Orlando Magic Daily
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Power Rankings Roundup: Measured by someone else

By Philip Rossman-Reich

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The Orlando Magic are quietly in the Eastern Conference Playoff race. Still, the rest of the nation is learning who this up-and-down team is.

We are now in Week 9 of the NBA season and the standings are settling in. The Magic are currently two games out of the final Playoff spot and it does not seem like they are going anywhere. This whole Playoff pipe dream may not be an actual pipe dream. It may be a reality.

Maybe we should wait until after Orlando heads out West next week — games at Denver, Portland and Los Angeles (Lakers) with a return trip and potential schedule loss to Chicago to wrap things up — before making any big declarations about where Orlando is in the midst of the Playoff race. There is still a long way to go.

And, in the bigger scheme of the NBA, nobody still cares about the Magic.

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Yes, Orlando is somewhat surprisingly just eight games below the .500 mark. The team is both frustrating in some of its losses and surprising in some of its wins. For those dropping in on a game or two to see what the Magic are about probably do not really know what they are seeing.

Doubts remain.

The Power Rankings for this week reflect that. The Magic are no longer falling like they were last week after winning just one of four games on the homestand. In fact, the Boston win probably has pundits worrying about Orlando more than anything else. Wins are wins, but not in the eye of public perception.

The Magic hopefully began turning things around and changing opinions with the gutsy win over the Heat on Monday night.

Otherwise, they are making the slow climb back into legitimate Playoff contention.

Marc Stein, ESPN.com: No. 23 (up 2)

"We all know now that some ill-advised words from Tobias Harris detached LeBron James from what he described as “chill mode.” The mystery in the Magic Kingdom that persists is why LeBron would opt for “chill mode” (and openly admit it) after a bad Christmas loss to the Chris Bosh-less Heat?"

Matt Moore, CBS Sports: No. 19 (Up 6)

"Lose to the Sixers on Sunday, win two of the next three, and hold a lead on the Cavs in the fourth quarter. The Magic are either light-years away from being ready or just need to turn a corner, and every game tells me something different. They are the “Serial” of NBA teams."

Matt Dollinger, Sports Illustrated: No. 21 (Up 3)

"There’s concentration and then there’s dunking on LeBron James despite being slapped in the arm and briefly losing control of the ball. Victor Oladipo is still figuring things out, but the flashes of stardom are there."

John Schumann, NBA.com: No. 24 (Up 1)

"A week ago, the Magic were coming off home losses to the Jazz and Sixers. Now, they could be on a three-game winning streak if Tobias Harris hadn’t deactivated LeBron James’ chill mode on Friday. Somehow, they’re just a game in the win column behind the eighth-place Nets and two behind the seventh-place Heat, with games against both this week."

Gerald Bourget, Fansided: No. 21 (Up 3)

"Not one of Orlando’s three wins in the past week was particularly impressive: the Celtics, Hornets and Miami Heat (in Chris Bosh’s return). They would have had an impressive win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but then Tobias Harris’ s**t-talked LeBron James out of “chill mode.”Still, Harris and Nikola Vucevic are both having superb seasons, and the Magic are only two games behind the Heat for the eighth playoff spot in the East. If this race remains close, last night’s big head-to-head win could definitely come in handy at season’s end."

Maxwell Ogden, Hoops Habit: No. 25 (Down 4)

"Orlando isn’t quite ready to contend, but it competes every night and gives every team it faces as much as it can handle.The 11-20 Magic are only 3.0 games back of the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. They’ve played strong defense at times this season, but lack the necessary offensive firepower to consistently win games."