5 Orlando Magic myths and how to dispel them

Myth No. 1: The Magic can't win big games

The Orlando Magic are still a team outside of the national spotlight. They are a team that has worked on the periphery of the league.

Many were surprised to see them sitting in fifth in the Eastern Conference at the end of the season and pushing a more established team in the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round.

There is still some shock about the Magic's ambitions this year of getting homecourt advantage in the playoffs and competing for the top of the East.

The Magic still have a lot of work to do to change perceptions. They have a lot of work to make themselves part of the national conversation and a serious threat to win the Eastern Conference.

And a lot of that comes down to winning marquee games.

The Magic got one shot at that during the regular season last year in their lone nationally televised game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They showed themselves off well, but the Thunder were the better team that night and throughout the season. Orlando receded to the background.

Somehow that was the only impression the Magic got to make on a national stage until the playoffs.

The numbers do not support the Magic either.

Orlando went 19-28 last year against teams with records better than .500. Only the Chicago Bulls had fewer wins against such teams among all postseason teams last year.

Orlando feasted on bad teams, but could still use some work winning against good teams more consistently.

Still, the Magic had some huge wins last year.

They swept the defending champion Denver Nuggets, including Paolo Banchero's triple-double for an undermanned Orlando Magic team on the road. They defeated the Boston Celtics during a must-win In-Season Tournament home game on Black Friday (on NBATV). They came from behind to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road.

And, of course, the Orlando Magic gutted out a Game 6 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers to force a Game 7 in the biggest win of the season.

The Magic should enter every game this season believing they can win. They are good enough to beat any team on their schedule. They proved that last year with some of these big wins.

The question is about consistency and whether the team can win these kinds of games regularly. It is why those two difficult stretches in December and January are so huge. It is why winning those five nationally televised games will go a long way to proving the Magic are ready to play on a bigger stage.

But Orlando can and has won these games. This year, the team will have to do it more often to take the next step up. Nobody should be counting out the Magic however.