The Orlando Magic are not focused on postseason rewards. The only one of those rewards the team cares about is the trip to the Playoffs that is seemingly on the horizon.
The team is sitting in fifth in the Eastern Conference with a chance to catch the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers for third and fourth.
There is a lot to prepare for in the final 10 games of the season. Everything right now is working toward preparing the Magic for the Playoffs. And there is understandably a lot of excitement about what will come.
This has been a season of celebration. And one that the Magic believe will set the table for years of competitive basketball to come.
It has certainly been a surprise, even if the team expected to ascend to postseason play this year after the way they finished last year. Still, nobody saw the team competing for homecourt advantage in the playoffs or being one of the most dominant defensive teams in the league.
Orlando has gone through its work quietly this season and away from the national spotlight. But if the Magic are going to win one of the postseason awards, the most likely seems to go to the man leading the charge.
Jamahl Mosley is rightfully among the favorites for the NBA's Coach of the Year Award.
Mosley is always one to deflect attention from himself. He gives credit to his assistant coaching staff and players far more than himself. But so much of the team's success is about the culture of selflessness Mosley has created.
Mosley is a big reason for the team's success.
"We went against the odds this year," Wendell Carter said after practice Tuesday. "We're proving a lot of doubters wrong. I give him a lot of credit to him. He's out here, coaches every game, every practice, every off day. He checks in on guys when guys may have a bad game. He's the best coach that I've had since I've been in the league. He is a lot of the reason for us being so successful this year."
Mosley took over the team at the start of its rebuild. They won just 22 games his first year and then jumped to 34. The Magic have 42 wins with 10 games to go and seem set for a second straight season with a 10-year improvement.
Yes, the Magic got Paolo Banchero and drafted Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner in the meantime. But with relatively few roster changes over the course of the three years, it is a testament to the culture and growth Mosley has fostered to get them to this point.
Mosley earned a fresh extension that will keep him in Orlando through the 2028 season. He still has to prove himself as a coach in the Playoffs too. But the rest of the league has noticed the Magic's growth, even if the national media has not seen much of the Magic this year.
Mosley rightfully is getting consideration for the Coach of the Year Award. According to betting odds from FanDuel, Mosley is the second favorite to win the award. It seems likely he will be named a finalist for the award when it gets announced after the season ends.
There is still work to do. Mosley's odds to win the Coach of the Year are good but he is not the favorite to win the award. The fact that the media is voting on the award brings back the specter of the lack of national attention on the Magic's season.
But the ultimate goal is to win games and perform in the Playoffs.
As the season winds down, Mosley still has a case to make for Coach of the Year, even if it does feel inevitable who will win it.
It is nice to think about what the award situation looks like. Mosley is deserving of consideration for the award in a crowded and strong coaching field.
Even if Mosley does not want the recognition for it.
Here are our Coach of the Year Power Rankings as we enter the final 10 games of the season.