“The real teams start to play now. As a young team that hasn’t really been there (in a playoff push), we need to embrace that and go there.”
That was Moe Wagner, one of the Orlando Magic's few players older than 25, sounding off on the team's first real playoff push in more than a decade.
He is right -- playoff talk has not been a thing in and around The City Beautiful much, unless you are heading down Church Street to Orlando City Soccer's Inter&Co Stadium.
It has especially been the case in the last few seasons. Not a single player outside of Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Issac experienced the short 2020 bubble playoff run (a 4-1 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks). Only Gary Harris and Joe Ingles have Playoff experience outside of them at all.
The Paolo Banchero/Franz Wagner era is just beginning. In just two years, this young squad has vaulted itself into a spot in the postseason with a Coach of the Year candidate in Jamahl Mosley leading the way on the sidelines.
Like Moe said, the real teams start to play now. After April 14, records turn into seeds and a new season begins.
All that matters is who gets the magic number '4' first.
Entering the season's final week, the Orlando Magic are third in the Eastern Conference, tied with the New York Knicks and a half-game ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are one game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for first.
The Magic are in the thick of the Playoff chase. They could face any number of teams as the postseason begins.
and with that, a look at the potential 'real teams' in the Eastern Conference that Orlando could face in the playoffs in a couple of weeks.