Following the end of the series, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley spoke to the media and said he believed that the fifth foul call on Bachero changed the entirety of the series between the two teams. Even with the Celtics holding a commanding 3-1 lead going into Game 5, Boston had struggled in the first half of it, not making a 3-point attempt until after halftime. Mosley believes having to lose his star player interrupted the flow of the offense, and couldn’t keep the physical Magic defense going because of how the game had been officiated.

“It definitely swung the series, it definitely swung the game,” Mosley said to the media after being eliminated in five games. “I have no idea what the explanation was. All I saw was Paolo getting an elbow to the face, and he gets the foul called on him. That was a game changer right there. Your best player picks up his fifth foul in the third quarter, it becomes tough to come back from that moment. Our guys continued to fight, we missed a ton of shots, they (Celtics) did a good job getting out on the break and hitting some big shots.”

It’s a bit difficult to pinpoint the entire series on Banchero’s foul trouble in Game 5, but it certainly didn’t help them keep the game within striking distance. Despite the loss, Banchero proved to be one of the NBA’s biggest rising stars along with teammate Franz Wagner as the superstars of the Magic moving forward. They played physical all series which appeared to throw the Celtics rhythm off throughout the series at times, but with Banchero leading them, the Magic should be back as a playoff contender for the foreseeable future.