The Orlando Magic's win Monday over the Detroit Pistons brought a lot of different emotions.
There was certainly the joy from victory.
The team beat the best team in the Eastern Conference, even in the depleted state they were in, and continued a three-game win streak.
There was some measure of relief too.
Orlando built a 26-point lead in the third quarter and watched it wither to a four. A 14-2 closing run gave the game its final 16-point margin.
All the hope and optimism that is naturally present within this team, tempered with the reality that this team is still struggling to put al the pieces together even 79 games into their season.
Jalen Suggs, usually overflowing with joy after wins, was at the podium following Monday's game both content and contemplative. That is the emotion that this season has brought out.
It is a year in which the team has shown great promise but has left much unrealized. There have been big moments, but also massive disappointments.
As frustrated as fans are with where the Magic have ended up, the players are equally as disappointed.
With three games remaining, starting with Wednesday's home finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Orlando Magic still have something to play for. They can still fight their way up the standings.
And that is serving as some redemption for a season everyone acknowledges has not lived up to expectations or standards.
"The City of Orlando knows how I feel about them," Jalen Suggs said after Monday's game. "All I would ask is: I know it has been frustrating. I know it has been a tough year. We truly need you guys down the stretch. I promise we're working. None of us have given up or are waving any white flag. We really need the energy and effort when we come into this building. They are always so important to our runs when they are present to us.
"We haven't made it easy on them for sure. We just need you all to stick with us. I promise we've got you all."
Wednesday is the last time in the regular season this Magic team will play in front of their fans, frustration and all. It is a critical game for a team still fighting for its playoff lives.
And this team is still fighting.
Orlando is hoping for one last slingshot of energy from the Kia Center, where the team is 24-15, to propel them up the standings.
A close race in the East
Nobody pegged the Orlando Magic as having to make up ground in the chase for one of the Eastern Conference's Play-In spots. But that is the reality the team faces. And the Magic can only accomplish what is in front of them.
That is still quite a lot.
The Charlotte Hornets' loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday gave the Orlando Magic control over their own destiny for the 8-seed. Just one more Magic win, or one more Heat loss, will guarantee the Magic get a home postseason game -- whether that is the 7/8 game or the 9/10 game.
There is still a narrow path for the Orlando Magic to reach the 6-seed, trailing the Toronto Raptors by one game now but needing to pass them because of the tiebreaker.
All of these dreams start with the Magic winning their final three games. Without that, nothing else can happen.
But on a three-game win streak, even with some shaky moments in all three games against depleted teams, and winners of five of the last seven, the Magic are feeling confidence once again.
"The way I feel about this group is the sky is the limit when we continue to communicate with each other, talk to each other, and know where our bread is buttered," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Monday's game. "It's the defensive end of the floor and being able to get the stops to get out and run and continue to trust the pass. They are sharing and moving the basketball. We just have to continue to make sure we sit down and guard."
In the last seven games, the Magic have a 114.3 defensive rating. That includes their two blowout losses to the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks. Take that out and the Magic have a 109.2 defensive rating in those games.
That is back to the defensive level the team knows that it needs. It is the big reason the Magic have climbed back into this postseason chase.
And with Franz Wagner and Anthony Black back in the lineup, things feel a bit more normal again.
Eyeing the playoffs
Everything at this point is focused on the postseason. It is the carrot ahead of this team -- one that looks riper than it did a week ago.
The Orlando Magic cannot control where they land, they can only control their games and how they play. If they win all three games, they put themselves in position to escape the Play-In or host the 7/8 game. Even a 2-1 record would almost assuredly lock them into the 7/8 game, even if they have to go on the road to start it.
Those are small goals compared to what the team wanted to accomplish at the start of the season. Everyone can admit that. The Magic are not where they envisioned they wanted to be.
But this is still a team growing in confidence.
The Magic are hoping they can still be the team everyone imagined. This team still believes it can make noise when the pieces come together.
"It is the reality of the situation," Jalen Suggs said after Monday's game. "None of us are satisfied with just getting here again. None of us are satisfied with the way this year has gone. We want to continue to evolve and improve. There is no pressure on it. But I think a sense of urgency is the proper term to use when talking about that. It's time. If you go through it lackadaisically or thinking you have tomorrow, it's going to be the last one."
There is certainly no more time to wait. The Magic have a narrow path to grab something from this season. It will not be easy and it is out of their control. But that is still something to chase.