The question in the NBA is a simple one: Are the Orlando Magic for real? The discussion nationally has turned now to figuring out this Magic team.
The storyline in the NBA every year this early in the season always seems to center on the early surprises and disappointments.
Sure, things are still early. Seasoned NBA observers are not likely to put much stock in statistics less than 10 games into the season. Things can and will change quickly — hello, West Coast trip starting next weekend.
The Orlando Magic’s loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday notwithstanding, the Magic have become the talk of the league. They are one of the big storylines throughout the NBA. It has been shocking to see the team zoom up the standings.
Even after Friday night’s loss, Orlando is in position to get home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference 10 percent of the way through the season. That may not last, of course. There are still a lot of games left to play. And the Magic have shown plenty of cracks.
But that mystery has captivated everyone when they look at the Magic’s start.
Orlando has so outperformed expectations, everyone is not sure how to assess them anymore. They are only left to ask, is this team for real?
For several teams like the Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers, everyone is trying to figure out how the top of the Eastern Conference will shake out. That was the point of discussion from Jeff Siegel and Mark Carman of The Step Back in a video posted Thursday:
Of course, the Magic still get somewhat ignored. No one expects Orlando’s extremely hot shooting to continue. They will regress to a mean. It is inevitable — and Friday’s loss was a humbling reminder of that.
As teams begin to gameplan and take away the Magic’s pet plays, they will have to adjust and find a way. That adjustment will be the interesting part of the next few weeks.
Especially with that aforementioned West Coast road trip upcoming.
Still, the Magic have remained a pleasant surprise throughout the league. And everyone is talking about them.
In a blogtable on NBA.com published Wednesday, the panel concluded the Pistons are a more believable team than the Magic. But they were still very impressed with what Orlando has accomplished and the team’s prospects for the rest of the season.
Shaun Powell wrote:
"Wow … I’ll give the edge to the Pistons only because their wins (at Clippers and Warriors) are of higher quality, but it’s almost a push. It’s possible that we’re seeing Aaron Gordon finally turn the corner in Orlando, and right on time since it’s a contract year. And likewise for Tobias Harris (interestingly, a Magic giveaway) in Detroit. Both teams made solid offseason pickups in Avery Bradley (Pistons) and Jonathon Simmons (Magic), too. Good to see these franchises are feeling frisky, even in the weak East, although you can’t be totally sold on their staying power until they prove otherwise."
Things are very exciting for the Magic. And everyone is very excited for them.
But certainly, there is a lack of trust in this team. No one knows how much to believe in this team. There is no evidence of their success before this year.
Well, there is one, the often-referenced 19-13 start from 2016. The Magic collapsed there and players who were on that team seem determined to prevent that from happening again.
Orlando is certainly the most surprising team in the league, as the ESPN Insiders panel discussed Tuesday. But there is a next step — developing consistency and making this start a bit more permanent.
Now the Magic have to go from the surprising team to the consistent team. And eventually a Playoff team. It seems Orlando has the tools to do so.
Next: Shelvin Mack next up as Orlando Magic scramble at point guard
And the Magic now have to persuade everyone to believe fully in them. That will be the task in the next 10-or-so games. There is still a lot to learn about this Orlando team.