s go small again try to outshoot the Magic to Philips point there and then maybe put Bam on a center window Carter Jr. presumably starting in this one and then and then probably put Wiggins on Paulo which you know Wiggins has the size but maybe not the strength there. It might be a little bit of a mismatch. Yeah, I think I’d go for the double big lineup personally. Um, but I think Spo just prefers leaning to the small ball lineups. I think he’s just such a big fan of what Mitchell provides both offense and defense that I think he’s kind of missed him over the last couple of games and I I think that’s why he’ll probably wind up getting this start. I personally again I would I would have started where because I think that’s the better matchup. It kind of skews more towards Miami strengths and being able to keep Orlando off the boards. It’s been a problem for them in the past. So to me, uh, I would go that route, but I just tend to think that Spo is going to go with a small ball of Mitchell, Hero, Powell, and Wigs, and Bam as a starting lineup. I agree with you and I disagree with you. I agree with you that that’s exactly what Spoles is going to do. I disagree that that’s the wrong decision. I I do I I would prefer to try to space out Orlando and try to beat him that way and try to get it played uh to that uptempo type of style, bring off the bench. But Philip, like when you’re similar question to what I asked you originally, but when the starting lineups are announced half an hour before the game, what’s the starting lineup that the Magic fans don’t want to see? Yeah, I don’t know if there’s necessarily a starting lineup they they don’t want to see. Um, and that’s not disrespect to Miami. It’s just I I think the focus is still more on yourself and, you know, I think the Magic feel confident that they can attack whatever whatever team that’s going to be put in front of front of them because, you know, and and it’s not even just that. It’s that where we’re at in the season and and this is maybe one of the intrinsic problems with the cup is we’re not peing at the end of the season right now. Right now I think the Magic are probably a little bit more focused on how do we get Paulo healthy and kind of going and and and and him rolling. Um and so it’s not necessarily important who he’s facing. Like would it be better if Paulo didn’t have to go up against Bam Bio who’s a really good defender? Would they prefer to play Andrew Wiggins? Absolutely. You know, I think the double big lineup would be better for Orlando in in this sense, especially with Fron Fron out. You know, I think Fron’s being out definitely plays a factor in what Miami is going to do with their starting lineup, too, because you know, when you got to deal with two six foot 10 forwards, you probably don’t want to be super small, super small at the three. And so, Wiggins at the three makes a little bit more sense there. Now that you have Tristan Dilva, who Yeah, he’s a good player and can attack a little bit, but nowhere near the threat. You’re not making lineup You’re not making lineup decisions based on Tristan Dilva. Exactly. Exactly. And so, you know, I think Orlando, you know, again, Orlando did fine against the double big lineup. You know, they they they stayed, you know, I don’t know if they they won those minutes, but they stayed in the game, you know, with with that group in. They got Spo to go away from it. You know, it didn’t work out the way that that they they completely wanted it to. So, I don’t think the Magic are completely uncomfortable with either lineup. But, you know, I think if you’re Orlando and you’re and your goal right now is how do we get Paulo integrated and and playing like he’s healthy, not having to go up against Bam Adabio, you know, all defensive, you know, all potential all defensive team player. That that is that is definitely uh definitely going to would be a better space for them. Let’s get to the meat of this thing. How does each team advance win this game and advance to the next round of the NBA Cup and uh take a trip to Las Vegas? We’ll talk about that next. here on this crossover episode of Locked on Eat and Locked on Magic. Today’s episode is brought to you by Mint Mobile. You know, there’s no reason to let big wireless drain your wallet, especially during the holidays. Right now, Mint Mobile is running their best deal of the year. All of their unlimited plans are 50% off. That means you can lock in three, six, or even 12 months of unlimited premium wireless for just $15 a month. It’s the easiest way to take your overpriced phone bill and give it the full Scrooge treatment. And what makes this even better is how simple Makes the SW Mint makes the switch. No