Orlando Magic: Time for one final postseason push

The Orlando Magic’s postseason fate with be decided soon. Here is what can get them into the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

A 3-1 record from the Orlando Magic last week kept them in the thick of the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, even if the loss to the Detroit Pistons could prove costly. Wins against the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers once again proved that this is an organization that, regardless of whether they make the postseason, has definitely turned a corner.

Unfortunately, they followed all of that up with a spirited loss to the Toronto Raptors, with a 16-point second quarter after such a bright start doing the damage as the Magic remained half a game behind the 8-seeded Heat.

With only four games to go, we have reached the point where one last push is required to put the Magic in the best position possible to make the postseason. But at this stage, even that may not be enough to get there.

The following are the areas that the Magic should be leaning into at this point, their clear strengths that have been created over the course of a dramatic and entertaining season.

It begins and ends, unsurprisingly, with their defensive play. The Magic are having their best season in years on this end, ranking ninth in the NBA in defensive rating (107.6). On most nights since the All-Star break, they have looked better than that number suggests too.

Go back and watch any of their last five games and it is clear what they are capable of on this end. Guys such as Jonathan Isaac and Terrence Ross are positively flying around to disrupt plays and shots and generally annoy opponents.

Center Nikola Vucevic, for years ridiculed as a non-factor on that end of the court, has morphed into a semi-athletic big who is disciplined enough to not jump into contact unnecessarily and does his best to not get beaten off the dribble by smaller opponents.

If the Magic are going to make it to the postseason, it will be because head coach Steve Clifford instilled in them a defensive identity that has carried them some distance. Clifford won’t receive any Coach of the Year recognition, but the fact he has completely turned the franchise around in this area in less than 80 games is exceptional.

That he has done this with players like Evan Fournier and Vucevic is even more impressive, while rookie big man Mohamed Bamba, who looked like he could help in this area right away, was lost to a season-ending leg injury after only 47 games, totaling 766 minutes.

The Magic can call upon more than elite defensive play for the remaining games, however, which goes some way to explaining why they’re still in a playoff race. They now have different ways they can hurt opponents.

Jonathan Isaac took his first major step forward in January, and in recent games looks to have improved again. The numbers have remained similar, but he is turning into the big-game player that the franchise hoped he would become.

Monday’s loss to the Raptors typified the kind of game Isaac is playing right now. He shot out of the blocks, and was the best player on the court throughout the first quarter (although the sharpshooting Danny Green might disagree). Anytime somebody can do that when sharing a court with Kawhi Leonard, that is reason to take notice.

Isaac finished with only eight points — poor in comparison to some recent games when he had scored in double figures in four of the five prior contests — but he was everywhere defensively early on. Even better, he knocked down two 3-pointers, one coming from each corner. The corner 3 is becoming a go-to shot for Isaac, and to see him expand his range like this is encouraging.

Isaac has help though, with D.J. Augustin having arguably a career year, quieting all the people who doubted his credentials as a starter in the process. Fournier, who has been poor for stretches, still brings plenty to the rotation, and is capable of doing what all others on the roster cannot.

Perhaps the most underrated aspect of the Magic’s resurgence this season has been the fact that they now have a bench to call upon. The shooting exploits of Ross have been spoken about at length before, and as the sixth man he is a fan favorite in Orlando. But the team has more than Ross coming off the bench each night.

The two-man combo of Wesley Iwundu and Khem Birch has been a revelation, especially on the defensive end. Iwundu, who could’ve gone the way of so many other second round picks by the Magic and been out of the league before long, has stuck with it and continues to improve. Defensively he causes opponents problems, and his 3-point shooting is improving too.

In his last 10 games, he’s shot a scorching 52.8 percent from deep, as his transition into a legitimate 3-and-D wing in year two of his career continues at an exciting pace. He should be in the Magic’s long-term plans as a contributor off the bench.

Birch is a cult hero at this point, and the Magic have a ridiculous defensive rating of 100.9 when he is on the court. He covers a ton of the ground and works hard to get into good position whether he is being backed down by a fellow big or has a smaller player running at him.

The injury to Bamba was not ideal, but for the short-term it allowed Birch to play more minutes and have a bigger impact. His experience playing in Europe for years is more valuable to a playoff run than the raw height and enthusiasm of Bamba.

No matter how this season ultimately ends, Orlando’s situation is about to get even better, something that has not been the case in a very long time. Bamba will be back for next year, and so too will former first overall pick Markelle Fultz. No matter how he pans out, having two former top-five picks from the last two drafts to add to what is being built makes the future look bright.

The Magic’s remaining four games aren’t nearly as daunting as some of the organizations around them. They play the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks (both at home), before finishing up with two away games to the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets. If they can take care of business at home, they will still be in good position — even if they drop the game in Boston.

That game against the Hornets may be the closest to playoff intensity it gets for this season, but if they can pull out a win and results go their way elsewhere, there will be a playoff series to look forward to in Orlando. They know what they have to do, and look to have the tools at their disposal to do it. It’s time for one last push.