Orlando Magic: Their most important week since 2012

With three huge games coming up that will define their season, this is the Orlando Magic’s most important week since 2012.

Despite the many ups and downs of this Orlando Magic campaign, they have gotten to the tail end of the regular season still within striking distance of making the playoffs. For an organization that looked to have played itself out of a postseason berth with some terrible losses around the All-Star break, the fight to hang in there has been great to see.

Even if this season ultimately ends in the Magic missing out on a playoff spot, we can still say that they have turned a corner, and should be even more equipped to make it next year.

The way their upcoming games have fallen, however, means they are now entering their most important on-court stretch since 2012, the last time they were relevant. The Magic and their fans deserve this after all they have been through, but will they be able to take advantage?

Before looking at the upcoming three games that could put them back into the playoffs for good, we also need to mention what has come before. There was a fourth game to begin this stretch, against the Philadelphia 76ers, that was equally as important.

Most didn’t give the Magic much of a chance, despite heading into the contest on a six-game winning streak at home, but they got a head-start on themselves by taking care of business in convincing fashion. The final score 119-98.

It helped that Ben Simmons was missing due to illness, but the Magic were able to call upon a host of players to help them get the win. Nikola Vucevic (28 points, 11 rebounds) was his usual complete self offensively, while the always improving defensive play of Aaron Gordon helped too.

Other guys who don’t get the credit but should, such as Wesley Iwundu and D.J. Augustin, also played their part. Even Michael Carter-Williams, struggling to find a home before being signed to a 10-day deal for the second time, looked impressive, posting 15 points in 20 minutes off the bench.

It sets the Magic up nicely for the task ahead, even if we have seen them win games against contenders many times this season, only to see them slip up in the next game against an inferior opponent.

As of now there are 1.5 games separating the Magic from the sixth/seventh spot in the East, and only half a game stopping them from sneaking into eighth. The Detroit Pistons sit at No. 6, on equal footing with the Brooklyn Nets in seventh, while the Miami Heat can be found below them. The Magic’s next two games? The Heat and Pistons, in that order. No pressure then.

It’s great that we have gotten to March and games like these still count for something. That’s massive for the franchise, but will the Magic be able to do what looked unthinkable only a few short weeks ago and sneak back into a playoff spot by the end of the week?

Beginning with the Heat, and there was a period during the worst stages of the rebuild that they were 2-14 against their in-state opponents. That has changed over the last three years, with the Magic going 7-4 in that time. They seem to have figured out how to play them close, with blowouts for their team rare during this time span.

Unfortunately for the Magic, they’re playing the Heat at a bad time. Miami has won nine of its last 12 games and has a head coach in Erik Spoelstra who is once again getting the best out of a roster with deficiencies. Now that the Heat are playing to get into the playoffs, that is a dangerous combination.

They also figure to be a player in free agency this summer, with an appearance in the postseason and the weather and living conditions down in Miami being an easier sell. That this game is coming the night after the victory over the 76ers makes it even tougher for the Magic.

Next up is the Pistons, and again it’ll be bad timing. The Pistons at 11-6 since the All-Star break. Blake Griffin is quietly putting up the best season of his career there, even if the load he is carrying is substantial, and they look to be an organization on the rise as well.

Their need to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2016 is their main motivation. The season series favors the Pistons at 2-1, but of the three times they’ve met already this year, one game went to overtime and the team that won never did so by more than seven points.

To add to the difficultly of the task ahead, both of these are away games, and the road trip will continue with the last game of the week against the Indiana Pacers. By this point the Magic’s plans for April will be much clearer, but in the best-case scenario if they arrive with two wins, it could take some of the pressure off them.

Not many would have taken them to beat the 76ers, and because they did, it could make the result against the Pacers less important. Really though, they should be aiming to win this game too, so as to put some daylight between themselves and the Pistons and Heat.

Throughout this crucial stretch, look for Jonathan Isaac to be a leader on the court. He had his first notable leap at the turn of the year, and has continued to play well. Right now he looks the most likely of their lottery picks to turn into a star, and this is his chance to continue on that path.

We know what we’ll get from Vucevic and Terrence Ross, although another cold spell for the sharpshooting Ross off the bench would be real cause for concern. But if Isaac can rise to the challenge, then there is no reason they can’t win all three remaining games this week.

No matter what, this season has been a success for the Orlando Magic. But if they could finish it off by coming back from a hole they dug themselves, they would go into the summer in easily their best position since 2012. That’s what is on the line this week, their most important stretch in seven years.