Who is the Orlando Magic’s rival?
Philadelphia 76ers
It is hard to think that any team could be a “rival” of any team that is not trying to win. At the same time though, the 76ers and Magic are kind of the poster children of the grand rebuilding experiment in the current NBA.
Matt Moore of CBS Sports kind of drove this wedge in his series on rebuilding (again, highly suggest you read it). His argument is the Magic and Sixers were at virtually the same points in their rebuild (the Sixers started a year later than the Magic, but last year was more or less a wash for the Magic).
Philadelphia has consistently made its decisions with the eye on acquiring a superstar through the draft. For the Sixers this is the most efficient way to win a championship.
The Magic have taken the approach of the slow build. They built up assets and now they are trying to see if the core is good enough to compete and help them get closer to a championship. A championship is still the overarching goal, but it is hard to say whether this current Magic core moving forward is a championship-caliber team (particularly with the coaching decision they made and the decision to focus on winning in the short term).
These are the two diverging paths.
Lots of people around the NBA respect what the Magic are doing and the process by which they are doing it. There are many people who find what the Sixers are doing abhorrent. It is hard to say which process works best.
On the court though, the Sixers may not have talent but they compete hard. The Magic have been at the bottom of the standings and have been a victim to several Sixers wins in the last two years. Frustratingly for a Magic team that believes it can win.
There have been some classic games too. Oladipo’s budding rivalry with Carter-Williams started in Philadelphia. There was the double overtime game with Glen Davis dropping threes. There was Tobias Harris hitting the game-winner.
It is not at all one sided. Just the players on the Magic and the continuity on the roster remains one sided.
Of all the teams profiled here, the Magic and the Sixers seem to progress on the same plane and same path. These two franchises are going to be rivals for years to come. When the Magic are good, the Sixers are likely also going to be good again too.
Philadelphia is going to take a step forward at some point. And Magic fans will likely be worrying about Orlando’s pace of growth compared to Philadelphia’s when Philadelphia starts to make that move.
The rise to the top of both these teams is going to be continually interesting to watch. And the 76ers and Magic will continue playing some solid, heated games.