The Orlando Magic’s early schedule is not easy on paper. But there is an opportunity for the Magic to surprise and score a strong start.
It is easy to forget the 2017 Los Angeles Lakers started out 6-4. Or to forget the San Antonio Spurs tore apart the Golden State Warriors on opening night last year — let alone falling late to the Houston Rockets this year. Or even to forget the Orlando Magic had a three-game winning streak in November.
No, seriously, look it up. It actually got them close to .500.
By the time the glitz and glamour of the Playoffs roll around, when everyone is debating about the MVP and thinking about their postseason seedings, no one can remember the silly little thing known as the start of the season. The excitement to start the season dies down quickly and becomes irrelevant in those late battles.
Except for the record. The record never forgets.
While the Denver Nuggets were lamenting missing out on a playoff berth by a single game. They were left remembering the overtime loss by a total of two points back in their second game of the season — a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, who beat out the Denver Nuggets for the 8th seed — as much as Russell Westbrook‘s overtime-winning 3-pointer that officially ended their Playoff hopes.
When the Miami Heat blazed through the league in the second half of the year, they were left in tears at the end of the season. They ended up missing out on the playoffs by one game. They could only sit back and regret their 10-31 start to the season.
The Magic’s record has been quietly crooning over poor starts for some years. In a season where the Magic cannot even claim to be interestingly bad, a good start is an absolute must. The players need the confidence. The front office needs the confirmation. And the fans need a reason to keep cheering.
Orlando does not have an easy road to start the season. Their ability to build their base is going to be a challenge. This first week of the season will prove to be an opportunity to prove themselves and get off on the right foot.
It will not be easy for sure.
It started, yet again, with the Magic’s Florida rival, the Heat. Despite both teams finishing out of the Playoffs last year, they could not have been further apart.
Last year, the Heat were a young team, full of promise who really showed out against most of the league. The Magic were a young team, with some forgotten promises, who were embarrassed all year long.
Flash forward to current day, and neither roster has undergone dramatic changes. The Heat will still be a lethal combo of Goran Dragic-led offense and Hassan Whiteside-led defense with athletic and talented wings to fill in the gaps. Except they all look finally healthy.
Unfortunately for the Magic, that all leads to one tough matchup.
But if the Magic proved anything in their season-opening 116-107 win Wednesday, it is that they are up for the challenge. A matchup that seemingly looks like a poor one became one the Magic thrived in as they raced out to a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter.
This will lead to perhaps the only reprieve in the Magic’s opening games. Orlando will play two games against the woeful Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are one of the only teams that sported a worse record than the Magic last year.
The Nets then traded away their long-time leading scorer Brook Lopez in exchange for Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell to pair up with Jeremy Lin (likely out for both games after a horrific-looking knee injury in Wednesday’s game).
While the general atmosphere in Brooklyn is much improved from recent years, mostly due to coach Kenny Atkinson’s uptempo system, they are still the Nets. And they are still lacking talent. The Magic should absolutely be hunting for two wins in which to build their confidence.
Of course, the flipside is just as damning. Brooklyn will be circling the two Orlando games as jumping off points just as Orlando would be. If the Magic lose one (or even two) games to the Nets, it will be the equivalent of taking the rug from under their, and the fanbases, feet.
That is the only reprieve the Magic game. After visiting the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, the Orlando Magic take on the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers on the road Saturday.
Even after a dramatic opening night win against Kyrie Irving and the new-look Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers face questions.
This is a new team still integrating new players like Dwyane Wade. The Cavaliers are still figuring out who should start and how to build up their bench. And they are still waiting to figure out when Isaiah Thomas will be back.
Will any of these problems trouble them in the least when they face the Magic? Not likely.
Things do not get easier. After a home game against the Nets next Tuesday, the Magic take on the Spurs.
Orlando Magic
Orlando was able to poach away athletic forward Jonathon Simmons from San Antonio this summer. With Kahwi Leonard currently nursing a quad injury, there is the ever-so-slight chance of exploiting that matchup.
The Spurs are pretty solid whatever happens to them and whoever is out — Tony Parker also missed the opener. Orlando will most likely still need an insurmountable effort.
But a win against the Spurs would do wonders for this young group’s confidence wondering how long management can really stomach keeping them together. The coach, the franchise, players 1 through 15 all need a win like this.
And there are plenty of opportunities to pick up these big wins early in the year.
The Magic’s schedule starts out tough. And it probably will not get much easier from there.
With this group surely only having one last chance at making at least a respectable run at the playoffs, the team and fans do not want to be a game or two out of that next spot because of some poor play all the way back in October.
Next: Introducing the 2018 Orlando Magic
These early games matter.