The Orlando Magic are beaming about their season.
It has been a long time since the franchise has felt this kind of positivity about heading into their offseason. Sure there were moments when the team seemed about ready to break through and there were even a few playoff appearances, but it never felt like this.
The certainty and openness about which this young team is talking about both the games it left on the table this season and its ambition to make the postseason next year is something very different.
Having the Rookie of the Year will do that. But so too will the growth that has been seen from several players throughout the roster. They know what they accomplished this season is truly something to build on — a 29-28 finish to the season after starting 5-20 with tons of injuries.
It certainly feels like Orlando has a bright future.
The Orlando Magic had a great season where they showed a ton of growth. The team had a lot of moments throughout the season that stood out as among the best.
That, as evidenced by that record, is not simply about the feeling the team has. It is very much about the record and the games that got built. Everyone in Orlando is excited about this team and this group because they showed it to us on the court.
For the first time in a while, we are not going to be scrounging for 10 memorable games. Or accepting moral victories as solid games (do not expect a lot of losses on this list).
The Magic are starting to become a winning outfit. Winning certainly became more of a habit this year.
There will be many more moments to celebrate. And there are certainly games this year that should leave the Magic still hungry to improve. Nobody is resting on their laurels after a 12-win improvement and a 34-win season.
But there were a lot of games that stood out this season. So here it is, as part of our season recap, our top-10 games of the 2023 season.