Orlando Magic: 3 reasons why they made the playoffs
By Luke Duffy
The Orlando Magic are back in the postseason for the first time since 2012. Here are the three reasons they got there.
Seven years is a long time, and for Orlando Magic fans who watched their team spend most of that time fumbling a rebuild, it felt like a lifetime. But with Sunday’s win against the Boston Celtics at home, the Magic booked their place in the 2019 NBA Playoffs, signaling an end of the directionless floating that had been occurring from season to season up to now.
As an added bonus, they managed to pick up the Southeast Division crown as well. Divisions are largely pointless in the NBA today, but any time the words “Orlando Magic” and “win” can be used in a sentence together, it is cause for celebration because of how little this has been happening since 2012.
While their final seeding isn’t yet known, there’s little doubt that the Magic will go into their matchup as the underdogs in a seven-game series. This is correct, but the Magic have been one of the better teams in the league since the All-Star break.
They are also riding a 10-game winning streak at home and have become tough to beat on their own turf. We should be realistic about how the playoffs will go, since just making it was the goal, but they have the home form to win a game or two.
Now is not a time to dwell on how short-lived this trip to the playoffs will be; instead, fans should enjoy the fact they’ve ended the drought. Here are the three main reasons the Magic are going to the postseason, in what is a time for celebration.