There was so much frustration and anger after the Orlando Magic's season ended with a 120-89 defeat to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 on Tuesday, it was hard to be reflective.
This thing everyone had worked so hard on and for suddenly ended. There is still some time to process that as the offseason begins.
Last year, the season ended with some form of frustration, falling short in Game 7 on the road. Particularly after leading in the first half. It quickly became a season they looked back on with pride, but they felt the sting of defeat for the first time. They looked ahead to the future and the promise of the following season—this season.
They ended Game 5 frustrated that they did not get the opportunity to put their best foot forward. They ended it still trying to piece together what went wrong this season, and all they went through.
This may not be a season everyone could be proud of for its results. But the team could take pride in how they fought through everything to find a way to make something. There was something to gain on the journey that was the 2024-25 season.
"I said to this team I'm extremely proud of the way that they competed and represented the Orlando Magic all year," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Game 5. "You can go down the list for the things that have happened to this group and every reason to understand we could have felt sorry for ourselves, and we never did. . . . Everybody found a way. That's who this group has continued to be and will continue to be moving forward. no matter the circumstances, no matter the adversity, no matter what you are hit with in a season. You find ways to step up and step into the moment that you are called upon."
Undoubtedly, the Magic did not accomplish their goals this season. They entered the season talking about playing for homecourt advantage and winning a playoff series to reach the second round. They fell well short of those goals.
At the same time, it was a season filled with adversity.
Five games into the season, Paolo Banchero went down with an oblique injury. While the team survived for a time without him, a month later, Franz Wagner also tore his oblique. A few weeks later, Moe Wagner was out for the season with a torn ACL. Jalen Suggs hurt his back in early January and played only one more game before injuring his knee.
No team could survive missing their four best players for the extended time they did. Still, the Magic struggled to find themselves even when their stars were healthy. They fell to six games below .500 after a 1-7 homestand after the All-Star break. It officially ended their hopes of avoiding the Play-In.
The team still needed to find its resolve. To make something of this season and avoid complete failure. They had to find themselves.
Orlando finished the season 12-6 to get to .500 for the season and win the Southeast Division. The Magic hosted the Play-In Tournament game and routed the Atlanta Hawks to reach the playoffs.
"I'm extremely proud of this group," Wendell Carter said after Game 5. "We went through a lot, from injuries to the ups and downs of the season to people counting us out to a lot of outside noise. It kind of frustrated the guys. It was a lot of stuff we went through as a team. I'm super proud of everyone prevailing through it."
Through it all, the Magic still finished second in the league in defensive rating. They maintained and carried over the identity that guided them to the Playoffs, even while missing key players.
Banchero put together a career scoring season despite his post-injury struggles. Franz Wagner established himself as a current and future All-Star.
The Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner duo became the first pair of Magic teammates to average 20 points per game in the same season since Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee Hardaway in 1996.
But there were also struggles—the team had the worst 3-point field goal percentage in the league and ranked 27th in offensive rating. Orlando never scored 100 points in any game in the playoffs.
It is clear that, despite the team's top-end talent, they must add some more offensive players. In the end, the Magic's inefficiency on offense and poor shooting held them back from reaching their goals.
They achieved a lot but they still have much more to do. They responded to a lot of the adversity they faced this season. But there is still that feeling they came up short.
Orlando wants to compete for more. This team wants to compete for more. They are not satisfied with a pat on the back. They are not taking any moral victories from a hard-fought series. They still want more.
"We wanted to go to the second round," Banchero said after Game 5. "I don't think anyone is necessarily happy that we didn't get blown out four games. That wasn't the goal. The goal was to win and go to the second round. I'm not takin any moral victories from this series. The goal is to win."
The Magic can be proud of their resilience. They can be proud of how they rallied and gained something from this season.
But they are in the business of winning now. If there is something that changed this season, it is that the focus on winning changed everything. The team could not operate merely on vibes.
The traits they showed to survive this season will be good for them in the long run. But there is clarity of purpose within the roster now. They saw how fragile winning can be.
There is a lot to be proud of, but still so much more work to do.