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.
The Start (Oct. 23-Nov. 17)
There is no getting around how important the start of the season will be for the Orlando Magic.
The first month of the season sees the team play nine of its first 13 games at the Amway Center. And seemingly most of them are fairly manageable — with at least games against teams the Magic should feel equal to.
Orlando has the benefit too of bringing back the entirely same roster. Orlando only lost Jarell Martin and Jerian Grant off last year’s roster, replacing them with Al-Farouq Aminu and either Chuma Okeke or someone off the training camp roster like DaQuan Jeffries.
It is hard not to argue that this is not an immediate upgrade for the Magic from a talent perspective.
No season is ever alike. Bringing back the same roster is no guarantee to repeat previous successes.
And so while the Magic theoretically have a leg up on the competition, they will still have to evolve and come together. It is probably hard to expect the team to play with the same frenetic energy and desperation they played with during the closing months of the 2019 season for the course of an 82-game schedule.
That is why the start could be absolutely vital. If the team wants to avoid having to scramble to make the playoffs next year, getting out in front of the pack would be vital.
Orlando Magic
Things set up nicely for them to do so.
The Orlando Magic open the season against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 23 before a quick two-game trip to Atlanta to face the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto against the defending champion Toronto Raptors.
The Orlando Magic then play the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets at home. The Bucks and Nuggets back to back is especially tough and represents the toughest part of this stretch.
The Orlando Magic then hit the road to face the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks before finishing this stretch with the team’s longest homestand from Nov. 8-17 against the Memphis Grizzlies, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards.
This stretch is a bit longer than you typically want to highlight. It is a mouthful to get through these first 13 games.
But out of that group, only that Bucks and Nuggets home-home back to back on Nov. 1 and 2 and the game against the 76ers on Nov. 13 feature teams that are definitely better than Orlando. Every other team and every other game feels fairly manageable.
Orlando, of course, should be in the frame of mind that they can beat anyone and beat any team. But going 13-0 is asking a lot.
But getting out to a strong start — especially taking advantage of that five-game homestand before the schedule starts to balance out — is vital to the team’s success.
Orlando can pick off some teams that need time to gel early in the season. The Magic have to view protecting their home court as vital to their playoff chances. And so a strong start seems even more important.
First West Coast Trip (Dec. 11-20)
The first really difficult stretch in the Orlando Magic’s schedule will be the first time they really face a string of Western Conference teams.
It starts at home with a difficult pair of games before the team heads out on the road for the first big road trip of the season.
To be sure, the Western Conference is still really good. And probably better than the Eastern Conference from top to bottom.
So when there are a string of Western Conference games, it feels like it is going to be about survival more than anything else. It is a tough measuring stick but one nonetheless. And if the Magic want to compete seriously, they will have to do more than just merely keep their head above water.
This stretch from Dec. 11-20 is especially tough though. Orlando will learn a lot about where it stands and what it can do at this time of the season.
More from Analysis
- 2023 Orlando Magic Playoff Lessons: Philadelphia 76ers can’t seem to avoid conflict
- Orlando Magic FIBA World Cup: Franz Wagner can be a star if he takes it
- Orlando Magic are going to find out who they are in 2024
- 2024 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Moe Wagner is the spark off of the bench
- NBA 2K Ratings represent Orlando Magic’s hope and skepticism
It starts at home when the Orlando Magic take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 11. The Lakers are a returning juggernaut now with LeBron James and Anthony Davis joining forces. But Orlando should feel at least OK going up against them.
The Magic faced James twice before his injury on Christmas Day and were able to sweep the Lakers. Of course, a motivated Davis (the Magic played him once last year and it was after his trade request) changes a lot of that team’s dynamic.
The Orlando Magic follow that up with a home game against the Houston Rockets. James Harden is always a tough cover and Russell Westbrook makes them a bit tougher with his line-drive driving ability. These are two of the elite teams in the Western Conference, and they come to the Amway Center in consecutive games.
That would be fine if the Magic did not go out on the road for a West Coast trip in the very next outing.
The Orlando Magic’s first West Coast road trip takes them to play the New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers. Three of those four teams are playoff teams and all are extremely tough places to play — including a Rocky Mountain back to back between Salt Lake City and Denver on Dec. 17 and 18 that every team detests.
These are all tough games — even the one against the Pelicans should not get automatically counted a win with some solid veterans surrounding the promise of Zion Williamson.
Orlando will have to do its best to pick up wins where it can. But this will be a true test for the team and perhaps a sign of where this team will finish in the end.
The California Swing (Jan. 10-20)
The Orlando Magic’s second West Coast road trip in January is just as tough as the first one. It is perhaps even a bit more daunting.
The length itself is something to behold as is the miles traveled. And the inevitable schedule loss that comes at the end.
This trip is effectively the team’s California swing. They hit every team in California after starting with the Phoenix Suns. Worse still is how they cross through the state. Going from Phoenix north to Sacramento south to Los Angeles for a back-to-back and then back to San Francisco.
