The Orlando Magic have missed the NBA Playoffs and Play-In Tournament altogether. There was no postseason basketball and the season ended with optimism a few weeks ago.
All in all the Magic had a successful season and the team cand hold its head high and look forward to their growth and development to come. But, in hindsight, Orlando missed many opportunities throughout the season that caused the team to miss the chance to fight for the postseason.
The Magic certainly can point to their 5-20 start and the injuries that led to it. The team did well to rally and go 29-28 the rest of the season. But still, the Magic never really got closer than three games to the final play-in spot.
It was good for this young team to talk about and focus on the postseason as a realistic goal. But the team never made the big move to put pressure on the teams ahead of them. And in the end, the Orlando Magic only climbed over the Indiana Pacers just before their eventual elimination from postseason contention.
The Magic still had quite a mountain to climb. And, as there are every season, there are losses that sting a bit more than normal. Opportunities lost that very realistically cost the team a chance to play into late April and maybe even some into early May.
This is not a season for regret. The Magic learned and gained a lot.
Still, looking back at these 10 missed opportunities will give the Magic an avenue on what to improve on next season.