The 8 games we are looking forward to most on Orlando Magic’s schedule

August 11 — vs. Brooklyn Nets (1 p.m.)

To be real, the Orlando Magic’s entire time in the bubble will likely get determined by the results of the two games against the Brooklyn Nets.

Win both and the 7-seed is all but guaranteed. Lose both, and the team is probably concerned about playing in the play-in game.

That first game is going to be critical in building momentum and confidence. Win that game and the second game against the Sacramento Kings, and the team is probably riding high into the difficult middle part of the resumed schedule.

Lose that game, and the Kings game becomes a must-win. And so too does this game.

Both the Magic and Nets face relatively easier schedules and plenty of teams at the bottom end of the bubble. But the reality is the Magic and Nets are both teams that should not be able to “count” on any wins. I hope that viewing my predictions — as rough and unscientific as they are — lets you know how uncertain everything feels.

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There are going to be a lot of close games in the bubble — or complete blowouts, it is hard to predict — and it feels like so many of these games are pure toss-ups. Some of that is because we have no clue what kind of shape or rhythm the teams will be in.

The hope is by game seven, everyone will start looking like they are in playoff form. The real hope is that this game will not matter.

But the reality is the Magic and Nets are probably going to need this head to head matchup. With a half-game separating them already, tiebreaker no longer matters. But this is essentially a Playoff game.

All these games might feel like Playoff games. But with the pressure of the end of the seeding games, this game will really feel like a Playoff game. The stakes could not be higher.

So much of what the Magic are going to try to get out of this resumed season is Playoff and pressure experience. The team wants to see how the group performs when everything is at stake.

That will be double for this game. Under almost any likely scenario, this game will have a lot on the line. The Magic have had very few must-win games, but the ones they have had were rewarding.

The penultimate game last year against the Boston Celtics that clinched a Playoff berth was probably the best win of last season. The Magic may have the opportunity to do it again against a team that the Magic should still feel confident they can beat.