Then they close with a cross-country trip to Charlotte for some reason on little rest before finally returning home.
It is safe to say this is the toughest road trip on the calendar not merely just for the opponents they play, but the sheer miles traveled.
This is a long road trip. And as if the physical toll was enough, the opponents are not easy either.
The Suns are likely the easiest game at the start. But they are not easy by any means. Phoenix has a good scorer in Devin Booker and second-year top overall pick Deandre Ayton. The Suns are still collecting young players but can beat just about any team.
From there, the Orlando Magic head to Sacramento to take on the Sacramento Kings. The Kings swept the Magic in last year’s season series, one of the few teams to do so. De’Aaron Fox gave Orlando a lot of problems in both matchups and they are poised to make a playoff push.
Then comes the difficult back to back in Los Angeles. Both the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers figure to be favorites to win the title. The amount of star power the Magic will face in back-to-back games is daunting and challenging. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are tough enough alone. But dealing with those duos is tough.
Another day in the NBA.
As if that were not hard enough, the Magic get a day of rest before heading north to play in the Chase Center in San Francisco for the first time. It is crazy to think that the Golden State Warriors are something of a reprieve. they might be on this road trip.
The road trip ends after the early-evening game at Golden State with a cross-country flight to Charlotte. The Orlando Magic play the Charlotte Hornets with just a single rest day in between. Meanwhile the Hornets have four days to prepare after getting home from their own West Coast trip.
This feels like the definition of a schedule loss.
Only the Hornets’ expected struggles are the only solace.
This road trip is all about survival. The Magic will have to pick up wins where they can and work to stay competitive to scratch out wins. This could be a rough few weeks for Orlando.
Especially considering the Magic return home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and LA Clippers.
The Last Road Trip (March 4-10)
After the Orlando Magic get back from that long West Coast road trip, they will play only four road games in the Western Conference the rest of the season. Three of them will come during this final road trip of the season.
Or the final major road trip of the season.
The trip starts off with perhaps the biggest game in terms of building a national reputation or perception of this team. Well, any game against the Miami Heat feels like a big game. This rivalry has some juice to it.
Orlando’s lone nationally televised game takes place March 4 to open up the road trip in Miami against the Heat.
At this point of the season, the matchup might very well have seeding and division title implications. It is occurring at the same point of the season as last year’s battle against the Heat occurred in Miami. Although it is not likely Miami will retire Chris Bosh‘s jersey at halftime again.
That win over the Heat last year was when the Magic officially climbed into the playoffs for good. The win clinched the season series for the team and helped lift them to the division title. It was a major turning point and a game Magic fans are not going to forget.
This game already seems to have that kind of opportunity. It could very well be that kind of a big showdown.
But the rest of the road trip is no easy trip either.
Orlando will finish its Western Conference opponents with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies.
The Rockets are the only title contender in the bunch. The Timberwolves will try to compete for a playoff spot. And the Grizzlies proved to be a difficult late-season out last year — although both Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are off those teams now.
It is hard to predict the level of motivation for a team like the Grizzlies, a young team expected to be growing this year with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant as their centerpiece. The Timberwolves too could still be in the playoff hunt or they could be struggling through another lost season.
In either case, whether the Magic themselves are fighting for playoff positioning or fighting to get in, this road trip will loom large as important for that last push to get into the postseason.
The Final Homestand (March 25-April 1)
Last year, the Orlando Magic had their longest homestand of the season late in the season. A five-game stretch that everyone could sense even before the season could be vital to the team’s playoff hopes.
The Orlando Magic ended up sweeping all five of those games — including a blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers and a come-from-behind win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The streak put the Magic squarely in control of their playoff destiny and they made good on it with a win at Miami as they went on the road.
This was the catalyst to the team making the playoffs. A critical juncture in the season.
Orlando will get another late-season homestand with the chance to build momentum to the final part of the season. It comes later than last year’s homestand came. But will still be just as vital.
The Orlando Magic will play the Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans and Charlotte Hornets in this stretch. They all feel like winnable games for this Magic team if they are going to hit their potential.
This is the kind of homestand that could help push the team over the top. Especially considering how the Magic finish the season — five of the final seven on the road including two games against the Boston Celtics.
Orlando has made it a goal to protect the Amway Center. That was a big part of the Magic’s push to the playoffs last year. Orlando wants to be better at home this year.
Winning at home will be vital to the team’s playoff push once again. And this last homestand could prove just as critical to the playoff push as last year’s push was.
It could very well provide the last bit of momentum the team needs to improve their seeding. Or, maybe at a worst-case scenario, struggling here could foretell a fall that the team cannot afford.
Orlando has a schedule that seemingly does well to position them for a playoff run. And perhaps the chance to do something a bit more.
But it is always hard to predict what will be important and where things will end up in August. These five stretches though figure to define the season no matter how else the season shapes out.