A heartbroken Paolo Banchero shared the blunt truth about Magic after Game 7 loss

The start of this Orlando Magic playoff run sure seemed like it would be different.

The Magic matched the Detroit Pistons' physicality and smacked them around from the jump en route to a 3-1 lead. Then, Franz Wagner got hurt, and Cade Cunningham's ascent to superstardom happened. So, instead of a jubilant victory over a No. 1 seed to reach the second round in a wide-open East playoff bracket, the Magic are just the 16th team in NBA history to lose a series after holding a 3-1 lead. Sometimes those are the breaks in the postseason. But that doesn't diminish how brutal this loss was to the Magic, who were seemingly finally realizing their full potential before it all came to a crashing halt.

Magic star Paolo Banchero voiced his frustrations about Orlando's latest playoff failure. In his postgame press conference, Banchero was asked about whether he thinks these Magic are "good enough" to become a bona fide NBA Finals contender.

Fresh off Orlando's third-straight defeat in the first round, a clearly irritated Banchero said the obvious: No chance.

No one in their right mind would think they have everything in place to win when the results have been the same for three years running. Sure, with the addition of Desmond Bane, the Magic looked better on paper this year. But that on-paper still has to translate to the court. Be it thanks to a rash of injuries or a woeful, hard-to-watch offense sending the Magic to the Stone Age, it just never did.

Banchero knows the Magic have a long way to go before they're taken more seriously as an NBA heavyweight. Perhaps actually winning a playoff round for the organization for the first time since the era would do a lot to change the vibes.