I have a few candidates I could consider as a favorite team but the one I have to pick is my hometown team that I’ve followed since the very beginning and attended the most games during their highs and lows. That team is the Orlando Magic.
How It All Started
I’ve been a Magic fan since they became an NBA franchise. Starting at the age of 7 I would watch their games almost religiously. They were the first professional sports team I ever saw live and in person. I met one of the original team members, Reggie Theus, and obtained his autograph. I still remember the first game I attended. They played the Phoenix Suns and lost by 4 points. I went with my dad and we sat in the nose bleed section. I remember being disappointed that they lost. The team struggled mightily those first few seasons.
Overnight Contenders
The terrible teams brought with them bad records but with bad records comes the possibility for high draft picks. With the help of some ping pong ball luck we landed the top pick not just once, but twice in a row. The team used these picks to draft Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway (obtained by trading Chris Webber). The duo of Shaq and Penny came to be a staple of basketball in the mid 90s as the team found almost immediate success. They made the playoffs in 1994 as a 4 seed but were swept by the Indiana Pacers.
The next season the team obtained Horace Grant in free agency and posted the best record in the Eastern Conference and went in as the playoff favorites. They got by the Celtics in the first round and closed down the Boston Garden. Next they faced Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Jordan had just returned to the league after playing baseball and it’s safe to say he was not his normal basketball self. In game 1 as time was ticking down Nick Anderson famously stole the ball from Jordan prompting a fast break by the Magic and a slam dunk by Horace Grant to cap off a game 1 victory. The whole series the Bulls had a strategy of leaving Grant wide open and he made them pay by nailing 20 footers over and over again from the top of the key. The Magic took the series in 6 games. The next opponent was the Indiana Pacers. I don’t remember games 1 and 2 all that well but I know the Magic prevailed. The Pacers won game 3 at home. Then came game 4 and all kinds of heroics by both teams. As it came toward the end of the game the Magic were down by 2 when Brian Shaw nailed a 3 pointer to give Orlando the lead with 13.3 seconds left. Coming out of a timeout Reggie Miller nailed a 3 pointer of his own with 5.2 seconds left to put Indiana back up by 2. Coming out of yet another timeout Penny Hardaway nailed a 3 pointer of his own to put the Magic back up by 1 with only 1.3 seconds left. After another timeout the Pacers inbound pass went directly to Rik Smits who pump faked and did a little up and under move and got a clean look at a 15 footer from right at the foul line and put it in, nothing but net, to secure the win for Indiana and even up the series at 2-2. The Magic then rebounded and won game 5 at home to go up 3-2 in the series. They then went back to Indiana for game 6 and the Magic got blown out. After the game the team met before going back to the locker room, they all looked up the final score and remembered how they felt at that moment as they headed home for game 7. As game 7 arrived a trip to the Finals was on the line and the Magic came out guns blazing playing their best basketball and the game was never in doubt. They clinched their first trip to the NBA Finals with the victory.
Their First Finals Appearance
Orlando had home court advantage for the series against the 6th seed Rockets and game 1 was going their way in the first half as they came out and were up by as many as 20 points. However, the Rockets never quit and kept chipping away at the lead and by the end of the game Orlandos lead was down to 3 points with Nick Anderson going to the line for 2 foul shots in the last 10 seconds of the game. He missed both but managed to grab his own rebound and was fouled again, he again missed both free throws. The Rockets immediately took advantage as Kenny Smith nailed a game tying 3 pointer. The game went to OT where it again came down to the final seconds only this time the Rockets were able to secure the lead and Orlando wasn’t able to answer and with that they lost game 1. The series would eventually end in a sweep. Some say that if only Anderson had made 1 of those 4 free throw attempts Orlando would have won the series. As a fan of the team looking back, I’m not so sure.
