When the Orlando Magic touched down in Las Vegas last December, it truly felt like an arrival moment.
Yes, much of the fan focus and league focus was centered on a high-stakes matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the weekend's second game. The Orlando Magic and New York Knicks were very much the undercard.
Still, the national NBA world had its spotlight turned toward the Magic. There was loads of praise for this team, expected to make noise in the Eastern Conference in the spring, for shaking off a rough early start to reach this point. One of the last four teams alive in this early-season competition.
Even though the Magic lost to the Knicks, playing without Franz Wagner and with Jalen Suggs getting hurt in the third quarter, it still felt like the Magic were arriving on the big stage.
For the first three years of this competition, the Magic needed the NBA Cup. It was their proving ground. An early test and an early statement for a young team trying to grow into a contender.
Orlando is certainly among the most successful teams in the NBA Cup competition. It has benefited them greatly -- even if fans and teams throughout the league are not bought into the concept.
That time has passed though. The Magic have established themselves as a Playoff team. They are no longer focused on this intermediary goal.
The only thing that matters is winning a championship. The next step in that process is advancing deeper into the playoffs. That is the Magic's only focus.
The season's fifth game feels a bit too early for a game with some added meaning to come. It feels far too early in the season to say this is a "must-win" game.
But it is a must-win game for reasons beyond the special court on the floor. It is a must-win game because the Magic are trying to find their identity and find themselves for their bigger goals.
After three straight playoff trips without a series win, the Magic have graduated from the happy-to-be-here phase of their development. The phase that made experiences like the NBA Cup matter to them.
They have been there now. All that they should be focused on is trying to win in the spring. They do not need the NBA Cup to get there anymore.
The Cup as a tool
This is not to dismiss the NBA Cup. I am still a huge fan of the NBA's in-season tournament. I am all for trophies, and if it is out there to win, every team should be going to win it.
The embrace of the tournament has been mixed -- and certainly the early games have less intensity than the later games, when players and fans know that something is at stake. But it has served a purpose for young teams.
The arrival of the NBA Cup coincided with the Orlando Magic building a competitive team. They used it as their proving ground and to build confidence.
In the 2023 In-Season Tournament, the Magic were still establishing themselves. Wins over the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors gave them proof of concept that they could compete with the top teams. They felt big to this team -- especially a Black Friday matinee win over the Celtics.
Orlando only missed the knockout round because of a 20-point loss to Brooklyn and a 30-point win from Boston in the final game of group play.
They rode that success to the Playoffs that year.
In 2024, the Magic were determined to make good on that lesson. They reached the knockout round -- despite a rather embarrassing loss to the New York Knicks in the final game of group play. The injury-depleted team that faced the Milwaukee Bucks and nearly advanced to the semifinals seemed to be proof that the Magic would be competitive when they could get healthy.
Last year's trip to Las Vegas felt like a moment of arrival for the team. They dominated all four of their group play games, including a clinching road win over the Detroit Pistons to close group play, and beat the Miami Heat to reach Vegas. It felt like a confirmation of their potential.
The Magic used the NBA Cup exactly how young teams should. It was their proving ground and proof of concept they could win.
This team no longer needs that proof.
Finding new potential
Eventually teams graduate.
What happens after that graduation has been the struggle for the entire franchise. The team has a playoff team -- even most worst-case scenarios for this season included a postseason trip. It is getting to that next level that has mattered that the Magic have not been able to clear.
The NBA Cup trips the last two years signaled the team was ready. But they failed to deliver in the spring what they accomplished in November and December.
The Magic fired their coach last offseason, trying to find their next level. The front office is feeling heat for not proactively addressing the issues that kept the Magic from breaking through during the last two seasons.
The last two seasons have failed to cash in on the potential they showed in the NBA Cup. They never reached the highs of their December trips to the knockout round. They were the only NBA Cup semifinalist that failed to reach the conference finals last year.
Not for lack of trying. The Magic clearly had the talent. Plenty thought they could have advanced deeper into the Playoffs if they had held on to their 3-1 lead against the Detroit Pistons. The Magic did not earn the opportunity to prove that.
They were a team of missed potential.
That is the animating so much of the conversation of this season. The Magic kept the roster the same to prove that last year was about injuries.
Only this season has become about injuries again, too. And the Magic are still learning to play for a new coach. They have stubbed their toe to start the season.
Orlando has much bigger concerns right now than trying to win a game in the NBA Cup. The team is still trying to build its identity.
The Magic are still trying to get beyond the NBA Cup and get to winning the NBA Finals. That is the new goal and the new objective.
The NBA Cup is no longer the stepping stone. Although, a new trophy still would not be a bad thing.
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