The Orlando Magic hope to make a playoff push again. To get there they will have to navigate and succeed in these difficult stretches of their schedule.
The Orlando Magic have their road map now. The path back to the playoffs is laid with the release of their 2020 schedule.
All the particulars are easy enough to decipher.
There will be 82 games with the attendant back-to-backs, West Coast trips and the like. There will be the spots that make the schedule look brutal and the spots that make it look more manageable. Long homestands and long road trips.
The early breakdown of the schedule sees opportunity in the early part with nine of the first 13 games at home against seemingly manageable opponents. Not to mention Orlando’s extreme continuity should help the team get off on the right foot.
Then there will be difficult parts in December and January especially when the Magic make their two West Coast road trips. With how stacked the West looks, those games will not come easy.
And finally, Orlando seems to have a finishing kick similar to last year. Perhaps it will not feature the same paper ease that 2019’s finish had, but it is home heavy in March with the chance to build capital for a road-heavy finish — against some tough teams.
Orlando also benefits from one of the fewest number of back-to-backs this year. And one of the fewest totals (11) in franchise history. Orlando has a lot working in its favor. At least, on paper.
The devil is in the details when it comes to evaluating the schedule. Things change quickly in the league and perceptions about teams do too. At this time last year, there were probably teams seeing the Magic and thinking that was an easy win.
It is hard to predict exactly what the season will look like at this point.
What is easy to spot at this point are the critical parts of the schedule. The moments that will matter and shape the Magic’s season.
If the Magic can manage through these stretches, then success will surely follow.