NBA Playoffs 2024 – What Will Game 7 Decide? Four key factors ahead of Magic-Cavaliers

Thanks to playing the only Game 7 of the first round, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic will take center stage on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, ABC).

While neither team will be favored to beat the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, winning this series would be extremely meaningful for two teams that have spent much of their recent history in the lottery spent, including both making a top-five pick. in 2021.

Orlando hasn’t won a playoff series since 2010, and while Cleveland is just six years removed from the last of four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, the franchise’s most recent series win, sans LeBron James, came in 1993.

After the two teams traded double-digit home wins in the first four games of the series, the past two finishes have been exciting. In Game 5, the Cavaliers survived at home when Evan Mobley blocked Franz Wagner’s tying goal in the final seconds. The Magic followed by coming back from a five-point deficit entering the fourth quarter Friday to tie the series and force a Game 7 despite a 50-point performance from All-Star Donovan Mitchell.

What could determine the outcome of Sunday’s match and who will advance? Let’s break down the top storylines and trends, including the health of Cleveland center Jarrett Allen.