It is easy to make jokes about the NBA Cup.
The NBA created this competition to try to spark some interest in the league early in the season while football is still going on. They wanted to combat the idea that no one should watch basketball until Christmas or even later.
The cynics poo-pooed anything new. They laughed at the league mandating the Los Angeles Lakers hang a banner for their original title.
This was manufactured. Why should anyone celebrate this silly thing the NBA created out of thin air? This is not as important as the big trophy at the end of the season?
That last part might be true. The Miami Heat are not completely heartbroken over not getting a trip to Las Vegas, although they are surely disappointed. The season moves on for everyone who has been eliminated from the tournament.
Just do not say this does not matter to the victors and those moving on. It could be joking about the prize money at the end of the year -- Desmond Bane joked he just lost $35,000, so he needs to get that back somehow.
But, at the end of the day, there is a trophy to win. And this Magic team wants to make its mark on the wider NBA world.
"I think the guys that aren't making it or get kicked out have the same feeling that this is stupid, and we shouldn't be doing it," Jonathan Isaac told reporters in the locker room after Tuesday's win. "But when you're in it, there is obviously a money piece of it and a team piece of it, we want to win it. When we're playing the game, it means everything."
The Magic locker room certainly had the feeling of doing something big. The music was bumping after the game and there was a little dance party going on. The team is excited for its trip to Las Vegas.
For the first time, a team is looking for what could be a 16-day road trip with the Magic going on a four-game West Coast trip after their NBA Cup games are complete.
It is hard not to believe this does not mean anything to this team. Like going through Playoff scars, this team has gone through NBA Cup scars. They have wanted this trip for a while.
Signs of growth
The value coming from the NBA Cup is different for every team. The two champions so far have come from more veteran teams who could play well early in the season but faded at the end.
The benefit and the heroes of the Cup in the first two years have been teams that have used it as a platform to announce themselves -- the Indiana Pacers in 2023 and the Houston Rockets in 2024. It has been about teams using winning these pressure games as a launching pad.
The Orlando Magic should be considered one of the best NBA Cup teams in the touranment's short history. They have gone 10-2 in three group play rounds.
But Orlando fell short of reaching Vegas in each of their tournaments.
They lost out on the Wild Card in the 2023 tournament by 20 points on group play's final day. They lost in the quarterfinals in Milwaukee last year after a spirited effort.
A lot of the players remembered those defeats and the missed opportunities. This is like teams slowly progressing through the Playoffs. They want to go further each time season. It is a sign of growth.
"It means everything," Isaac said in the locker room after Tuesday's game. "The way we started after not getting there two years in a row. It felt like we were right on the brink. It speaks to the talent and the resiliency in the room. We hunkered down and got to it. We were able to eclipse that lead and win the game."
The Magic have used this tournament as their proving ground in all three years.
In the first year, they seemed to realize their playoff potential in real-time, and their run through the tournament seemed to give them the confidence for their playoff breakthrough. Last year, the Magic gained confidence in the tournament, with Franz Wagner leading the way. It was a confirmation of their identity.
This year, it was a matter of focus.
The Orlando Magic's 117-108 win over the Miami Heat seemed to be a statement of their will after erasing an early 16-point deficit and falling behind 15-0 out of the gate.
Orlando showed it can win at a seemingly higher level.
Reaching Vegas accomplished a lot of goals.
"It's going to be fun," Paolo Banchero said after Tuesday's win. "We've had a chance the last two years to go to Vegas, and we haven't been able to. To finally get through and advance is a good feeling. But we're not done yet and everybody's excited."
Something to compete for
Ultimately, this is a trophy on the line. And the closer teams and players get to the trophy, the more real it and its rewards become.
These are super competitive people. And the genius of this tournament, for all the cynicism and jokes, is that it does create a competitive fire. It creates intensity when there might not otherwise be motivation to increase their level of play.
Even with a 6 p.m. start and falling behind, it was hard not to feel the energy in the Kia Center. As always, coach Jamahl Mosley credited the fans for giving the team a needed energy boost.
Paolo Banchero noted that the playoff-like stakes in this game upped the intensity. It ultimately did feel like a Playoff game.
Ultimately, the motivation is to win something.
"Our guys really do buy into that," Mosley said after Tuesday's win. "Having the ability to go to Vegas, the stakes that are there, it's a little bit of bragging rights throughout the year. Our guys dive into that. It just continues to bring the chemistry with this group that you love to see."
There is obviously a bigger goal to come at the end of the season. The Larry O'Brien Trophy is still the goal. And the Magic are looking more and more like a potential Eastern Conference contender.
If the Orlando Magic lose Saturday against the New York Knicks, their season will move on.
But the Magic have the confidence of a team that can win this whole tournament. To them, this tournament has done wonders for their team development. It has given them something major to play for.