The Magic brought back the same team in 1996 only this time they would have to contend with a rejuvenated Michael Jordan who took the playoff loss the year prior personally and got himself into excellent shape in the offseason. The Bulls would post a new record for wins in a season that would stand for 20 years going 72-10. The Magic and Bulls met that year in the Eastern Conference Finals only this time the result wasn't close. The Magic got swept. It didn't help that the Magic lost the services of Horace Grant in game 1 of the series after he injured his elbow or that they held a big half time lead in game 2 only to blow it in the 2nd half and lose. Even with Grant in the lineup and giving Orlando game 2 it is likely they would have lost the series in 5 or 6 games anyway.
That offseason Shaquille O'Neal left Orlando and went to play for the Lakers and just like that Orlando was thrust back to mediocrity. Penny Hardaway had the responsibility of carrying the team and it proved to be too much for him to handle. The Magic played good basketball but were never a threat to win the championship. Eventually the team broke up and Orlando went into rebuild mode.
Heart and Hustle
From 1998 to 2000 the team took to signing and obtaining young developing talent and making the most of the players they had. Players like Darrell Armstrong and Bo Outlaw became fan favorites because they played hard every minute of every game. The team was never in contention for the playoffs but they were fun to watch if anything.
Free Agency
During the free agency after the 2000 season the Magic had several candidates that were considering signing with the team. These big names included Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, and Tracy McGrady. As a Magic fan I really wanted Duncan and Hill but Tim Duncan took a pass and stayed with the Spurs. McGrady and Hill eventually signed with the Magic and McGrady quickly became a star in the league. He twice led the league in scoring and was among the top scorers in the league every year he was with the Magic. Grant Hill however turned out to be a bust of a signing as he never was able to recover from an ankle injury and play enough to make any kind of impact.
In 2004 Tracy Mcgrady was traded and the Magic were again in the position of starting over. That year they drafted Dwight Howard right out of high school in what was a controversial first pick over Emeka Okafor.
Second Run To The Finals
The Magic again were able to land some big name free agents in Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. These star players coupled with the improvement of Dwight Howard formed the foundation of a team primed for another run at the NBA Finals. In the 2008-2009 season it all finally came together. The team was gelling and they were better than ever. Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard, and PG Jameer Nelson all made the all star team for the East. In a game against Dallas Jameer would go down with a shoulder injury that required surgery and would end his regular season. The Magic made a move to save the season and acquired Rafer Alston from the Rockets. He turned out to be perfect for the team as he fit in immediately and was able to play stellar defense at the PG position. The Magic entered the playoffs as a 3rd seed and faced the 76ers in the opening round. After losing game 1 at home in a huge upset it looked like the season might come to an end early but the team rebounded and won game 2 at home. They lost game 3 however and were on the brink of losing game 4 and going down 3-1 until Hedo Turkoglu nailed a 3 pointer to save the day. The Magic would take game 5 but lose Dwight Howard to suspension and Courtney Lee who fractured his sinus for game 6. JJ Reddick and Marcin Gortat both filled in as the Magic won the game handily ending the series. The next series was with the defending champion Boston Celtics. Kevin Garnett was injured and would not return to action but the Celtics were still a very formidable opponent. The Magic came out and dominated game 1 winning handily. The next game Boston won and Rafer Alston was suspended for slapping Eddie House after he and House exchanged some trash talking. Orlando would take game 3 in Orlando but the Celtics would even up the series in game 4 on a buzzer beater by Glenn Davis. The Magic also lost game 5 in Boston and their chances of winning looked bleak but they returned home and won game 6 forcing a game 7. Only a few teams in NBA history had ever won a game 7 in Boston so the Magic were fighting that history but they came out and played a great game and ended up winning it going away advancing to the ECF for the 3rd time in franchise history.
The Magic would meet the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals and would be huge underdogs of over 6 to 1. Having attended 2 games at the Orlando arena where the team faced the Cavaliers and won both I knew those odds were way too high. Before the series started I put down a $200 bet on bookmaker.eu that the Magic would win the series at over +600 odds.
