Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers Ripped by NBA Fans for 3rd Quarter Collapse vs. Magic

The Cleveland Cavaliers have laid an egg in two consecutive matchups against the Orlando Magic.

After taking a 2-0 series to open the Eastern Conference first-round matchup. Cleveland dropped Game 3 121-83 to give Orlando a route back into the matchup. The Magic built off the performance, blowing out Cleveland 112-89 to even the series at two.

Cleveland took the first two games of the series in relative ease, winning by 14 and 10 points respectively. However, the complete shift in the next two games has Orlando in prime position to grab a series lead and potentially move towards the second round for the first time since 2010.

The issues came in the third quarter, where Orlando outscored Cleveland 37-10. This gave the Magic a 60-51 halftime lead and put the Cavaliers in a 88-70 hole they would not come back from.

The Magic were led by Franz Wagner, who had 34 points and 13 assists. Paolo Banchero had nine points, five assists and four rebounds, Jalen Suggs had 12 points and Wendell Carter Jr. had 11. The bench contributed 41 points, with Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz scoring 14 and 12 respectively.

The Cavaliers saw solid production from Jarrett Allen, who had 21 points, but Donovan Mitchell was a disappointment. His stat line of 18 points and six assists was respectable, but he had a difficult second half and committed six turnovers and four fouls.

Fans took to social media to criticize Mitchell and cast doubt on his ability to perform in the postseason.

Fans also took time to criticize the Cavaliers as a whole and referred to the team as "soft"

While the situation looks difficult for Cleveland, it is not truly dire yet.

Cleveland did win both games at home, and maintain home court advantage in the series. It could lose the remaining away game to Orlando and still move on if it can remain undefeated at home.

Earning a series win would be crucial, as it would be the first time the team has done that since LeBron James left after the 2017-18 season.

To get back on track, Cleveland will need to rekindle its play from the start of the series. It will have an opportunity to do just that on April 30.