contracts, no nonsense, just real savings and a real quality service. Switching to Mint lets you keep your same coverage, but for a lower price. Setup takes only a few minutes and you can bring your own phone and number without any issues. And the service is fast and super reliable, even on the go. It feels good knowing that you’re overpaying uh just to stay connected. Turn your expense wireless present into a huge wireless savings future by switching to Mint. Shop Mint unlimited plans at mintmobile.com/locktonba. That’s mintmobile.com/locktonba. Limited time offer upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or 180 for 12-month plan required $15 a month equivalent. Taxes and fees. Initial plan term only is less than 35 gigabytes. May slow when network is busy. Capable device required. Availability speed and coverage varies. See mitmobile.com for details. We’ll be right back. All right, so the semifinals of the NBA Cup December 13th in Las Vegas. That’s this Saturday. In order to get there, one of these teams has to win on Tuesday. Okay, the winner of this game takes on the winner of Raptors versus Knicks. Quick uh prediction here. Who do we like in that Raptors Knicks game and who do we think is facing off to the winner of uh uh uh Heat Magic on Saturday? Philip, start with you. Uh I think it’s going to be the Knicks. Uh I think the Knicks just their offense is just just rolling. They, you know, again, these games, these single elimination games come down to star players making star plays. They got the star and Jaylen Brunson. I think Toronto slowed down a little bit from their hot start. So, even on the road uh even on the road where the Knicks really struggle, um I I I’m taking the Knicks over the Raptors. David, same. I can’t can’t argue with what Philip said. I think the Knicks are just a better team and then they’ll play better against this uh you know, a surprisingly good Raptors team that has cooled off a little bit. Yeah, the Raptors have lost uh six of their last seven, five of their last six, something like that. Uh but the game is played in Toronto. Um so we’ll see how that uh factors into things. But yeah, I think if I had to make a pick, I would pick the Knicks to to Sorry, Sean. Sorry, Sean. Yeah. Um, he was just surprised that they’ve made it this far. So, uh, as are we, David. I the He This is the first time they have ever advanced, um, this far in the NBA Cup. The Magic made it this far last year as we discussed. Um, but, uh, let’s look at the keys to advance path past this one. Uh, Philip, when you’re looking at the Orlando Magic, what do they have to do? What things do they have to do? one plural. Take it either way. But, uh, to to win this game, I think I think the biggest thing is they have to control the tempo. Um, you know, I know a lot’s been made about Miami and the pace that they’re playing at and and Orlando is trying to play a lot faster, too. And and Friday’s game felt more like a Magic Heat game than the first game did. Um, I I still think this game comes down to who’s in control of how fast things are played. you know, who’s creating turnovers, who’s getting out in transition off turnovers, who’s getting out in transition off of misses, who decides when you slow down and when you speed up. I think the team that controls the tempo of the game and and is in the most control I is the and and maybe this is too generic, but in this game especially, I feel like the team that that feels like they’re controlling the speed at which they’re playing, that’s the team that’s going to have the upper hand in this game. David, what are you watching? I think the turnover battle is going to be huh crucial. Uh just in terms of like that uh the pace that Philip was talking about if Miami can have one of those games where they’re aggressive defensively, force turnovers, Orlando pretty good at hanging on to the ball. But if Miami is a little bit more uh able to impose their defensive tenants and to kind of shift that in their favor, I think we’ll see more of the fast-paced offense that Miami is was, you know, known for earlier this season. But aside from that, uh I think a key point would be hitting their three-point shots. Like that’s so crucial for Miami’s offense. I know it’s overly simplistic to say make or miss, but with Miami’s offense, it just seems like they’ve got to be able to take a high number of three-point shots, and they got to be able to hit at a pretty decent clip, too, especially against a good Magic defense. Yeah, I I agree. Um when I think the three things that the Heat need to accomplish, make their threes to David’s point. The turnovers was exactly what I had written down. They only forced 10 turnovers against Orlando on