This was supposed to be the Orlando Magic’s statement of intent. This was supposed to be the moment when the Magic declared themselves contenders in the Eastern Conference. This was supposed to be their national coming out party.
With TNT devoting 15 minutes of their 30-minute pregame show to introducing the Magic to a national audience, it was primed for this storyline. It was primed for the Magic to make a major statement in this pressure-packed, medium-stakes game.
So what happened? Are the Magic really destined to be paper champions after a 121-106 loss to the New York Knicks? Are they the team that dominates the bad teams but still is not ready for the spotlight?
Some of these questions are unfair. There is no shame in losing to a good team like the Knicks. As Reggie Miller exclaimed throughout the broadcast, the Knicks were telling the Magic they were not ready to run with the big dogs quite yet and telling the league they were the title contenders everyone though they were.
This is just one game out of 82. The Magic are allowed what Jamahl Mosley termed a “stinker” every now and then as painful and frustrating as they might be. Even in this spotlight, one game does not make a season.
Yet. . .
So many of the Magic’s flaws were on display. The lack of creative playmaking and driving. The poor 3-point shooting. The turnovers helping give their opponent a jumpstart into their offense. Their youth and inexperience as they struggled to break free and gave in to frustration.
Orlando has been so good at limiting these flaws, but the team has rarely put all the pieces together against elite teams yet. The Magic have just two wins against teams with records better than .500 – the Phoenix Suns without Kevin Durant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Magic still have a lot they need to prove. They still need games like Tuesday’s game and opportunities to test themselves.
Like they did in losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks in the immediate aftermath of Paolo Banchero’s injury, the Magic were found wanting. They looked unprepared to keep up offensively with these teams and their defense looked shaky.
It all seemed very un-Magic-like considering their resilience and poise throughout the season.
They have always been able to lean back on their defense to bail them out and keep them in games. In that way Tuesday’s loss feels like an aberration. The Magic just do not play defensive games like this.
The Knicks deserve credit for playing a really strong game. They are the top offense in the league for a reason and they pulled and ripped the Magic’s defense apart. Orlando had no answers and now way to stop the bleeding.
The question then becomes whether this will happen again. Against other elite teams and against other strong offenses, will the Magic be able to hold up. Are they just able to dominate the bad teams but have no answers against the better ones?
These are not questions anyone can answer after one game. Everyone is allowed a bad game. And Paolo Banchero’s return will help solve a lot of these problems. The Magic probably always knew they would find it tough to win games like this consistently without their star player. They need to be healthy to have a shot.
But those questions need to linger. The Magic failed to perform on such a big stage and with these stakes. Now they have to prove themselves again.
The good news is they advanced in the NBA Cup. They will get the chance to prove themselves again on the national stage Tuesday in Milwaukee. The NBA always gives you another chance.
Orlando has a lot to prove to itself again.
