Paolo Banchero nearly ends Magic's three-decade long playoff drought, against Pistons

Paolo Banchero nearly ends Magic's three-decade long playoff drought, against Pistons originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Magic have shocked NBA fans this week, as they lead their first-round series 2-1 over the Pistons.

The performance we saw from the Magic heading into the playoffs did not seem to indicate they had a shot at beating the #1 seed Pistons, but they are two games away from doing so.

Much of the credit for that success goes to Orlando's star player, Paolo Banchero, who almost made history for his franchise on Sunday.

Paolo Banchero nearly ends Magic's three-decade long playoff drought, against Pistons

In 38 minutes on Sunday, Banchero logged an impressive statline of 25 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

He was one assist away from a triple-double, which would have ended a drought many didn't think even existed.

Entering Game 3, the Magic had played 147 previous playoff games, and no player on the team had ever recorded a triple-double.

Shaquille O'Neal came close a couple of times, but was also short in the playmaking category.

Although the Magic hold a 2-1 series lead, they'll need to play just as well in Game 4 and on to win the series.

We could see the first franchise playoff triple-double come during that stretch, as Banchero will be relied on to produce quality games to help the team advance to the second round.