Dec 10
AP Photo/Paul Connors BOX SCORE In the franchise’s 23 years of existence, the word “bust” has almost always been used to describe the draft picks made by the Orlando Magic. When the Magic haven’t owned the top overall pick, their track record in the draft has been horrible. Names like Fran Vasquez and Jeryl Sasser …
Dec 08
AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli BOX SCORE For the most part, the Magic’s offense of late has been fairly well-balanced, even in their losses. They get contributions from diverse areas of the roster, with the youngsters trading off having standout performances and the veterans generally being reliable. That held true for one quarter on Friday and one …
Dec 06
Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images BOX SCORE After rallying in the fourth quarter to beat the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in the first two games of their West Coast road trip, the Orlando Magic tried to catch lightning in a bottle thrice against the Utah Jazz. Trailing for most of …
Dec 04
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images BOX SCORE Fresh off Sunday’s season-defining victory over Dwight Howard and the Lakers, the Magic continued to impress on their West Coast road trip with another victory over a quality opponent in the Warriors. This one was much more of a back-and-forth affair than the Lakers game, which was pretty …
Dec 03
Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images BOX SCORE Before Dwight Howard was ultimately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-team deal in August, for months, Magic fans had to endure endless chatter surrounding Howard’s future with the Orlando Magic, given that he had an early termination clause in his contract that allowed …
Dec 01
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images BOX SCORE There was a hint of inevitability in the air during this game. The Magic weren’t playing badly and the Nets weren’t playing well, but we often see this happen in the NBA: an overwhelming favorite plays down to the level of its opponent, eventually pulling away …
Nov 28
AP Photo/John Raoux BOX SCORE Under Stan Van Gundy, the calling card for the Orlando Magic was not only their defense but their three-point shooting. In four of the five seasons that Van Gundy coached the Magic, they ranked first in three-point field goal attempts. And in the year Orlando didn’t rank first (which was …
Nov 26
AP Photo/Scott Iskowitz BOX SCORE With a rookie head coach (Jacque Vaughn) and 10 new faces on the roster, Magic fans have been tempted to use the “Heart and Hustle II” nickname early in the season. The original “Heart and Hustle” team in the 1999-2000 season, also led by a rookie head coach (Doc Rivers) …
Nov 24
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images BOX SCORE Lately, the Nikola Vucevics and Moe Harklesses of the Magic’s roster have been impressing as they’ve worked their way to a record improbably close to .500. But taking on the Kyrie Irving-less Cavs, it was Orlando’s veterans who carried the day. This game was always going …