The Orlando Magic have feasted on bad competition through the early part of the season. When they moved up a weight class, they got exposed in a major way.
The Orlando Magic season has had two turning points, two moments of revelation, two moments of reflection. When LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers suit up against Orlando, it is a measuring stick for any team.
The first time the Magic faced the Cavaliers they were nowhere near ready to measure up. The game proved to be a wake-up call to focus in on defense. That the effort they had played with for the first 14 games was not anywhere near enough.
Orlando was 6-8 entering that game. The loss forced Scott Skiles to re-examine his starting lineup, and he eventually moved Victor Oladipo to the bench to correct the offensive issues and bring balance to the lineup.
Orlando went from 6-9 to winning five straight. And even after losses, the winning continued. The Magic, it seemed had arrived.
They went out West and played well, with a few shaky finishes at the end of the road trip. They returned home to face the Cavaliers again.
Perhaps a little tired from having just returned, the Cavaliers trounced them again. The Magic were simply unable to compete against LeBron James at the height of his prowess.
It had the Magic asking questions again, but not as alarmingly. They righted the ship and won seven of their next 10, relying more on their offense than their defense in that stretch.
And that led them again to Cleveland.
The team at the top of the mountain. The team everyone in the Eastern Conference is trying to chase. The presumptive Eastern Conference Champion (even in January).
How would the Magic measure up?
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Their inconsistencies from the last few weeks caught up to them. The offense could not hide the defensive shortcomings against one of the top defenses in the league. And the defense played lethargic for the second straight night, leaving Scott Skiles to question his team’s effort and want to win.
The Cavaliers routed the Magic in every way in a 104-79 victory at Quicken Loans Arena. Orlando again fell down by 30 points, fighting their way back to a relatively respectable 25 points by the end. This game was over quickly and the Magic had no chance to come back.
At 19-15, the Magic are still very much in the Playoff picture. They are still the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Even with a few more losses — something that could happen during this difficult stretch of Eastern Conference competitors in the Playoffs — Orlando would remain in the picture.
What became clear — and has been clear in other matchups this year — the Magic are not in the same weight class as the contenders. Not even close. They have been gutted and crushed by the teams that are serious about winning.
The Magic have feasted on teams with poor records. They have gone 16-6 against opponents with a record .500 or worse. That means they have just three wins 12 tries against opponents with a .500 record or better. The only team in the Eastern Conference with fewer wins against teams .500 or better is the Philadelphia 76ers. The Magic have also played the fewest games against opponents with a .500 or better record in the conference.
This is all to say, the Magic have taken care of their business with the schedule in front of them. They have won the games they were supposed to if they wanted to hit the .500 mark.
What they have not done is moved up a weight class. They have not defeated teams in their weight class or above. The Magic have just one win against a team that is currently at or above .500 — the Toronto Raptors from the beginning of the season.
The loss to the Cavaliers was a clear sign they do not quite measure up despite the hot start. Their record does not quite say who this team is.
That is why the coaches have tried to hold the team to a higher standard, a little peeved after wins without full effort. There are tougher battles and tougher stretches ahead.
This one was the first. A four-game stretch with Washington, Cleveland, Detroit and Indiana. The Wizards are expected to make that climb back into the Playoff race. The Cavaliers are the top dogs. The Pistons and Pacers, like the Magic, are fighting to get into and stay in the Playoff picture.
This was a major test for the Magic. And so far they are flunking.
They are flunking by playing without energy and without precision on either end of the floor. It may seem weird for Skiles to have been so dour while the team was racking up wins, but the expectation is higher now. The standards are higher. And the Magic have a lot of work to do.
Orlando is not going to reach Cleveland’s level this year. This team is not a true contender. The championship was still a few years away in the process — even if it can be with this group.
This year was about making the Playoffs, competing for something real for the first time. The Magic have done that to this point.
The road is getting harder. The Magic should know it. Inevitably it would.
Next: Flat-footed Orlando Magic trounced in Cleveland
On Friday and Saturday night, it was clear the Magic did not measure up.