Orlando Magic’s homestand built support, left plenty to work on

The Orlando Magic were searching for some energy as they played through the second half of their finale Wednesday of a seven-game homestand.

The team was beaten up even after this long homestand as injuries continued to hit the roster. The young Magic roster was struggling to find its center and the right intensity.

This was not the way the Magic wanted to end their homestand. It was not the taste they wanted to leave their home crowd behind before they hit the road again.

That was not how the crowd would let them leave it.

If there was one thing the Magic could take away from their homestand is that this is a fan base eager to see this team succeed and willing to believe in this team’s signs for success.

They showed up and drowned out the national crowd the Golden State Warriors bring with them in a win there. They sold out a Saturday night game against the Sacramento Kings. They showed up in droves with a hurricane coming to town in a win over the Dallas Mavericks.

The noise and the energy were clear. And in Wednesday’s game they just needed something to cheer for.

The Orlando Magic’s homestand helped them build a strong base of support in a fan base ready to believe in them. It also left a lot of work for the team to do to reach stability and consistency.

As the Magic started to find their footing, the energy was clear. It started with the crowd reacting to the flagrant foul from Taurean Prince at the end of the third quarter. It hit a crescendo when Jalen Suggs hit his four-point play to cut the deficit to nine points — a long journey from the 27 the team trailed by in the second quarter and the lethargic play that got them there.

As the Magic grow and develop, they clearly know their fans will be there. And that energy became a feedback loop that may finally make the Amway Center a tough place for opponents.

"“Just the energy they brought each and every night,” Suggs said after the team’s shootaround Wednesday. “We hear them on all our runs. We hear the Magic chants. We see the wave going. We feel all that stuff. Whether you know it or not, those are things we feed off and help us go on our runs and get things going and play with energy. It’s been great to see them.”"

This is a small thing. It may not even be important to the team’s overall mission and development. But the Magic’s seven-game homestand showed how involved the fans can be in this project for the team. And, perhaps, just how vital that energy can be for a young team.

Orlando went 3-4 during its seven-game homestand. All three wins were impressive victories — defeating the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns. All three were clearly sparked by the fans.

It felt like playoff games in many ways. Organic cheers sprung up as the team tried to push to get back into the lead.

Even in the losses, as the Magic began to churn and make their runs to stay in those games, the energy coming from the fans was clear and it propelled the Magic forward.

Very clearly there is not just buy-in from the players. There is buy-in from the home supporters and the Amway Center crowd. Everyone is eager to see where this thing will go. And they have a part to play in it.

"“They’ve been incredible,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after the team’s shootaround Wednesday. “Our guys understand how much they support us and what they’ve done. They’ve willed us to so many games and brought us back when we were obviously down, their energy and excitement for how our guys have been playing has been fantastic. We have some of the best fans in the NBA.”"

The results at home were measurable.

In going 3-4, the Magic had a 114.8 offensive rating (sixth among all teams in their last seven games!) and a 115.7 defensive rating (25th in the league at that same time). Orlando found some stability offensively and shot the ball significantly better. But their defense never really came together.

There was something for the home crowd to cheer about and get excited about. But it is also clear from these numbers how much more work the Magic have to do.

The team always knew the start of its schedule would be difficult. Six of eight on the road to start the season for a young team was going to be a challenge. This homestand would have been a chance to find some stability and get their feet back under them.

Orlando was able to find itself offensively. But the team has long professed to be a defense-first outfit and that has not emerged yet. The team played great defensively in wins over the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns but struggled to communicate and stay in front against the Houston Rockets, Charlotte Hornets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

This inconsistency is as maddening as anything else.

Injuries certainly played a role. The Magic will head back on the road with more injured than before — Paolo Banchero is OUT until at least Friday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers having stayed home during this road trip. At least Gary Harris is set to return and Wendell Carter should return after missing one game.

But like many young teams, the Magic played up and down to their competition. Their focus seemed to wax and wane depending on the perceived challenge ahead of them. And those teams took advantage, finding a rhythm early and taking control of the game.

Overall, the Magic had a -11.0 net rating in the first quarter of the last seven games including a 121.8 defensive rating. It is a credit the team is able to bounce back and recover from those slow starts — and the energy from fans certainly spurred the team forward to get back into those games to varying degrees — but these are not things that travel.

That is a big hole to climb out of. And the Magic no longer have the comforts of home to give them that push.

In that sense, it is hard not to view the homestand as a bit disappointing.

The team established how good it could be in going 3-4 but still seemingly left plenty on the table. There was a lot the team needed to find on this homestand that still seems a bit shaky heading out on the road — the old cliche that defense travels feels especially prescient right now.

Fans are in on this team. Everyone is a believer in what this team can become and are astounded by Paolo Banchero’s initial burst and Franz Wagner’s growth. There is a lot to like about this team.

But there is clearly still work to do — beyond just getting healthy — for this team to take that step up it wants to take.

The homestand was good for the belief and support the Magic built. It was frustrating in the inconsistency that is still present and the base the team has not yet established.