The Orlando Magic believe in each other and making Playoff dreams a reality

The Orlando Magic responded to a crushing defeat with a big win over the defending champions. They are showing how far their belief in each other can go.

The Orlando Magic trailed the Golden State Warriors by 11 points entering the fourth quarter. The Warriors’ record when leading by that much after three quarters under Steve Kerr is downright silly. Teams do not come back against this team like that.

To do that take something special. Even if the Warriors were a bit undermanned with Kevin Durant sitting out the game to rest and reset the battery.

The Magic’s comeback from that deficit — a 16-4 run that brought the Magic within one — came from a series of big plays. Terrence Ross hitting a 3-pointer. Isaiah Briscoe hitting a driving layup. Jonathan Isaac with an alley-oop.

Orlando’s defense locked down Golden State’s second unit and worked themselves back into the game.

The team never seemed to give up on the game. Facing the same frustrations they had two days prior in a heartbreaking loss to the New York Knicks, the Orlando Magic rallied. They seemed to learn the lessons from that game.

More importantly, they never lost their belief in each other.

At a point where they could have splintered — and probably would have in previous seasons — they came together and pushed through to get themselves back in the game. When the game was close at the end, they found a way to win, getting the stops and shots they struggled to in the previous outing.

It has been clear for a while now the team is good enough to make the Playoffs. There would still be a lot of work to get there. But the team has constantly risen to the occasion in several big games. There have been setbacks before — there will surely be a few more in the final 19 games this season — but the team has responded before.

It is the team’s resilience and ability to stop long losing streaks or not let crushing losses linger that has helped characterize the group. There were plenty of times they would have let bad losses multiply and they would slip down the standings.

But there is something different about this team. They are not those teams of the past. They have not let losses linger and they have found a way.

It is easy to see why. The reactions on the bench throughout the game and the way the team interacts with each other is just different. There is a different vibe. It is not merely the excitement of playing meaningful games in March now or the thrill of playing in the Playoff chase.

This team truly believes it can accomplish that goal — perhaps before anyone outside the locker room believe it. It is apparent they believe in each other and trust each other. That is the foundation for any Playoff team.

And that belief is breeding confidence throughout the roster. The team is building something here.

On Inside the NBA on TNT after the late nationally televised game, Kenny Smith made an interesting observation about the Magic. Who knows how much of the team he has actually watched (it seems like he watches a lot more than the other analysts on the desk), but the observation seemed correct.

No matter who it is or what their role, players on the Magic are providing positive minutes. This is what is necessary for a successful team.

The Magic have gotten positive contributions throughout the roster. Terrence Ross comes off the bench and becomes a flamethrower to loosen the offense. Wesley Iwundu chases players defensively and brings energy throughout the game. Isaiah Briscoe and Khem Birch have a toughness and grit about them that has transformed the second unit.

The poor bench performance from Tuesday was something of an aberration. The second unit certainly does not have a lot of scorers, but they fill their roles effectively, pulling together for what the team needs.

Nikola Vucevic has provided consistent play, but other players have stepped up and filled in around him as the team needs it or depending on matchups. D.J. Augustin, Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier and Jonathan Isaac have all had their moments in the sun. And, for the most part, someone has always filled in when needed.

It is not perfect by any means. The team still has moments where it cannot solve the riddle and they struggle to produce. Their margin for error is still small.

But they do not let those moments of struggle or failure define them. This season they never have. They have used it as a chance to grow.

That all continued with Thursday’s win. This team never stopped believing in each other. They never got shaken by blown leads or missed opportunities. They have kept pushing through and kept digging in to move forward.

As Steve Clifford promised at the beginning of the season, the goal was to get better as the season progressed. That has certainly happened. And there are still improvements to make as the Playoff race thickens.

They never stopped believing. Their trust and growth in each other have only grown. And they seem set to continue to get better.

All that is left then is for the fans to jump on board and believe. To not take every little pitfall as the end of the world and react to how they respond to adversity.

It is, of course, better not to have those setbacks. But the one thing this team has proven this year over and over again is they will respond to adversity. They have given fans every reason to believe they can make the Playoffs.

Thursday was proof positive of how strong that trust and belief is. Everyone is stepping up to make that belief a reality.