3 Opponents we'd like to see Orlando Magic open the 2024-25 season against
By Elaine Blum
While the Olympics are still in full swing and many NBA players are busy with that, the 2024-25 season is slowly but surely approaching. Orlando Magic fans cannot wait for the new seasons.
The team broke through last season and made the playoffs. Orlando's rebuild is officially over. Now, the mission is to build a contender, and the 2024-25 season will be a crucial step in that development. After all, the Magic are still incredibly young. Building a contender takes time, and none of the Magic's core players are in their prime yet.
Still, the 2024-25 season should see the Magic win a significant amount of games and maybe even clinch homecourt advantage for the playoffs.
However, wins cannot be the only way to measure the Magic's success. Orlando might not top its win total from last season, but if several players show significant growth, it will still be a successful season.
Either way, the 2024-25 season should be filled with exciting games. The season opener should be no exception, so who would we like to see the Magic open the 2024-25 season against?
3. The Cleveland Cavaliers
The Orlando Magic somewhat surprisingly pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the playoffs. That alone was a success, but Game 7 still left a sour taste in the mouths of many Magic players and fans. They were close to moving past the first round but could not quite get there.
Despite some tough losses, the Magic did not consistently look like the inferior of the two teams. They beat the Cavaliers by huge margins twice in games 3 and 4.
A rematch of last season's first-round series would make for a thrilling opening game for both teams. The Cavaliers would surely like to prove that their series win was no fluke, and the Magic would likely welcome a chance to get their revenge early on.
Plus, these are two of the teams expected to compete for one of the playoff spots behind the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers. Both learned the value of homecourt advantage last season, as the home team won every game in their playoff series. Regular season wins count towards securing homecourt advantage, starting with the very first game. Knowing that should give this matchup some added competitiveness.