It felt big even at that early stage in the season in November.
The crowd at the Kia Center is always supercharged when the New York Knicks are in town. They have a lot of fans everywhere and seemingly especially in Florida. And these two teams knew early in the season they were likely going to be fighting for a spot on top of the Eastern Conference.
So when the Orlando Magic went on a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter -- the New York Knicks' quarter -- capitalized by Anthony Black knocking the ball away from Josh Hart after chasing him up the court directly to Jalen Suggs, it felt like a major moment. The Magic built a 17-point lead with Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black frustrating Josh Hart into a technical foul that allowed Suggs to egg the crowd on.
The Magic won that game 133-121 thanks to 37 points from Franz Wagner, 27 points from Desmond Bane, and 26 points from Jalen Suggs. The Magic flexed a little muscle on the Eastern Conference favorites.
It was their second win over the Knicks in 10 days.
This was meant to be the Magic's moment of arrival. Just as their appearance on the stage with these Knicks at the NBA Cup was supposed to be a pronouncement of their status as contenders.
That is not how things worked out this season. The Magic's injuries -- the big one to Franz Wagner happening in the Dec. 7 loss in New York -- were too much to overcome. Orlando never reached that potential.
But even in their two losses, including the loss in the NBA Cup semifinal in Las Vegas, the Magic proved they were a tough out. They proved they were a team that could push the Knicks. They are a team that has the pieces to bother the Knicks and make their life difficult.
Everyone's path to a championship is starting over with the Knicks now lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the 2026 season. Orlando will now get its coach, Sean Sweeney, fresh off the bitter defeat in these Finals, in town to begin this team's journey.
They have a team that has frustrated the Knicks plenty, even in defeat. And maybe, maybe the next team to topple them on the way to the NBA Finals.
The Magic have played the Knicks tough
Undoubtedly, the Orlando Magic still have a long way to go to think about winning a championship. This team has not been out of the first round with this group in three playoff trips and is coming off losing a 3-1 playoff series lead, including an embarrassing and demoralizing second half in Game 6 at home.
Even thinking about being in the same conversation as the NBA champion feels like getting too far ahead.
But the Playoffs in this era of parity are increasingly about matchups. And the Magic are still an incredibly tough team to solve, even with their known weaknesses.
The Magic, with their big wings, increasingly prove to be a difficult matchup for the Knicks. Orlando was one of the few teams that was bigger on the wings than New York, taking away one of New York's big advantages.
The Magic toppled the Knicks in the first meeting in mid-November, even though Paolo Banchero left the game in the second quarter with a strained groin. Orlando put a rough start to the season fully behind them with killer shots to keep New York at arm's length.
Orlando followed it up with that home victory. It was a balanced effort in both games with Franz Wagner scoring 28 points and nine rebounds in the first meeting and going shot-for-shot with Jalen Brunson for 37 points in the second meeting.
Wagner continued to look more like a star. And someone who could stand up to the Knicks and all of their offense.
Even in the two losses, the Magic found pockets that gave the Knicks problems.
Even with Wagner out for most of the game after suffering the high ankle sprain that would cost him most of his season in the December game in New York City, the Magic rallied to make it a six-point game but mostly played in a daze, unable to get downhill.
The story in Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semifinal was not the same, but it was similar. Down Franz Wagner and with Paolo Banchero still finding his footing after returning from his groin strain, the Magic were playing uphill against the Knicks.
Suggs went shot-for-shot with Brunson for 25 points in the first half. But he had just one point in the second half as he dealt with a hip injury that would cost him the next two weeks. That opened the door for Brunson to deliver the win.
The loss on the NBA Cup stage showed the Knicks still understood how to win in a way the Magic did not. Still New York took advantage of an Orlando team dealing with major injuries. These two teams never played at full strength.
And many of the assumptions the Magic are making about their lineup after their Playoff loss also feels accurate to their matchups with the Knicks. The team had enough and was never healthy.
The measure of a champion
Of course, the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks did not face each other after the NBA Cup game on Dec. 13. It was so early in the season that teams evolve dramatically to the end of the season.
Even though the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the final of that competition, everyone would say that both teams were dramatically different by the time they faced off in the spring.
No one would pick the Magic with the season they had to beat the Knicks in a seven-game series. And it is for one reason most of all.
While Orlando has its share of playoff experience, New York's experience is different. The Knicks have won playoff series, have suffered and learned from heartbreak and have squeezed out critical wins.
Jalen Brunson is a bona fide star, able to take over and finish games, even on his worst days. That is something the Magic's two stars are still learning to do. And still learning to do at a big stage.
The Magic showed in all three of their playoff series what a difficult matchup they can be. Their size, skill and defense are tough for any team to handle. Orlando is not going away as a potential contender. Everyone is waiting for this team to put the pieces together.
But this is the New York Knicks' world now. The Magic might match up well with them. But they, like everyone else, will spend the 2027 season trying to knock them off their well-deserved perch.
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