Game 1 in Cleveland started out disastrously as Orlando was down big the entire first half. After halftime though the Magic regrouped and were able to cut the lead down to just a few points and it went back and forth in the final minute with each team answering the other teams score, then Rashard Lewis nailed a 3 pointer that put Orlando up by 1 and Cleveland was unable to answer back handing the Magic the victory and a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 started out the same way game 1 did. Huge lead for Cleveland at half time but Orlando chipped away and eventually took the lead late in the game. This time Cleveland had an answer as Lebron hit his iconic fall away 3 pointer at the buzzer to give the Cavaliers a 1 point victory and tie up the series. The series then shifted back to Orlando as the Magic took game 3 by 10 points. Game 4 was another nail biter that came right down to the wire after some clutch shots by both teams and after 2 free throws by Lebron James with the clock at 0 the game went into OT. The Magic came out and built a lead early in OT and were able to hang on and pull out a 2 point win taking a 3-1 series lead. The Cavs won game 5 at home to make it 3-2 in the series. Game 6 was back in Orlando and you could feel that the game was going to be all Orlando. The Magic came out strong and had an 18 point lead at halftime on their way to the series clinching victory that secured their 2nd ever trip to the NBA Finals.
Another Disappointing Result
The Magic faced the Lakers this time in the NBA Finals. The Lakers were coming off a Finals loss themselves the previous year when they faced the Boston Celtics and lost in 6 games. Orlando didn't pose much of a threat in game 1 as the Lakers took it easily at home. Game 2 however was a different story as Orlando played much better. The game was tied late and the Magic had the ball with only 0.6 seconds remaining. The inbounds pass went to Courtney Lee who caught the ball in stride toward the basket but could not convert the layup as it went off the backboard and rimmed off the front of the basket. The game went to OT where the Magic ended up losing by 5 points and going down 0-2 in the series.
The next 3 games were scheduled to be played in Orlando and I was able to get tickets to all 3 games. Game 3 saw the Magic come out and shoot a Finals record 66.4% from the field on their way to a 108-104 victory. Game 4 was the turning point in the series, the Magic had a chance to tie it up at 2 games apiece as they were up 5 points with under a minute remaining and 3 points when Dwight Howard was literally tackled by Kobe Bryant in a play that I still feel like should have been called a flagrant foul. Even at my nosebleed vantage point I was yelling that it was a flagrant which would have resulted in 2 foul shots and the ball but the refs called it a clean foul. Dwight missed both foul shots bringing up memories of Nick Anderson. In an inexplicable move by coach Stan Van Gundy he left a just returned from injury Jameer Nelson in the game coming out of a time out to guard Derek Fisher instead of putting in the taller, fresher, better defender Rafer Alston. Fisher walked the ball up the court and calmly nailed a 3 pointer right over Jameer tying the game and sending it to OT. Again the Magic could not get it together in OT and lost again going down 3-1 in the series and all but sealing their fate. Game 5 was a mere formality as the Lakers won the game and the title with relative ease.
Dwight Howard Departs And The Era Of Super Teams
The Magic were able to make one more run at a title in 2010. They made some lineup changes acquiring Vince Carter in a trade for Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, and Ryan Anderson and brought in Matt Barnes. They came into the season as the favorites to come out of the East and they were playing great in the playoffs sweeping past their first two opponents in the Bobcats and Hawks, the latter in record fashion. They met the Celtics again but this time they were fully healthy with Kevin Garnett back to his old self. The Magic fell behind 3-0 in the series but fought back and won games 4 and 5 before eventually falling in game 6. After this season Lebron James made his infamous "decision" in which he started the super team era with Miami. This resulted in frustration for Howard who believed the organization wasn't making moves needed to win a title. Eventually Howard was traded away and the team once again blew up to start from scratch. Despite their best efforts no progress has been made for the Magic over the last 7 or 8 years. They have not drafted any superstars or been able to lure any big name free agents to play for the franchise. Right now the NBA has a serious parity problem which makes rooting for teams like Orlando almost a waste of time. Hopefully one day they'll assemble a team that has a shot at winning a title once again. Until then I'll be waiting.
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