The 2015 Orlando Magic: Final Evaluation
Best Game of 2015
There is nothing quite as cathartic as beating the man who forced your franchise to rebuild. And the ire for Dwight Howard has begun to die down some, but it was still there.
The best part of this game was that it had so little to do with the man who is no longer in Orlando and more to do with the players that are in uniform.
The Magic were coming home for the first time from a West Coast trip. The season seemed lost, especially after an embarrassing defeat and effort in Los Angeles against the Lakers. Jacque Vaughn was grasping at straws and got his players to push the tempo in the final West Coast game in Portland.
That tempo took over in a win over Chicago. It came to its peak and culminated with this win over the Rockets.
According to Basketball-Reference, the game was played at an incredible 101.7 pace. The Magic offense hummed along at an incredible for them pace of 118.0 points per 100 possessions. The defense was a never-mind-you 111.1. But that was enough with how the Magic were able to attack.
Victor Oladipo posted 32 points on 12-for-19 shooting, taking it right at James Harden. His exclamation-point 360 dunk to end the game was easily a top-five highlight for the entire season.
It was clear early on, the Magic were ready to play and they took one of the best the Western Conference has to offer to task.
Next: Historical Perspective