The Orlando Magic are not getting much love from preseason predictions. They will have to push through those doubts and prove them all wrong in 2017.
No one gave the Orlando Magic a chance in 1999.
Preseason predictions had them winning 20-some-odd games. The team’s goals were clear — cobble together a roster that would be disposable in a year to clear cap room for big free agents. There was nothing the team could do.
It was literally the plot from the movie Major League (minus the angle of moving the team . . . maybe). The Magic were playing their year for the future. The results did not matter.
That is not how Doc Rivers was going to have it. Every prediction — or enough of them — was hung on the wall. A reminder of how no one believed in them.
That 1999-2000 team went down as one of the franchise’s favorite teams. A 41-41 team that missed the Playoffs still evokes a tremendous emotional response from fans. Darrell Armstrong and Bo Outlaw came to embody everything great about teamwork. They are fan favorites for the Magic.
There is plenty of bulletin board material for this year’s Magic team. And much more expectation too on a veteran group still looking to prove itself.
Doubt remains a powerful motivator, especially for professional athletes. And there is plenty of doubt surrounding the Orlando Magic these days. Every projection that comes out seems to project only modest gains or throw the Magic in the “also considered” tier of the Eastern Conference.
There are plenty of questions to ask of the Magic. There is not a lot of proven. But with defense seemingly a priority and a ticket into the Playoffs, there should be a little more faith in what the Magic have built. Shouldn’t there?
The Magic have all the makings for a strong defensive team. And plenty of teams have made the Playoffs without a consistent offense and a strong defense. The formula is all there for the Magic to execute. No one is claiming the Magic are definitely out.
But the number of writers who do not have the Magic in the Playoffs and do not even have the team improving is quite startling at this point. I personally may not be ready to pull the trigger and say the Magic will make the Playoffs (count me among the doubters, I guess), but I think they will improve on their 35 wins from last season.
There will be plenty of noise from the outside for the Magic. Their goals are clear though. Everyone will say it: this season is a failure if they miss the Playoffs.
The Magic will have to use this all as a motivator. They will have to block out the doubts or use them as fuel to prove everyone wrong and accomplish their goals.
This is a team still coming together. They will be playing together and for a new coach for the first time as they convene for training camp. There will be growing pains to overcome.
Using outside fuel may not quite be the right motivator. And it may not be Frank Vogel’s style.
Vogel seems to have his focus squarely on preparing his team his way. None of these outside expectations matter. Internal expectations will drive the team. And the Magic seem to believe they can play at a level high enough to get in the conversation.
Orlando certainly is in the Playoff conversation. The team is certainly better and has a more guided direction. That should be the focus for the team entering the season. They need to focus on taking care of their own business and not worried about what the outside world is saying.
Leave that up to the fans.
The perceived slight can be plenty motivating though. The number of media members putting the Magic in the Playoffs and having the confidence to pull the trigger and put the Magic in. There are still a ton of questions about the team no one seems to know how to answer.
That is where the doubt lies.
The Magic will have to push through and answer all these questions during the season. They will slowly convert the doubters with their play, no matter how they use it. As more and more questions get answered, there will be clarity.
And the Magic certainly should believe they can answer these questions satisfactorily and make a Playoff push.
At this point in the offseason, there is only these predictions to stew on. The Orlando Magic will have to prove all the doubters wrong this year.
Next: 5 reasons the Orlando Magic could miss the Playoffs
And, who knows, maybe that will create something memorable and special to build from.