Paolo's Diary: March Madness might 適用する for the 魔法, too
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - (EDITOR´S NOTE - Orlando 魔法 新人 and No. 1 全体にわたる 草案 選ぶ Paolo Banchero is doing a periodic diary with The Associated 圧力（をかける） this season to chronicle his first year in the NBA. This is his fifth 分割払い, where he discusses how this time of year - March Madness in college basketball - has him thinking about last year when he was at Duke and playing for マイク Krzyzewski.)
Watching all the 会議／協議会 tournaments, as college basketball gets into tournament time, and 選択 Sunday had me 明白に realizing how much everything has changed in the last 12 months.
This time last year, for me, was 肉親，親類d of life-altering just with the 量 of attention that was on us, on me, on Duke, playing for Coach K, and then it kept growing because we were winning and making a run. It was magical. It 明白に didn´t end how we 手配中の，お尋ね者 it to, but just getting there and the way we got there and how we did it, it was awesome. Looking 支援する now, life has definitely changed a lot since then.
But I also get that same feeling now.
We still have a chance and that´s 動機づけるing for us. That´s where we want to get to. That´s where we want to be. 明白に, we´ve got some work to do to get there. But whether we get there or we don´t, we´re going to finish these last games the best we can. We´re keeping that hope and sticking to what we know, because you never know when you can go on a six-game winning streak.
Last year at this time, a six-game winning streak would have gotten us the 国家の 選手権. I´m 最高の thankful I had the college experience for a year. I mean, not only the stuff I learned, but also the 関係s I built and just the fact that I can say that I …に出席するd Duke, I played for Coach K, I did these things at Duke, that I´m part of this history and whatnot, how my picture up on the 塀で囲む over there now and stuff like that. I think all that is priceless. People don´t think about stuff like that, or they don´t know what it´s like 存在 able to go to there and see my picture up と一緒に other guys. That´s crazy for me. I remember taking my visit and wanting to be on that 塀で囲む. So now that it´s happened, it makes it all 価値（がある） it that I was able to go there and do what I did.
Orlando 魔法 今後 Paolo Banchero, left, goes up to shoot in 前線 of Miami Heat 今後 Kevin Love (42) and 中心 Cody Zeller (44) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
What we´ve done here to have a chance has also been 価値（がある） it. It´s my first year with the 魔法. A lot of guys in here are young. We´re all you ng. It´s late in the season and we´re playing games that 事柄. So, it´s not the end of the world if it doesn´t happen for us this year. That would just mean next year we´re going to have even more 期待s and more people are going to 推定する／予想する us to 勝利，勝つ and we´re going to 推定する／予想する to 勝利，勝つ. That´s what, I think, excites us and 動機づけるs us - where we are, what we can be and where we´re trying to get to. I think this year has been a 広大な／多数の／重要な start and we´re definitely on the up and up. Whether we make it or we don´t, we´re going to be locked in this offseason and trying to work and build to get to where we want to, which is 存在 a perennial プレーオフ team and 競争相手 in the East.
I get asked about 新人 of the Year a lot. It definitely 事柄s to me. That was a goal I 始める，決める before I even got to the NBA, to 勝利，勝つ that award. So, it definitely 事柄s, but I wouldn´t say think about it too often.
Anyone that knows me knows I try to always put the team first and winning first. I´ve done that my whole life and things have always just taken care of themselves. Did it at Duke; I wasn´t playing to be the No. 1 選ぶ, I was playing to 勝利，勝つ the 国家の 選手権. Same thing here. I´m playing for 勝利，勝つs. I think when you get caught up in awards and accolades and try and start playing for that, that´s when you lose the fun in the game.
I´ve always done it the same way. I play as hard as I can. That´s always taken me as far as I´ve 手配中の，お尋ね者 to go. I´ll stick to that. I´m going to play hard these last games and we´ll see what happens.
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Orlando 魔法's Paolo Banchero looks to shoot against Utah Jazz's Kelly Olynyk (41) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando 魔法's Paolo Banchero (5) loses 支配（する）／統制する of the ball as he 衝突する／食い違うs with Utah Jazz's Walker Kessler (24) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando 魔法's Paolo Banchero (5) makes an uncontested dunk against the Utah Jazz during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
