DETROIT -- As the 8-seed in the Playoffs, getting to a Game 7 and a deep series against a 60-win top-seeded team would be a sure way to gain respect.
Perhaps the narrative will be that the Orlando Magic recovered some respect for how they defended and how they pushed the Detroit Pistons to the brink. Perhaps they will say that Franz Wagner's injury simply became too much to overcome for a team that was always climbing uphill as the lower-seeded team.
Perhaps they will note Paolo Banchero stepped up in a big way for his team in two of the Magic's three chances to advance to the second round and get the team to the promised land, scoring 38 points in Game 7.
There are consolation prizes and moral victories to find if you want to find them.
The Magic have had this feeling before. They have done this dance before. They lost in seven games to the Cleveland Cavaliers two years ago. They know they are capable of winning a playoff series.
They know they squandered a chance to close the series in Game 5 at the foul line and lost a 24-point lead in an embarrassing offensive showing at home in Game 6. This was their series to win, and they fumbled it.
The Pistons tightened their grip and demolished the Magic defensively. They finally looked like the top seed in a 116-94 victory in Game 7.
Nobody is satisfied with that.
"It's bout winning habits," Paolo Banchero said after Game 7. "It's about creating a winning environment every single day from September to now. We've got to be better. It doesn't start in April when the Playoffs start. It starts in September and October when we get everybody in the building.
"You build habits. You create an environment where losing isn't acceptable. Losing in the first round is not acceptable. It's not good enough. That should be the attitude. It shouldn't be comfortable in the building. It should be everybody on their p's and q's feeling pressure to be great because this result is not good enough."
The Magic will head into the offseason wondering what truly went wrong.
Was it the injuries? Certainly a part of it. Was it poor roster design? Absolutely with the continued struggles on offense despite Desmond Bane's addition. Was it coaching that had reached its limit? It certainly seems that way too.
The only thing the Magic know heading into their offseason is they fell short of their goals once again. They did not become the team they hoped to be no matter the circumstance. And this is not what they wanted.
Searching for balance and an identity
The Orlando Magic's entire season was a search for their identity.
The team wanted to lean on its defense for most of the season, but it was never there. The team dropped to 13th in defensive rating. Any improvements made to the offense -- their first season outside the bottom 10 in offensive rating since Dwight Howard's last year in 2012 -- were negligible in the end.
But Orlando was never quite right from the team's 1-4 start to the very end of the season. Their seven-game win streak was followed by a six-game losing streak. Their five-game winning streak was ended by a regular-season finale loss to the Boston Celtics' deep reserves.
The Playoffs proved that inconsistency too.
"I think we've just got to grow as people first and grow our games," Desmond Bane said after Game 7. "We've got a lot of young dudes in the locker room that have a lot of potential to get better, including myself. You have to take this time in the offseason to be real with yourself and know that what we did this year wasn't good enough and come back next year with a better attitude, better mindset, better game."
The Magic found their defensive identity at long last. They frustrated and hounded the Pistons for four games. Then they lost it. An injury hurt the team, but Detroit figured Orlando out.
The Pistons posted their best offensive game of the series in Game 7 with a 116 points and 126.1 points per 100 possessions. The Magic were climbing uphill after giving up the run at the end of the second quarter and could not track the team back.
Orlando scored just 15 points in the third quarter and 45 total in the second half as Detroit simply outlasted an Orlando team that looked like an overmatched 8-seed.
The Magic ended their series the way they began it: Trying to figure out who they are.
The Magic want to win
The best way to describe the feeling in the Orlando Magic's locker room was frustration.
This is not how this season was supposed to go. The team was a half away from advancing to the next round and redeeming themselves.
Falling short for a third straight season has left an empty feeling with the group.
"It's definitely frustrating, especially when we know we are more than capable of getting the job done," Wendell Carter said in the locker room after Game 7. "I don't think words can put into words. Right now, I don't even know. It definitely hurts."
Orlando was not good enough throughout the season. They had too many lulls and moments where they felt disconnected. They only showed glimmers and moments where they put all of their pieces together.
But it never came together fully. It never quite pieced itself together. This team never reached its potential. And it is made only worse with how close the team was to advancing.
"Definitely frustrating," Anthony Black said in the locker room after Game 7. "A little shocked. It sucks. I feel like we're getting better each year individually. Just player by player. And it's frustrating getting ot the same spot for everybody -- coaches, players, fans. We just lost. It sucks blowing a 3-1 lead."
Orlando showed what it is capable of doing throughout the series.
The team found the swagger and confidence. But it went away just as quickly. The 30-3 run in Game 2 showed the Pistons could still control things. The lost lead in Game 3 was a warning sign, too.
And Game 6 was Game 6. The Magic squandered plenty of opportunities to win throughout the season. The playoffs were no different.
And so again, the Magic are asking themselves how can they meet their expectations and goals? How can they do that one thing they all want: To win?
Those are the questions that they hold heading into the offseason.
Paolo Banchero wanted to say the team is good enough to make a deep playoff run. But he has to be honest: The last three years they fell in the first round.
This team is tired of coming up short.
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