Cole Anthony had dinner with his father Greg Anthony on Saturday in Atlanta before the Orlando Magic's regular season finale.
Cole has always talked about himself and his father, a former NBA player and current broadcaster with NBATV and Turner Sports, with a playfulness and jokiness of a family member. But Anthony admitted that his father had said something serious to him before that game.
Cole said his father said there was a chance he was not going to be in the rotation for the postseason. With rotations shrinking for the postseason and Cole amid a career-worst season, it was certainly possible the Magic might look in another direction.
But there Cole was late in the third quarter with the Magic clinging to a three-point lead and the ball in his hands. The Magic needed a basket and Cole delivered, going in transition to hit a tough layup before two defenders could close him down. It gave the Magic a seven-point lead late in the third quarter.
Then he kept scoring, stepping into a three after a crushing screen from Wendell Carter, pulling up with confidence over a taller defender at the elbow, and draining a trailing and backbreaking three after an incredible block from Anthony Black.
Orlando did not look back from there.
Anthony scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's win over the Atlanta Hawks. He powered the Magic to a 41-point quarter that saw the team rebuild its lead to as much as 27 points and win the game 120-95 to advance to the playoffs.
It is safe to say Anthony was rightfully in the rotation for that all-important game. It is safe to say the Orlando Magic are not preparing for the Boston Celtics now, if not for Anthony and his heroics.
After a season of doubt and uncertainty and questions about Anthony's place on this team and its future, he came through in the biggest game of the season. He proved he was worth it.
"I found myself in a situation where the ball was in my hand," Anthony said after Tuesday's win. "I was fortunate enough to have some teammates to put me in a situation where I was able to get easy shots. I was in a situation where I could get them some easy shots. I just felt good. It was a great game. This was a game we didn't want to let this go. For us, we weren't going to lose tonight. That wasn't an option."
An up-and-down season
Cole Anthony has not had his best season. He averaged a career-low 9.4 points per game and shot 35.3 percent from three, leading the team. But that was hardly a solid shooting percentage, joining the rest of the team in its shooting slump.
That only came after he struggled in his first playoff series, averaging 5.1 points per game in 14.7 minutes per game in last year's playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
That is why it did not seem implausible that Anthony might not be in the postseason rotation. Even after the All-Star break, when the Magic flipped the season back in their favor, Anthony struggled to recover from a left big toe strain.
Before Tuesday night, Anthony had not scored 20 points in a game since he scored 22 against the Milwaukee Bucks in a season-turning win. Anthony had only eight previous games with 20 or more points, far from the reliable scorer he had been in his early seasons.
After the All-Star break, he still averaged 10.1 points per game and shot 43.6 percent from three. Anthony had to be considered for the rotation, mostly because the Magic needed his shooting threat.
He can still be that spark the Magic need.
"We all know who Cole is," Wendell Carter said after Tuesday's win. "Cole is one of those guys you can throw him out there up 10 [or] down 10, and he can change the whole perspective of the game. He's a gamer. No matter the situation, he is going to rise to the occasion and try to figure out a way to help his team win."
Anthony was the first to admit that he did not deserve to be in the rotation early in the year. After a slow start, the Magic removed him from the regular rotation. The frustrated Anthony accepted the demotion as he sought answers with limited opportunity.
Injuries changed a lot of things and pushed Anthony back into the starting lineup. He had plenty of highlights this season even amid the struggles.
He delivered one of the best games of the season, scoring 35 points in the Orlando Magic's 27-point comeback against the Miami Heat in December. He also hit the go-ahead basket to defeat the Brooklyn Nets in a one-point win in late December.
Both wins clearly are important now as the Magic won the division by one game, hosted the Play-In game and set themselves up to win that game. Anthony's heroics Tuesday night do not happen without those games. The Magic do not have this small measure of success without Anthony this season.
"It has been up and down for him," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Tuesday's win. "But just his energy, his spark, his juice, what he provides for this team coming off that bench. He plays fearlessly and that's how we need him to continue to play."
Uncertain future
There are still questions for Cole Anthony to answer, though.
Of all the draft picks Jeff Weltman has made, Cole Anthony remains the outlier. He is an undersized scoring guard and a willing but flawed defender. He does not fit the type for Magic draft picks.
There were still some questions when the Magic signed Anthony to a seemingly affordable three-year, $39.1 million extension before the start of last season.
He has only two years left on that deal with a team option on the final year in 2027. As important as Anthony was to Tuesday's breakthrough win, he could be a movable contract as the Magic figure out their next steps and try to improve their offense.
Anthony delivered Tuesday. And the reality is that Orlando's hopes in the playoffs in its series against Boston will come down to whether a player like Anthony can step up consistently and deliver.
The Magic do not need 27 points from Anthony every night. But they need the threat of his shooting and scoring to sustain bench lineups and ease pressure off the team's two stars.
They still need the spark. And on this team, Anthony is uniquely qualified to provide it.
Anthony put aside a frustrating season and delivered at the most critical moment for the team. He gave Orlando exactly what the team hoped to see.
For now, the question should be put to rest. Anthony has earned his spot back in the Magic's rotation. He will have his chance and play an important role for this team during these critical games ahead.