Orlando Magic 2017 Season Review: Top 10 Games of 2017

March 29, 2017

Russell Westbrook has gone on a tear through the NBA this entire season. It is more than him simply averaging a triple double, becoming only the second player in league history to accomplish that feat (at least since they began tracking assists, blocks and the like). Westbrook was a tour de force.

In the game before the Oklahoma City Thunder traveled to Orlando, Westbrook singlehandedly erased an 11-point deficit to get the Thunder a road win. He had that ability to take over a game and get a win by sheer force of will.

This is what the Magic were playing when the Thunder rolled to town.

Victor Oladipo‘s return might have been a big deal earlier in the season, but this game was all about Westbrok. The crowd was alive and enraptured with every movement Westbrook made.

The final result? It was not kind to the Magic. They blew a 21-point lead and Westbrook was the reason why. Westbrook scored 57 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out 11 assists. It was the most points ever scored in a triple double.

And the whole thing was capped off with Westbrook forcing overtime on a 30-foot 3-pointer over two defenders. The Thunder, predictably, won in overtime 114-106.

This game was all about Russell Westbrook in every way. A truly historic performance. And a sign of the kind of dominance the Magic lacked.

Orlando never had the player who could imprint his will on a game. Even Aaron Gordon at his very best could not will a team to victory. Few can do it like Westbrook, but the Magic needed that one last play and could not fin dit.

With a three-point lead, Nikola Vucevic missed a free throw that set up Westbrook’s game-tying shot. Vucevic was kicking himself after the game.

"With 13.7 seconds to play, Vucevic went to the line to put the game away and give the Magic a four-point lead. The reliable free-throw-shooting Vucevic stepped up and nailed the first one as expected. But the second one fell off no good. Russell Westbrook, flamethrower among men, raced to the other end of the court and with Elfrid Payton and Terrence Ross surrounding him pulled up from 31 feet and drained a 3-pointer. It was a tie game. The good will from the Magic building a 21-point lead was gone in that instant. The momentum — and the Amway Center crowd — were cheering for the presumptive MVP. A team still looking for ways to win games and trying to learn how to win had another ‘L’ on their ledger."

The crazy thing about this game was the Magic played incredibly well until the second half of the fourth quarter when the Thunder took over.

Orlando built a 21-point lead thanks to some stellar passing and shooting. The Magic were in complete control. But the offense halted in the fourth quarter. The team force fed Vucevic even as he struggled, shooting 3 for 14 for the game.

The Magic still had the lead and a chance to win in the dying seconds. One they (seemingly predictably) let slip away.