Friday is Orlando Magic Day on NBATV

The Orlando Magic will be front and center on NBATV on Friday as the network dedicates the day to some of the team’s classic and most memorable games.

It is the time of the offseason where there is not much going on.

Most of the news and offseason acquisitions are done. Teams are set in their rosters. And now with the schedule out, they can make their final preparations for training camp and the season.

Players are either enjoying their last bits of summer vacation or preparing to represent their countries at the FIBA World Cup. There is not much else to report on other than to idly wonder about the upcoming season or discuss the history of each team.

We will be doing plenty of that. But Friday is a good day to park in front of the TV for the day.

Throughout this part of the offseason, NBATV has been dedicating each day to a different NBA team, playing classic games and dedicating the day of programming to them. They did this last year too and had us wondering plenty about the games that matter in Orlando Magic history.

So get ready to do it again.

Friday is the Orlando Magic’s day on NBATV with a full schedule of classic games featuring Shaquille O’Neal, Dwight Howard and Aaron Gordon.

It is a pretty jam-packed day leading into Team U.S.A.’s exhibition game against Spain at 10 p.m. from California.

For those unfamiliar with the game list, here is what to expect:

6:30 a.m. Magic vs. Nets (April 23, 1993): Nick Anderson scores 50 points off the bench but Shaquille O’Neal steals the show by tearing the basket down at the Meadowlands.

8:30 a.m. Magic vs. Hornets (November 9, 1994): Shaquille O’Neal scores 46 points and grabs 20 rebounds in an overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets as the Magic begin their run to the NBA Finals.

10:30 a.m. 2008 Dunk Contest: Dwight Howard dons a Superman cape to win the Slam Dunk contest.

11 a.m. Magic vs. Cavaliers (2009 Eastern Conference Finals Game 6): Dwight Howard scores 40 points and dominates as the Orlando Magic upset the Cleveland Cavaliers and reach the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.

1 p.m. Magic vs. Celtics (April 7, 2019): The Orlando Magic clinch their first playoff berth in seven years with a come-from-behind victory over the Boston Celtics on the road.

3 p.m. Magic vs. Raptors (2019 Playoffs First Round Game 1): D.J. Augustin provides the heroics with a late 3-pointer to give the Orlando Magic a win over the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in the team’s dramatic return to the postseason.

4 p.m. Magic vs. Pacers (1995 Eastern Conference Finals Game 2): Shaquille O’Neal scores 39 points to give the Orlando Magic a 2-0 series lead in their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

6 p.m. Magic vs. Bulls (1995 Second Round Game 6): The Orlando Magic hand Michael Jordan what would become his final playoff series defeat, hoisting Horace Grant on the team’s shoulders as they walk off the United Center floor.

Noticeably absent from this list are games featuring Tracy McGrady. Last year’s Orlando Magic Day featured Tracy McGrady’s 63-point game against the Washington Wizards in 2004 and the Orlando Magic’s overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2001 Playoffs. Both are worthy additions to any Magic Day and it is disappointing to see some of McGrady’s greatest hits off the lineup.

Adding in games from the 2019 Playoff run is certainly a bit of recency bias. But fans will certainly enjoy reliving those games on TV.

Last year’s Magic Day certainly lacks a few classic games including Game 1 between the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls in 1995 — the infamous steal game — or Anfernee Hardaway‘s Playoff performances against the Miami Heat or even Game of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals with the Cavaliers.

Regardless, this is a fun list of games to watch to get your Magic nostalgia kick on. Or at least feed that need for Magic basketball until the end of September.

Eds. Note: This article originaly mischaracterized the 2008 Dunk Contest as the Aaron Gordon Dunk contest. That contest took place in 2016.