The Orlando Magic’s trip to the playoffs exposed plenty of weaknesses for the big stage. They are weaknesses the team will still struggle to address.
The NBA Playoffs are a test that really only one team passes.
As exciting as everyone gets for making the playoffs and the energy that flows through the building, the playoffs are built on failure. Fifteen teams lose and one team wins. Almost every successful team ends their season with a loss and a bitter taste in their mouth.
The difference between a seven-game series and the grind of the regular season is the attention to detail required to win four out of seven games. A series allows a team to hone in on specific weaknesses and find ways to exploit it. It is a chess match and a cat-and-mouse game.
Championships can turn on single shots and the random bounce of a ball. That is how small the margin is between success and failure. But even there, it can become clear what a team’s weakness is.
The Orlando Magic are certainly standing at a crossroads.
They built something real in the regular season that was more than their 22-9 run to make the playoffs. They played at an elite level in that run to make up for their struggles finding the right rotation and their identity early in the season.
The Magic believe they have established their foundation and they can hit the ground running next season to improve their standing.
But their weaknesses were still apparent. And the playoffs exposed them plainly for the world to see.
It was clear the Magic did not have enough shooting to space the floor and relieve pressure for Nikola Vucevic. It was clear the Magic lacked solid perimeter creation to generate that offense. And even defensively it was clear the Magic were still in need of taking things up to the next level.
There were at least a few myths about the Magic in the regular season. They lacked a true star that could step up in the playoffs. They lacked consistent outside 3-point shooting. And they were not truly an elite defense.
The playoffs exposed there was at least some truth to these statements, no matter how the Magic covered them up in the regular season.
What is not clear is how the Magic addressed any of these weaknesses and whether, outside of experience, this team will be ready to address those issues.