The Orlando Magic have officially turned the corner

Riding a four-game winning streak and now looking capable of winning all manner of games, we can officially say the Orlando Magic have turned the corner.

With the Orlando Magic‘s playoff hopes beginning to slip away with some costly losses over the last three weeks, it looked likely that they would tail off and begin working toward next season.

Instead, they went and ripped off four straight wins, which, combined with results elsewhere, has put them one game back from the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. More than that, the manner in which they have done so has signaled the turning of the corner for the franchise.

No matter how this season ultimately ends, the optimism around the fanbase has been replaced by a more realistic one. The recent play of the Magic has ensured they can go into the offseason with higher expectations for next year.

This is huge, and it officially happened in Friday night’s overtime win at home against the Memphis Grizzlies. Magic games have unfolded in only a few different ways this season, and this was a game where it was apparent early on that they would be playing down to the level of their opponent.

The Grizzlies are headed back to the lottery and have nothing to play for, yet the Magic made players like Tyler Dorsey (29 points, 5-of-10 from 3-point range), Justin Holiday (22 points) and the forgotten Chandler Parsons (17 points off the bench) look like a trio of potential All-Stars.

They were down by as many as 17 points and didn’t take the lead for the first time until overtime. But it was the fact they came back at all that signaled this group now knows what it takes to win, despite the fact Orlando should never have been in that position in the first place.

Already this year the Magic have become experts in one facet of becoming a true, up-and-coming team: their ability to catch superior outfits by surprise, which they have done numerous times, knocking off the likes of the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics.

Yet they couldn’t solidify their positioning by beating the teams they should have, losing to the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls, among others. All three of these losses came since the All-Star break, with a good deal more beforehand too.

This is why the win against the Grizzlies was so important. They would’ve lost that game as recently as last month, and played like they were going to do so for much of the game. That fight and desire to win, which has not always been present, was critical for the organization moving forward.

It also helped to keep the momentum they have been building at home, with fans getting into the games now in a way we have not seen in some time. You have to go back more than five years to find the last time the Magic have won six straight at home, another indicator that improvements are going to continue.

It takes more than one game to confidently say that a franchise is finally headed in the right direction, and at the root of most of their wins lately has been their defensive intensity. This has become their identity, something else that had been lacking for years. The Magic know who they are now, and what they can call upon to get the job done.

The Magic held the Grizzlies to 24 points over the final 24 minutes of the game (fourth quarter and overtime), clamping down on their players when they needed to most. That they also scored 42 points themselves during this period speaks to the underrated offensive schemes they implement, but which still need a lot of work to be considered elite.

Over the last 15 games, the Magic have the second-best defensive rating in the NBA (103.5). The sample size continues to grow bigger (up until recently, they ranked first in this category), and yet the team is holding firm. They are doing this despite players like Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic not exactly being known for their ability to stop opponents from scoring.

We needed to see a bit more still to confidently say the Magic had turned the corner, but we got that too with the 118-96 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans that preceded the win over the Grizzlies.

This was a game where the Magic took care of business, hammering a sorry Pelicans outfit that must surely wish they could forfeit the rest of the season by now. Prior to that, it was wins over the Atlanta Hawks and Cavaliers, the teams they were supposed to be beating.

https://twitter.com/OrlandoMagic/status/1109456479243902976

Two key players for the Magic, Vucevic and Terrence Ross, are unrestricted free agents this summer. Even if both end up leaving, this season has been a great experience for the younger players who are going to remain.

Guys like Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac figure to be the core of the franchise for years to come, and both now look like they’re far better equipped to deal with a long season, which can go from high to low in an instant. The Magic also continue to fill out their bench, and it has proven valuable throughout the campaign so far.

With head coach Steve Clifford continuing to implement his defensive vision, and guys like Markelle Fultz and Mohamed Bamba — both top five picks in the last two drafts — still to return, we can say that the Orlando Magic have well and truly turned the corner. Making the playoffs would be an added bonus for their efforts, but after an extended stay in the wilderness, they are back.