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As we sit here in mid-August preparing for the season to begin in October, we know these 10 games are the ones we cannot wait to see, no matter what happens in the meantime this season. The 82 games for the 2017 season, the pathway to the Playoffs, is set for a team in major transition and with major goals. The 2017 season finally feels very real with the task laid out ahead for the Magic. Orlando is tentatively scheduled to make four appearances on national television.
Ibaka and Vogel will be making homecomings of sorts in November. Ibaka, who spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career in Oklahoma City, will face the Thunder in OKC on Nov. 13. The next night, Vogel returns to Indiana, the city where he guided the Pacers to the playoffs in five of the past six seasons. Vogel, who coached 5 ½ seasons previously with the Indiana Pacers, was hired in late May.
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The focus though when the season closes out will be either on the Playoffs or on what went wrong and where the Magic go next. It will be a long journey to get here, but one the Magic will reach in time. Those are the questions that we cannot even begin to answer now. By the time this game comes around, that question will be completely answered fully. Oladipo usually has a strong kick to close the season and everything will be in full overdrive when this game comes around. This game will be about much more than Oladipo’s return.
With Stephen Curry and his band of All-Stars, the Magic have lost the last eight matchups against the defending champions. Odds are Orlando will not be able to beat Golden State, but the hype heading into both of these games will be phenomenal. Following the Paul George trade, the Pacers are taking their first steps towards rebuilding. Indiana will have their struggles, but they have pieces to build around. When LeBron James comes to town, there is always a buzz. The Cleveland Cavaliers have had no problems beating the Magic of late.
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But this will be the game where the debate gets settled. A good time to take stock of whether the Magic made the right decision. The Cavaliers are the measuring stick for the entire Eastern Conference. They are a show when they roll into town, as any NBA champion would be, and will get everyone’s best shot every time.
Last season, the Hornets handled the Magic with ease, sweeping the season series. None of the games were particularly close and Charlotte is trying to win the team’s eighth straight against Orlando when the teams meet for the first time. Orlando will only have three nationally televised games. That should not come as a surprise as the Magic have not been prime-time worthy in the past five seasons. Their televised games will be on NBATV against the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors.
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The first meeting between the teams in Oklahoma City takes place in Nov. 13. That will still be at a point in the season where the new players are discovering their roles. By the end of March, playoff races will be set and successes or failures will be determined. It is hard to call a game this early a must-win game, but defeating the teams at the bottom of the standings are must-win games for a team that will need every win it can get. Especially later in the season when the schedule gets tougher. Whether it is a returning player, a game that is perceived bigger than it is or a national television appearance.
They never had anyone who could matchup well with LeBron James, and he just runs roughshod over the team. Maybe that changes with a rim protector back in the paint and Aaron Gordon sliding to small forward to shadow James . And James always brings a special buzz to the arena every time he arrives in Orlando. Magic fans certainly do not forget James for the 2009 Playoffs. The Orlando Magic are not going to be a team in the limelight this year. This is a team that will have to work largely in anonymity and without much national attention.
From Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons to Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac, this game will feature plenty of highlight plays. If the Magic are anywhere near the playoff picture, a win here would give them legitimacy in the race. Hopefully, the Magic can overachieve and get a sneaky victory in the middle of the season.
With the Eastern Conference looking weak on paper, there is a chance for the Magic to make a playoff push if the right things fall into place. On the other hand, the improved depth may not prove to be enough and leave Orlando with another 30-win season. Even with the early loss to the Heat, the Magic went on to win the season series.
Fultz showed off the Magic’s jersey which will once again feature a Disney patch this season. Fultz has been in the NBA since 2017, the same year Walt Disney World Resort became the jersey sponsor for the Magic. In a league full of established powers, the Magic were one of the true feel-good stories at that time, even making it to the Finals in 1995 where they lost to Houston. Hopefully, the Magic can close out January on a high note and win this ball game.
That tandem, of course, is the tandem of Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. Shaq and Penny came to the Magic in the 1990s, in a time where teams full of established stars like the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls were at the top of the league. Those teams were very talented of course, but lacked the pizzaz that the Magic brought to the floor at times. The team name Magic tends to conjure up the notion that a team is going to be more interesting or special than the other teams in the NBA. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brook Lopez should help an up-and-coming Los Angeles team.
Located at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., 20 miles southwest of Orlando, Walt Disney World Resort opened Oct. 1, 1971. For information on attractions and vacations at Walt Disney World Resort, visit disneyworld.com, call W-DISNEY or contact local travel agents. Disney’s magic on the court will continue, as the company and the NBA’s Orlando Magic have agreed to an extension on their jersey sponsorship. The Magic do not have a coveted Christmas Day game, so this will be as close the Magic get to being a part of the holiday festivities. Hopefully, the Magic can get their fans in good spirits when this game rolls around.
The Magic traded for Ibaka on draft night and remained aggressive throughout the rest of the offseason in upgrading the roster. On paper, both the Magic and Pacers will appear to be lottery teams. Still, both feature young talent that may develop into stars in a few seasons. Players like Myles Turner and Aaron Gordon should get their time to shine in this contest.
The home portion of the regular season tips off Wednesday, October 18th when the in-state rival Miami Heat come calling. Build your custom FanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis on Orlando Magic and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. After the Magic play the Cavaliers in Cleveland in the first week of the season, they do not play again until March and then again in Cleveland in early April.
Surprisingly, the Cavaliers have won a whopping 17 games in a row against the Magic. Even before James rejoined the Cavs, the Magic have had a hard time against them, including a statistically improbable collapse. The Hornets are still a pretty talented team despite their recent struggles and will be a tough matchup for the Magic. Hopefully, the Magic can grab a win or two and save face against a strong playoff candidate. The Magic have a relatively young roster that still has room to grow.
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