The NBA Finals have begun.
The journey that began in April with the start of the Playoffs and 16 teams eager to start over and make the long journey to the Finals is now down to two. The other 28 teams can only sit and watch to see who ultimately comes out on top with the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
The New York Knicks drew first blood with a 105-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1. It was a thoroughly entertaining game and hopefully previews a long, back-and-forth series ahead.
The first game was certainly filled with drama with the Knicks needing an 11-0 closing kick led by Jalen Brunson's critical offensive rebound and three sequence and a tough runner that gave New York a four-point lead with a minute to play.
To be sure, the world is watching.
And while the Orlando Magic have their own work to do -- from planning for the draft, building an assistant coaching staff and preparing for the offseason and free agency -- they are fans like the rest of us. They watch the Finals too.
They watch it knowing these are the teams they must ovecome and trying to learn what a team needs to be successful.
The Magic have another vested interest in this Finals too. Their new head coach is the associate head coach for the Spurs, and largely credited with organizing their defense. There is plenty to decipher and wonder as the Finals begin.
What are Magic fans watching as the Finals begin?
How will the Spurs' defense translate to the Magic?
There is certainly a deeper vested interest in the series because the Orlando Magic are waiting to introduce new coach Sean Sweeney after the NBA Finals end. The Magic are still in some suspension, waiting for their coach to arrive.
But there is plenty to study if you are the Magic and are a Magic fan. There is also plenty to wonder about what translates from what the Spurs are doing to the Magic.
Sweeney is largely believe to be in charge of designing the San Antonio Spurs' defense. And so Magic fans will be watching the Spurs' defense to figure out what this team might look and play like.
Victor Wembanyama throws a huge wrench in that. He certainly elevates the Spurs' defense -- in Game 1, the Spurs had a 96.2 defensive rating with Wembanyama on the floor and a 120.0 defensive rating in Luke Kornet's 10 minutes on the floor.
The Magic obviously do not have a Wembanyama to act as a backstop and giant stop sign in the paint. The defense must be different in significant ways.
But the Magic have some clear other advantages. Their size at every position should allow them to switch and pressure in a similar way that the Spurs currently do. They can cover the back end of a pressure defense more.
The bigger thing to watch is how precise the Spurs' communication has been. Even though they might have some weaknesses on the glass when Wembanyama switches onto the perimeter, their players are usually in the right spots and switching and communicating seamlessly to cover their man.
What San Antonio lacks is size. That is something the Magic have plenty of as you try to begin to lay the Spurs' defense on top of their roster.
Who stops Brunson?
The other side of the coin when watching the NBA Finals is the realization that these are the teams the Orlando Magic will have to climb over to one day win a championship.
The Orlando Magic have had some limited success against the San Antonio Spurs -- but lost both games to them this year, with one coming without Victor Wembanyama playing (the infamous Luke Kornet block).
The Orlando Magic have had more success against the New York Knicks.
The two teams split their four games this season with the two losses coming with Franz Wagner's high ankle sprain occurring in the first half of one loss and the other taking place in the NBA Cup semifinal in Las Vegas.
The Magic have not seen the Knicks since early December. It is hard to say how the Magic and Knicks would match up when they are both healthy.
But Orlando likely sees the Knicks as a team they quietly match up well with. Some of their biggest wins have seen Paolo Bancheor hit big shots at Madison Square Garden or Jalen Suggs pester Jalen Brunson.
Brunson still gets his against the Magic. In four games this year, Brunson averaged 33.5 points per game on 51.1 percent shooting. He was a dynamic player who could figure out how to get around the Magic's tough perimeter defense.
But in 2025, Brunson 25.5 points per game on 46.7 percent shooting in four matchups. The Magic still got their share of victories in that time. But Brunson just finds another level. He has tortured the Magic as much as anybody late in games.
New York is the class of the Eastern Conference. And like the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, the Orlando Magic have gotten some shots in against these elite teams.
But they have not beaten them consistently enough. And, except for the Knicks, the Magic have lost a playoff series to all the top teams in the conference.
What works on offense?
The Orlando Magic are trying to reshape their offense in some way. They want to be more efficient and effective on that end. And they may have to do that once again without consistent three-point shooting.
This is a copycat league. And while there are a lot of things no team can copy -- who else has a Victor Wembanyama or a Jalen Brunson? -- there are other things the team can copy.
Everyone is expecting the Orlando Magic to do something similar to the San Antonio Spurs' offense. They are expected to put an emphasis on pace to try to create mismatches to exploit.
Even looking at the New York Knicks, they have two bigger wings in Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. It is easy to see how they interact.
But these are both teams that create and run very differently from the Magic.
What should be clear is how vital shooting from role players will be. Julian Champganie made huge shots to give the Spurs the lead at the end of the first half. OG Anunoby and Landry Shamet hit big shots throughout the game as the Knicks stayed competitive.
Orlando still has a long way to go to build an offense that accentuates Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Orlando might have its stars in place and its unique way to play, but the team is still looking for the best ways to maximize its players.
The Finals still show what the team is clearly missing.
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