Orlando Magic Power Rankings Roundup: The End

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Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Thaddeus Young

Apr 8, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) dribbles the ball in the second half as Indiana Pacers forward Thaddeus Young (21) defends at Amway Center. The Pacers won 127-112. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /

The Orlando Magic have reached the end of this disappointing season. They will likely end up with a top five pick in the Draft and a lot of frustration.

The time for power rankings is over. The idea of sorting through who is playing the best and who is going up and who is going down in the league is kind of moot now.

The Playoffs are on the horizon for 16 teams. And that is all that matters.

For the 14 other teams? It does not necessarily matter where they finished, just that their season is finished. Yes, there are ping pong ball considerations and the NBA Draft to look forward to. But that is little consolation for the players on their roster.

The entire post-All-Star-Break season for the Magic has been something of a formality. Orlando was trying to build something resembling a culture and build some kind of momentum. But human nature does take over. They too see the finish line.

As Vogel said after Monday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, the Magic finally lost some steam. They got beat pretty badly in consecutive games against Playoff-hungry teams. The Magic were not ready to measure up.

Largely, the team has not been ready to measure up all year.

For much of the season throughout these weekly Power Rankings Roundups, the Magic have fallen in the 20s. The bottom 10 of the league. That is, if they are not in the bottom five of the league.

That has been the constant theme throughout the year. Instead of fighting for the postseason, the Magic have been fighting for respectability, a sense of progress or some momentum for the offseason.

It is hard to say the Magic have accomplished any of this either. The team is limping to the finish line with a flurry of losses and continued disappointment. Entering Wednesday’s finale, the Magic will have lost eight of the past 10 games. The team’s record since the All-Star Break does not suggest the kind of progress everyone was hoping for and even expected.

The team is limping into its final game. And ready for the end of the season as they try to pick up the pieces from this bitterly disappointing season.

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