The Orlando Magic have yet to establish their true rival in the NBA.
They have had some good battles with the Boston Celtics. But even though the Magic gave the Celtics some tough regular-season matchups, their playoff series last year was largely a straightforward affair. The Magic left that series understanding they were not on the same championship level as the Celtics.
Orlando and Boston will have plenty of time to get reacquainted, including in the team's meeting in Orlando's first NBA Cup game, slated for Nov. 7 in Orlando.
The Celtics are still the measuring stick for much of the Eastern Conference -- just look at all the national television appearances they got on these marquee days despite Jayson Tatum's absence.
That game at Kia Center will again be a measuring stick. It is likely the Magic's first game against the Celtics since the Playoffs and the start of the team's NBA Cup hopes after advancing to the quarterfinals last year.
That is not the game everyone should have their eyes on. Nor should it be the Orlando Magic's NBC appearance against the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 25.
Everyone's eyes should be on the final game of the Orlando Magic's NBA Cup schedule: A Nov. 28 game at Detroit against the Detroit Pistons.
More than any team the Magic will face this year, the Pistons are already emerging as their chief rival. And this game -- a game that could determine who wins the group -- is the one everyone should have their eyes on.
Despite the names in this group -- specifically the historically stories Celtics and 76ers -- the two favorites to come out of this group are the Magic and the Pistons -- FanDuel currently has the Magic as the favorites at at +220, but the Pistons are right behind them at +270.
They are the two best young teams in the league. And both believe they can sneak into the Eastern Conference Finals or do more this season.
Having these two teams face each other in their final NBA Cup game -- a game with some stakes behind it -- gives this rivalry a bit more meaning. It will take it from an offline spat into a real battle. A battle that could be a preview for what is to come in the spring and years to come.
It could be hte first salvo in sparking one of the Magic's classic rivalries.
The Magic and Pistons are the two best young teams in the East
In the Orlando Magic's corner of the Internet, the summer has been an unqualified success.
To them, the Magic are the clear No. 3 team in the Eastern Conference. The 2025 season can be disregarded because of all the injuries. The Magic are really building off their 2024 breakthrough.
The Detroit Pistons are feeling that they are where the Orlando Magic were after the 2024 season. Cade Cunningham had his breakthrough as an All-Star thanks to good health. The team established a clear defensive identity under new coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
More than that, the Detroit Pistons put in a good showing in their first Playoff series, falling in a competitive six-game series with the New York Knicks.
The Pistons are not talked about in the same breath as potential contenders because they have only one proven All-Star in Cunningham -- the Magic have one proven star and another who is on his way to stardom along with acquiring a near All-Star in a trade this offseason. But Detroit is probably asking the world why can't they make that leap?
The early national TV schedule seems to be invested in the Pistons. The Detroit Pistons have a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Peacock's first broadcast day, and they will host a Martin Luther King game against the Boston Celtics.
These two teams are coming out of long walks through the wilderness of rebuilding to come back out on top. They both look like teams that will be competing in the Eastern Conference for a long, long time. The league as a whole may not be quite aware of how good both teams are and will be.
There is naturally going to be some tension.
The Magic and Pistons have fought on the court, their fans are fighting off it
Games between the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons have been physical and intense during the last two seasons.
A game in Detroit in the 2024 season was interrupted when Moe Wagner and Killian Hayes needed to be separated in front of the Pistons' bench. That led to several suspensions when Magic players rushed off the bench, or stepped a few feet toward the Pistons bench to see what was happening..
In a game in January 2025, players needed to be separated again (this time in front of the Magic's bench). Paolo Banchero was caught saying some unfriendly words toward Isaiah Stewart after a big and-1 play in the fourth quarter as the Magic pulled out a huge win.
That does not get into any potential bad blood that came after Cole Anthony dove on the floor for a loose ball and accidentally took out Jaden Ivey's legs, leading to his season-ending injury. Ivey's return this season is a big reason to be optimistic about the Pistons' improvement.
These games have been physical and intense.
But the battles have continued online.
Both the Magic and the Pistons are teams seeking more attention and that has sometimes meant trying to tear each other down -- wondering why one media member might prefer one team or the other.
There have been a lot of "start, bench, cut" debates that have pitted Paolo Banchero against Cade Cunningham, with both teams' fans defending their guy.
Ultimately, they will have to prove it on the court. And the best way to prove it on the court is in games with stakes.
For the first time since the Magic faced the Pistons in the 2007 second round, a Magic-Pistons game will have something on the line on Nov. 28. The winner of that game could likely host a NBA Cup quarterfinal game and get the inside track to head to Vegas to win the trophy.
And it does not feel like it will be the last time the Magic and Pistons play for something.