After the Orlando Magic lost to the Chicago Bulls on March 6, the team seemed to be at its lowest point.
They had let a golden opportunity to build up wins slip through their fingers on their home floor, going 1-6 during a critical seven-game homestand including three straight losses to teams beneath them in the standings that came down to the final possession.
Instead, they sat in a virtual tie for eighth with the struggling Miami Heat and stared at a difficult five-game road trip ahead. Things looked bleak if the team could not come together.
Nearly 10 days later, the vibes have changed.
The Orlando Magic came together to snap a five-game losing streak and defeat the Milwaukee Bucks to open the road trip, surviving a late barrage from Damian Lillard to secure the win. They finished the road trip 3-2 with a landmark win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Even this moderate 3-2 road trip for the Magic seems to have renewed its spirit, rekindled its identity and put the Magic back on solid ground entering the season's final 13 games.
If the vibes are any indication, the Magic may have the kindling to turn the season back around. Hope springs eternal.
"I think we're just more consistent defensively. That would be my strategy point," Franz Wagner said after practice on Tuesday. "I think overall we just had a better spirit about ourselves, better energy more consistently throughout the games. Then when a couple of things work out, you get into more of a flow and things don't feel so heavy. Hopefully, we can carry that over for the rest of the games."
Back to their identity
The Orlando Magic's defense had slipped considerably heading into the road trip. During the team's first eight games after the All-Star break, Orlando gave up 114.4 points per 100 possessions, more than five points per 100 possessions worse than the team's season average of 109.3.
During the team's five-game road trip, Orlando gave up 108.3 points per 100 possessions, a number much more in line with the team's defensive physicality and identity.
That was the hallmark of the Magic's effort against the Cavaliers on Sunday.
They hounded Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland and sped them up, taking the Cavs' vaunted offense out of rhythm. That was the case for much of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks to open the road trip and throughout the losses to the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
There are still things to clear up—namely the team's rebounding after posting a 67.4 percent defensive rebound rate through the road trip—but the Magic seemed to be pulling back in the right direction.
They looked more like themselves.
"I think there are ways we've got to clean it up," coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Tuesday. "Obviously, the Houston game [Wednesday] is going to be key with offensive rebounds. We're going to make sure that is a key area of focus. Taking care of the basketball, finishing possessions off is going to be key as well as shot quality and execution down the stretch."
What the Magic seemed to get back most on this road trip was that fighting, never-give-up spirit that has defined the team for the last three seasons. The kind of spirit that has at times been beyond reach this year.
The Magic came out blazing to beat the Bucks in the opening game—leading by as much as 17 and never trailing in the second half. They torched the New Orleans Pelicans, leading by 30 at the half against the injury-filled team. They raced ahead in the second half of their loss to the Timberwolves too.
Orlando had to fight back from 13 down twice in the win over Cleveland.
Things were not always perfect. Damian Lillard hit a pair of threes and had a shot for the win in the game against the Bucks to open the trip. The offensive rebounds crushed the Magic in the loss to the Rockets. And Anthony Edwards took over the final three minutes on a 9-0 run to deliver Minnesota a come-from-behind victory.
But the Magic looked far more like themselves on this road trip than they have in some time.
"I think we found something," Franz Wagner said after practice Tuesday. "I think we've got to do it consistently in this league. It doesn't matter if we talk about it today or felt good about it yesterday, we have to do it tomorrow again. If you do it consistently and you get into a rhythm and a flow, those things will come a little easier."
Both Wagner and Mosley said the Magic have been trying to focus on the moment and not on trying to be perfect all the time. It has often felt like the Magic allowed mistakes to compound. Games like Sunday do not happen without resolve, determination and belief. Things that have felt inconsistent for this team.
The final sprint
Rediscovering those will be essential to the Orlando Magic's hopes to close the season.
That the Magic found something is not just clear from the defense reasserting itself or the late-game execution that was able to net the Magic some victories. It was clear from player performances.
Paolo Banchero continued his superstar tear, averaging 31.0 points per game on 47.8/41.7/78.9 shooting splits. He added 8.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for good measure.
Struggling veterans Wendell Carter and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also had good trips. Carter averaged 8.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, coming up big, especially in the team's wins during the trip with 16 points and 14 rebounds in the win over the Cavs.
Caldwell-Pope played in four of the Magic's five games on the trip. He averaged 9.0 points per game and shot 7 for 12 from three (50.0 percent) including hitting three of five in the win over the Cavs.
The Magic could have splintered after the frustrating homestand and the opportunity the team lost. But the road brought the team together and established its identity again.
"I think it was more of a mentality thing," Carter said after practice Tuesday. "The most important thing was to play hard. That's how we looked at it going onto the road. Being more of a selfless team. Not that we were selfish in any way, but just getting lost within the team. That was one of the things that helped us propel and get some wins on the road trip."
Time is running out for the Magic with just 13 games remaining. The Orlando Magic entered Tuesday's games trailing the Atlanta Hawks by one-half game for seventh in the Eastern Conference and a chance to host the 7/8 Play-In Game. The two teams still meet twice in the final week of the season.
There are still many games between then and now. Orlando has its work cut out for it and the team must keep improving. It is late in the season, but the Magic are putting their pieces together at last. They are making progress.
Finding that on this road trip might have saved the team's season and given it the boost it needed to finish strong. Of course, none of it matters without matching it with wins in the next five games and especially in the immediate aftermath of that successful road trip.