When NBA Cup play began on Nov. 7, the Orlando Magic were sitting at 3-5 and unsure of their identity or who they were quite yet.
The start of group play sneaks up on teams just as they are starting to find their rhythm a few weeks into the season. Suddenly, they are playing games with some stakes attached.
Orlando needed something to snap the group back to attention. Perhaps the team needed the spark of some competition to find its footing.
After two years of disappointing endings in the NBA Cup, the league's still-new in-season competition had meaning to this young team. Advancing to Las Vegas and winning the cup was among the team's goals for the season.
This is something they want.
But more immediately, it was something that could galvanize the team. It may have been exactly what the team needed as they have gone 5-0 in NBA Cup games, starting with that rousing 123-110 victory over the Boston Celtics and ending with the gritty, come-from-behind 117-108 victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
The Magic have used the last month to find their groove, rhythm and identity. The NBA Cup has given this team life and sharpened its focus.
"We're just a competitive group," Jalen Suggs said after practice Thursday. "We had our minds made up that we wanted to go get this Cup early in the year. This was one of our goals. We are on the journey of accomplishing and scratching it off our list. I think it has been great how everyone has been locked in."
It may still be silly to a certain cynical segment of NBA fandom that a team would place the NBA Cup on its list of goals. But the Magic have been using this tournament to set the table for the rest of their season.
What makes this Cup run special is how it can launch the team into the rest of the season and preview what they can accomplish.
Scarred by Cup defeats
The Orlando Magic have been one of the best teams in the NBA Cup since it began three years ago. The Orlando Magic have gone 10-2 in group play and advanced to the knockout round for the first time last year, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Each tournament has helped reveal a little more of what the team was capable of.
The first edition in 2023 saw the Magic lose the initial game and get eliminated on the point differential tiebreaker, but the final three games showed the team was ready to compete for a Playoff spot. Their win over the Boston Celtics in the finale was especially encouraging as a sign of their intent.
Similarly, in 2024, the Magic used the games as a statement of their intent. They could survive without Paolo Banchero, and their culture was strong enough to carry them through important games.
Both tournaments seemed to propel the team to strong finishes in each season and Playoff berths. They were exactly what the team needed for their growth and development.
"I think every experience that you go through prepares you for whatever is next," coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Thursday. "Being in the Cup scenarios last year prepares you for the heightened focus and attention to detail. But you have to make sure you reflect on it the right way and take the things you need to improve on and go from there."
Everyone is obviously focused on the reward. It is not just a trophy, but everyone who makes it this far gets a bonus from the league. A little extra change in their pocket.
But there is also a clear benefit. Mosley said being on the road together and achieving something like this can bring the team closer together with a lot of season still remaining.
The team has shown its resiliency and steadily improved as these games have continued. The Magic are peaking at the right time in the tournament and looking like they can do a lot more as the season progress.
The team was already motivated to win it after the last few years, but this should propel them into the rest of their season. This is part of the Magic's building process.
"To talk about the playoffs, everything is a culmination of getting yourself ready for your playoff series when you get to that point of the year," Jalen Suggs said after practice Thursday. "Right now, these Cup games are their own, and these early-season games are their own. But they've been fun.
"We get ready to play the Cup, we know there is something bigger on the line. It kind of subconsciously helps get you in that mindset of preparing, of readiness and being super detail-oriented."
Still goals to achieve
These are not the Playoffs. No one is pretending that they are. But the Cup games have had a way of snapping the Orlando Magic, at least, into a higher level of focus. It was something they needed.
This is a step in the process. And everyone on this team knows there is a long journey ahead before the games that really matter in the spring.
The NBA Cup might be on the Magic's vision board, but the ultimate dream is to be ready for a deep Playoff run. That is something the Magic are looking more prepared to do.
The Cup games have been some proof of that. But the tournament is still a stepping stone toward the rest of the season.
"Iron sharpens iron. We're getting the chance to come out and play basketball and get those real-time reps and experiences we can take and learn from," Suggs said after practice Thursday. "I love the process we're on right now. We're taking all the right steps and making all the right moves. I'm excited to see how it all comes together."
There is still a long journey ahead -- not to mention the potential of a 16-day West Coast swing should the Magic win the NBA Cup. There will be a lot of basketball to be played before the team gets to that ultimate goal at the end of the season.
The team wants to win. That is the most important thing.
The NBA Cup is the game and prize in front of them now. And the Magic are making the most of their opportunity.