The Orlando Magic picked up a win over the Toronto Raptors and seemed ready to turn a corner. And then they did not. The team reverted to its bad self again
Walking out of the Amway Center on Friday night, there was a whiff of optimism in the air.
The Orlando Magic had just dismantled the Toronto Raptors for a 102-94 victory. The team played one of its better defensive games in a month and a half, holding the Raptors to less than 40 percent shooting. The Magic were the better, more engaged and active team.
It was their game and they dominated it.
It was easy to begin thinking a little bit ahead. If the Magic could play like this again Saturday and build some momentum and put together a win streak then . . .
Oh, those halcyon days. Those days of such unbridled optimism. Of hope and what may happen, but then never will.
Orlando Magic
The Magic had built some intrigue with decent performances and some life on defense in previous games. It felt like Orlando had built some confidence. A win could only confirm it. Right?
Guess not.
The Magic rolled into Atlanta on the back of that win over the Raptors and got beat up against the Atlanta Hawks. A 27-point loss again puts things in perspective. Or at least returns everything to normal.
It is true, a team is never as good as they look on tape and never as bad as they look either. Maybe.
The Magic though have continued to look bad in several moments. They have seen far too many of these 25-point blowouts and lifeless efforts. It was the kind of game that makes any sense of optimism feel silly.
The naivety of hope, though, remains. The Magic still seem to have that one good game in them to pick up a win and make it look like they will turn the corner. They are great at providing just enough hope at just the right moment.
Maybe one day the Magic will turn that corner and take that next step. Until then. . . they are what they are.
Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated
I was hoping I would not have to address the alleged “Pooper Mario” comments other than dismissing them on Twitter.
For those that do not know, Magic general manager Rob Hennigan allegedly made somewhat inflammatory, but lighthearted, comments about Mario Hezonja during a season ticketholder meeting. He allegedly revealed a lot of state secrets about the Magic’s plans for the trade deadline and some honest assessments about the roster.
Someone posted some of these thoughts on the Orlando Magic Real GM forum.
It all seemed highly out of character for Hennigan. So I did not put much credence into it.
Marc Stein, ESPN.com
This was a question we took up on Orlando Magic Daily closer to All-Star selections. We ultimately settled on Serge Ibaka.
No, Ibaka has not had the breakout season everyone hoped for. But he has been the Magic’s best all-around player. He is averaging a career high in points. And when he is engaged defensively, he is as dominant as ever.
That will not stop the trade winds from blowing. It seems inevitable the Magic will trade Serge Ibaka in the next two weeks before the trade deadline.
Kurt Helin, Pro Basketball Talk
The Orlando Magic have not popped up in any actual actionable rumors to this point. Other than that general sense they will trade Serge Ibaka. But the Magic will be active around the trade deadline.
They have already said that publicly. They will be doing plenty of digging.
And Ibaka may not be the only one on the move. The team is checking on what it can get for several other players, like Nikola Vucevic and maybe even Elfrid Payton. The Magic will be active an intriguing as this trade deadline sets the course for the franchise.
Matt Moore, CBS Sports
If only the Magic could play the Toronto Raptors every game. Let’s just forget that the Raptors beat the Magic by 30 points at the Amway Center earlier this year too, while we are at it.
Instead, let’s use this slide to talk about how the Charlotte Hornets have become this year’s version of last year’s Orlando Magic.
The Magic went 2-12 in January last year to fall completely out of the Playoff picture. The Hornets have won just four since the calendar turned and have fallen out of the Playoff race. Charlotte still has time to save things.
John Schuhmann, NBA.com
The two wins against the Toronto Raptors did feel like a nice shot in the arm. But reality does come in. And that was the theme of this week.
The Magic are still statistically one of the worst teams in the league. It does not really look like the team will turn that corner.
Next: Orlando Magic's backcourt is unsustainable
The only thing left to do is to turn the page.