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Orlando Magic hold steady in ESPN’s Ultimate Rankings

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Nov 25, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Jose Calderon (3) defends against Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) during the second quarter of a basketball game at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 25, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Jose Calderon (3) defends against Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) during the second quarter of a basketball game at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Orlando Magic changed a lot on the court, but they held steady in this year’s Ultimate Rankings from ESPN. The Amway Center continues to shine.

A new season for the NBA also brought with it a new batch of ESPN’s annual Ultimate Rankings, the rankings of the best franchises in all of sports.

The Orlando Magic have typically fared well — they have a great stadium, stable ownership and a good value all things considered. The team slipped considerably because of the team’s struggles on the court. But this year brings some hope.

Moderate hope, but hope nonetheless.

In this year’s edition of the Ultimate Rankings, the Magic held relatively steady at No. 65 — a five-spot improvement from last year. They were No. 17 among NBA teams.

That improvement is largely because of the stability that comes on the bench with Frank Vogel. After turning over Jacque Vaughn to James Borrego to Scott Skiles, it seems the Magic have one of the top coaches in the league and someone who can bring stability to the court.

Hallie Grossman of ESPN the Magazine writes:

"Behold, the revolving door of head coaches in central Florida: Stan Van Gundy begat Jacque Vaughn begat James Borrego begat Scott Skiles … begat Frank Vogel. Vogel, Orlando’s fifth head coach in nearly as many seasons, looks to have the locals’ early buy-in, at least. He comes by way of Indiana, where, in his five full seasons at the helm, he steered the Pacers to four playoff berths. (His lone miss? The 2014-15 season, with Paul George lost for most of the year.) The Magic, in turn, jumped a healthy 33 spots in coaching since last year (their biggest leap in 2016) and climbed to a now-respectable No. 52."

That certainly should help the Magic on the court. There are legitimate Playoff hopes for Orlando. Although things will not be near as good as they were in the hey days from six years ago. At least things are looking up.

The Magic’s ranking continues to get a boost from the Amway Center, the best stadium experience in the NBA according to the rankings. The Amway Center comes in at No. 26 overall.

The building still has that fresh, new smell, with the largest (by height) scoreboard in the league and a ton of things to do throughout the arena — from the numerous bars to the kids playground to the nightclub on the roof.

Magic fans at the Amway Center often get criticized as a “wine and cheese” crowd because they are often late to their seats after halftime. And the crowds can be kind of tame. But the product on the floor has not helped with garnering interest in what is going on the floor.

The Magic will try to change that this year by competing for and making the Playoffs for the first time since 2012.

ESPN’s Ultimate Rankings are a ranking of all the franchises in the big four sports leagues in the NBA. They are rated based on their product on the floor or court and their stadium experience and affordability.

Outside of the stadium experience, the Magic’s highest ranking came from their coaching (52nd) and affordability (50th). The Magic also rated well in fan relations (65th).

Next: Orlnado Magic set opening night roster

The San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers were the top two teams in the NBA with the Spurs finishing second overall.