Friday. That’s going to limit the tempo, right? To Philip’s point, like if Miami is able to get out on the break, then all of a sudden they’re going to get on I believe Miami had seven turnovers in the third quarter on Friday. And that that’s the game. That’s when that uh that’s when the Magic really took control of that thing. And then what I said earlier, the second chance points, Miami got um outscored 12-2 in second chance points on Friday. That’s that’s not how you win the math battle, right? If you’re losing the turnover battle and you’re losing the second chance points, it’s almost a miracle. And it kind of felt like a miracle in the moment that that was even a one possession game that they had a chance at the end there to win that game. They if the Heat would have made that shot at the end that would have been we would have qualified that as stealing one on the road. I mean absolutely they really had no business of winning that one. But yeah, three point make the Heat have to make more threes or at least keep it even, keep the second chance points at least even and then probably win the turnover battle and therefore you probably control the tempo of the game. Um do we want to make predictions? I mean they’re going to freezing cold take us anyway. They they will. Go ahead, Vault. Um I I do think and I hope Magic fans don’t yell at me for this. I I do think Miami is going to win this game. Um I think that especially if this weren’t the first game without Fron, it would be a completely different story. If this weren’t Paulo’s third game back, it would be a different story. But they they’re going to need Paulo to beat Paulo. And frankly, Paulo does not look like Paulo yet. And he’s still on a little bit of a minute restriction. He he was bumped up to 25 on Sunday. If he’s only playing like five minute bursts instead of like his full complement of minutes, it’s going to be you’re you’re just counting on a lot of inconsistent players, whether it’s Desmond Bane who’s struggling to finish at the rim right now, Jaylen Suggs who, you know, a coin flip on any given play for whatever chaos he’s going to bring. Um it I just don’t know if the Magic have enough offensive push, especially with Tyler Herro back. Um I still think this will be a close game. I don’t think the Magic Heat are capable of not playing close games anymore. Yeah. Um, and so I do anticipate it will be tense in the KIA center. Um, but I I I just I don’t think the Magic are set up right now to play a game of this magnitude with with where they’re at in their season. David, I’m not falling for it. Are you? That’s a classic reverse jinx. I’m not falling for that one second. Are you kidding on a crossover be like, “Yeah, the win.” What? David, do the right thing here. No, no. I got to agree with Philip, man. Honestly, I really think he’s he’s he’s saying, “Look, I’ve known Philip a long time. I he’s he’s always spoken the truth. I know at heart he wants to make it a reverse dick, but I think he’s really saying what he really believes. I think it kind of speaks to Fran’s impact though. I mean, I just for Heat fans that haven’t watched the Magic to take away their cog, really basically the engine of this team and and just kind of ask Ber when he’s still recovering or hasn’t gotten to 100%. No, David froze a little bit there. Um, I’m going to I told you we were going to freeze and cold take people here. There it is. He got literally frozen. Literally frozen. Um, I’m going to take the magic cuz I feel like I have to. We can’t all three take the heat. That means the heat lose. So, I’m taking the magic. I think the Magic win this one. And uh that’s the that’s that’s the only way I could fend off uh the reverse jinx here. So, um that’s going to do it for us today. This has been a crossover episode of Lockdown Heat and Lockdown Magic, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Miami Heat set sights on NBA Cup glory as Orlando Magic face crucial injury setbacks: is Paolo Banchero ready to deliver under pressure?

Wes Goldberg, Philip Rossman Reich, and David Ramil preview the high-stakes knockout showdown, spotlighting Franz Wagner’s high ankle sprain and its impact on the Magic’s offensive balance. The debate intensifies over Paolo Banchero’s ability to lead Orlando in Wagner’s absence, questioning his efficiency, decision-making, and playoff gravity. The hosts examine Miami’s lineup shifts, spotlight Tyler Herro’s return alongside Norman Powell and Davion Mitchell, and discuss Erik Spoelstra’s tactical dilemma: double-big vs. small-ball.

0:00 Intro & Franz Wagner Update
10:23 Heat Lineup News & Matchups
22:10 Keys to Victory and Predictions

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