It did not seem like there was even enough time to process or see the Orlando Magic without Paolo Banchero before the league and its media partners took their NBA Cup group play finale against the New York Knicks off the calendar. They switched the nationally televised game to a more star-driven matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks.
The league, like so many other counted them out. They saw Orlando without its star and pre-determined the team was not good enough. They said the Magic would slide down the standings.
As the Magic found their footing without Banchero, they turned heads. This team was not going to quit and not going to go quietly into the good night. This was not about survival. This team was still going to accomplish its goals. They did not slip down the standings.
The NBA ultimately restored the Magic's game against the Knicks to TNT. But Orlando did not take advantage of the spotlight.
They went back to work to rebuild their record. And then bad news hit again. Franz Wagner was out with a torn oblique too. Magic fans spent Saturday mourning and wondering if this would be the end of the good vibes and the Magic's season.
Just like the last time the team faced an injury, Orlando proved that would not be the case. On Tuesday in Milwaukee, on a national stage, they showed the world what they are about. The Magic are not a team to be counted out.
This team is far from dead. Rather, the Magic are ready to keep the pedal down and maintain their place in the Eastern Conference.
Even in a 114-109 defeat at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday that eliminated them from NBA Cup action, the Magic showed the nation on TNT who they are and what defines this team's identity.
"We fought. We played hard, withstood runs, withstood adversity. For that I'm proud of every man on the roster," Jalen Suggs said after Tuesday's loss. "Everyone did everything tonight to give ourselves a chance to win the game. It hurts knowing that we had an opportunity knowing everyone did everything they could, fought through injuries. It's a credit to the team.
Playoff games come down to the margins
The Orlando Magic never stopped fighting and coming at the Milwaukee Bucks. But high-pressure games come down to the smallest margins.
Damian Lillard hit a tough step-back three over Wendell Carter with about a minute to play to tie the game at 106. Anthony Black split a pair of free throws with about 40 seconds remaining and Lillard answered with a layup to give the Bucks the lead.
Jalen Suggs, magnificent all game with his shot-making especially down the stretch to score a career-high 32 points, missed a contested three, and the Bucks rebounded to go back up three at the foul line.
The Magic ran their pet play to get Suggs a three-pointer in the corner, but he missed. And the Bucks secured the game at the free throw line.
Even without their two stars, it took all of the Bucks' might in the final moments to secure the victory.
"We want them to understand what they just did just from an effort category," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Tuesday's loss. "From going toe to toe with two Hall of Famers and a very experienced basketball team. We won't make excuses for having bodies or not having bodies. You go toe to toe with a team like that and realizing how hard it is to overcome our own mental lapses. I think in these moments this is where the possessions matter and the focus matters in these games.
"I could not be more proud of their effort, their energy, their sticking together throughout their runs in the game that shows continued growth for this team and understanding how good we can continue to be."
Proof they can compete
This Orlando Maigc team is not one to take a moral victory.
They are not going to accept a defeat like this. They know their mistakes were their own—turnovers at the wrong time, 21-for-27 shooting at the foul line and defensive lapses at the wrong time beyond just the fantastic shotmaking of the Bucks' Hall-of-Fame players.
The Magic led by three with a 1:13 left when Anthony Black split a pair of free throws. That enabled Damian Lillard to get to the basket and hit the go-ahead and eventual game-winning basket.
It was not just that. Orlando gave up a 7-0 run to end the second quarter to give away the lead before halftime. They gave up an 18-4 run in the third quarter that put them down double digits. Those little things and those little lapses determine high-intensity games like this one.
That is something for them to learn from. But they left everything on the floor once again. Nobody could come away thinking this is not a team that is going to scrap and fight for every inch.
"We feel like we've got some of the best talent in the league and some of the most depth," Anthony Black said after Tuesday's loss. "Definitely good to play in front of some eyes that way our guys are getting the credit they deserve. Of course, we wouldn't mind it coming in a win."
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before the game that a team that defends and plays as hard as the Magic do is the kind of team that can survive playing without a star player. They can calibrate everything so well that once they get their feet under them, they become as difficult to deal with as if they had all their stars.
The margin for error might be smaller. Strings of mistakes or missed shots could snowball into a deficit. But like the game against the Phoenix Suns, the Magic never let that phase them. They kept coming back.
It is that trait that will serve the team well. It is something deeply embedded in this group. They have been through losing a star player before, now they are just rallying to find their spark again.
Clearly they have found it. And teams that think they can walk in and get an easy night with the Magic find they are in for a rude awakening. Just like they have been in a rude awakening for the last several years when they face the Magic.
Orlando has developed its identity and its culture. And it has shown in these first two games without Wagner.
On a national stage, the Magic finally put their best foot forward. They continued to gain confidence in who they are and what they are capable of as a group. And that will only make them better as they prepare for their ultimate goal—making and winning in the playoffs.
There is still work to do.
"You have to keep your head up in this situation," Mosley said after Tuesday's loss. "Yes, it sucks right now because you didn't get the results you wanted. We want to come out and win the game. It sucks that we didn't do it. Then you have to look at what you did in the game that gave you an opportunity. You go toe to toe, down to the wire against a team with two Hall of Famers, All-Stars, veterans with experience in these situations. It comes down to two possessions within a game that you can clean up."
The team's NBA Cup journey ended in disappointment. And a lot of players took the loss hard to miss the opportunity to win a trophy and move on. But the team showed a lot throughout the NBA Cup and what this team will continue to become.