Orlando Magic has been eliminated from the In-Season Tournament, but they’ve learned how to handle success.
On the last day of the group stage, the Orlando Magic lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on the strength of the Los Angeles teams’ point differential tiebreak. The Magic missed their chance to move on to the next round of the In-season Tournament.
On Friday afternoon, the Orlando Magic closed group play with a win over the Boston Celtics, one of the biggest games of the season so far. The Magic had won easily, dominating the Celtics to move to the top of Group C and into the lead for the wild card spot. Orlando had won their sixth game in a row, and their seventh in a row on Sunday. They had done everything they could to move to 3-1 and +22 in Group C, putting them in a strong position to advance, but things did not go their way. The concern was evident, despite how good and enthusiastic the Magic had been on Friday afternoon, as the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls by a score of 124-97, leaving the Magic with a 22-point deficit. In Group C, the Brooklyn Nets beat the Toronto Raptors by a score of 115-103, bringing the tie to 3-3.
The Celtics, who knew they needed a win over the Bulls to move on and get past the Magic, did just that. For all the importance of the tournament to the young Magic, they can only reflect on what might have been on Tuesday night. All they can take away is one thing: Every game matters.
“I think it’s been great to have a chance to compete for something,” said Banchero after Friday’s win. “I think we’ve done a really good job these past three games. The Brooklyn game, we didn’t realize it was part of the tournament. After the game, it was frustrating for us because we were losing by 20 and we felt like we gave up the game. But these last three games, we totally flipped the switch and took it more seriously.”
The 20-point defeat to the Nets a couple of weeks ago is the primary reason the Magic won’t be going to Indianapolis next week. Instead, they’ll wait until their replacement games are announced next week, which will likely include one home game plus one road game.
At the end of the day, Orlando lost Group C by 5 points and lost the wild card to New York by 20 points despite going 3-1 in the tournament.
Whether the Magic made it to the playoffs or didn’t, it doesn’t matter as much as this is the first time the Magic have ever played for something.
Losing by 20 points in the opener against the Brooklyn Nets is one thing, but losing by 20 points in a must-win game against the Chicago Bulls is another.
When it comes down to it, every game matters, and every moment counts, especially when it comes to a trophy.
It’s the little things that count.
This was supposed to be a tune-up tournament for a young team such as the Magic. It was supposed to give them a taste of playoff intensity and how to handle the emotions that come with a series.
This wasn’t playoff intensity in any way, shape, or form. The games might have been a little wild, but it wasn’t nearly as wild as the playoffs.
Still, the team found a way to win under this kind of pressure.
It’s something this team has never done before.
No matter how this In-Season Tournament plays out, this team has won seven in a row and sits in second place in the East.
Paolo Banchero was named Eastern Conference player of the week, and the whole league is in love with him.
This team is in uncharted territory, and everyone wants to see how this young team responds. Maybe that’s the best thing this team can learn from this experience.
“We’ve talked a lot about how do we deal with success,” Jamahl Mosley, the coach of the upstart Magic, said after practice on Tuesday. “A lot of it is not just accepting the good and the bad and saying, ‘Okay, that’s it.’ You have to stick with the work that we’ve done. We’re competing every night, we’re doing our homework, we’re making sure we get everything done. We’re not beating ourselves up. We’re covering each other on offense and defense, and you still feel the same level of happiness no matter what happens. It’s about what you do that doesn’t necessarily reflect what people think of you.”
“That’s what we’ve been saying all week,” Mosley said. “That’s what I said on Friday.”
It was the main focus of Marc J. Spears’ article on the Magic this week.
The Magic needed time to develop their identity and to see it tested. Losing their first game put the team under pressure and put them under the microscope to even have a chance of advancing. After the first run through the tournament, it should be clear that a 3-1 record is required to have a chance of making it to the next round. Orlando lost that first game in its worst performance of the season and exited the tournament despite fixing all of those issues to win the final three games. The Magic found the focus they needed in the end. More than that, they showed resilience with their backs against the wall. The Orlando Magic has grown a lot in the last two weeks, and they seem eager to continue to grow. They beat the Chicago Bulls at the buzzer and also had close wins over the Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets.
I think we have many players who, when the stakes are raised, step up and don’t back off or avoid the moment,” Banchero said following Friday’s win. “The whole team and the guys have that mindset and it shows.”
The evidence of whether or not the Magic can sustain that will come down to the final quarter of the season. The Magic still have a long road ahead of them to reach April and the playoffs, and so far they’ve done their part to jump out to the top of the East standings.
The In-Season Tournament has certainly demonstrated that the job isn’t done until it’s done, and the team shouldn’t rely on others to lock up a playoff spot. The Magic need to do it on their own.
This is a new team, and it’s a new way of doing things. It’s a chance to try something different, and the expectations of what’s possible for this group are starting to change. Maybe those expectations have always been there, but now they’re changing.
It’s nice to see you second in the East,” said Banchero after practice on Tuesday. “It’s been a while since we’ve been there, and it’s a testament to all the hard work we’ve put in. It’s also a testament to our group and how close we are. I don’t think anyone is surprised or feeling happy. We knew it could happen. We kind of predicted it. We’re reaping the rewards, so let’s keep going and build on it.”
The In-Season Tournament taught the Magic that every game is precious and important, and that they need to be able to handle the pressure that comes with it. But more than that, they’re learning how to handle success and how to measure it. They’re learning to be the same in every game, and to approach everything the same. That’s something they’ll need to keep building on going forward.
That is the maturity the team is seeking. That is what they learned through the In-Season Tournament. Or what they hope they can carry forward now that their tournament is over.
