Orlando Magic hope to pick up where they left off as Playoff chase becomes real

The Orlando Magic got back to work after the All-Star Break. They know they have to find their rhythm again quickly as the Playoff chase becomes a sprint.

Nikola Vucevic was still beaming from the experience of his first ever All-Star Game.

The emotions of the weekend for him were still getting processed. Spending that weekend with his family and seeing his son watch his father play with the league’s greatest for the first time.

Nikola Vucevic joked his son told him he did a good job grabbing those rebounds in the game, seemingly recognizing the absurdity of the game itself.

There was still something to celebrate as the Orlando Magic got back to work. The team had another day before the games started again. And there was something to play for.

Plenty of time to ease into things and regain the rhythm as the Magic tried to sharpen their focus.

Then someone told Vucevic there were only 23 games remaining — a little more than a quarter of the season. It took him aback a bit. There is not much of the season left. The race to the Playoffs is on and the urgency around the team to hit the ground running and finally break through to the Playoffs.

This season has been something different.

"“It’s such a big difference,” Vucevic said. “In the past when we were kind of done by the All-Star Break. Now you come back and you have everything to play for. These last 23 games, each game is going to be huge, it’s going to mean something. It is going to be fun to play like that. You always want to play for something. It starts with Friday.”"

The chase to the Playoffs — what will feel like an all-out sprint, frankly — is something this Magic team has not experienced yet. Not since the rebuild began.

And at this point, the Magic are playing their best basketball of the season having won five straight and seven of their last eight. That has helped them climb to within a half-game of the final Playoff spot. With a favorable schedule, on paper at least, the team should feel plenty of confidence.

As much as things are trending up for Orlando, the team just went through a long layoff. It will be eight days since their last game.

"“What you have to be concentrating on is playing well,” coach Steve Clifford said of keeping an eye on the Playoff chase. “[Our defense has] been sustainable and our offense is getting better. You don’t ever want to play any kind of game where you are worried about the end result. You want to concentrate on what you have to do to win. That’s what good players are able to do and that’s what good teams are able to do.”"

Every team around the league is going through that, of course.

Orlando though has been on a tear especially. And it is not just the last eight games.

Since Jan. 1, the Magic have the third-best defense in the league, giving up 106.2 points per 100 possessions. Their +3.6 net rating would certainly suggest they are playing better than their 11-12 record for that time.

If the Magic play the next 23 games like they have played the previous 23 games, they should see improvements to their bottom line. Especially considering the opponents Orlando has left on its schedule.

But the Magic have struggled to keep their momentum going at key spots in the season. It always feels like the team is balancing on the edge.

The first practice back was more about getting the team back into its rhythm. Clifford said the team scrimmaged a lot. Aaron Gordon said the defense looked rusty and it will be something they have to tighten up before Friday’s game.

Clifford said he wanted to scrimmage a bit more in Thursday’s practice before beginning game prep for Friday. The general consensus was that no one slacked off their workouts during the break and no one fell out of shape.

It is just about getting the team back to game speed and rhythm.

"“It’s more the mindset. I think everyone is really locked in and they want to do this,” Vucevic said. “This stretch right before the break gave us a huge boost of confidence. We know what we have to do, we just have to go out and do it.”"

Everything for this team and this group will slowly turn back to the Playoffs. That is the sole focus for the franchise and for the team in these final 23 games.

It is a new experience for a lot of the players on this team. How they will respond to that pressure is still unknown. They seem eager to take on that challenge.

Both Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon, two of the team’s captians, said the team seemed to have that focus and intensity back from before the All-Star Break.

That intensity is clear to see from those games. The Magic will have to reach into those reserves and bring that out to find success once again.

"“Big time focus level, “Gordon said. “That’s what it feels like. It feels like everyone is more focused and everyone feels like we have something to fight for and we’re going to fight.“You have to do everything that we can that is in our control to give ourselves the opportunity to play meaningful games down the stretch. Defense is going to give us that opportunity.”"

The chase is indeed on for the Magic. They will have to pick things up right where they left them.

The Bulls will provide a bigger challenge than they let on, but the Magic’s most difficult phase of the schedule comes right after the All-Star Break. And the team will have to keep pace and try to overtake the teams ahead of them.

It is back to work for the Orlando Magic.