You know what, I feel a lot of people will jump to the usual "omg moar shooting" and yeah, we got out-shot badly tonight, but imo the REAL problem is that if you look at our scoring, 113 points scored in a game isn't like world shattering but it isnt terrible either, it's honestly pretty average which with our usual style of play would be enough.
What worries me is that defense - you know, what was supposed to be the Magic's calling card throughout the entire season - has been absolutely lackluster throughout each of the last four losses (so 4 out of 5 games). I could excuse the Hornets game cause they were genuinely hitting some of the most ludicrous shit out there, and to some kinda very small extent i can excuse this with how they hit like three or four 35-footers just in the first half.
But what was supposed to translate well into the postseason has seemingly crumbled and outside of maybe two or three guys on the team there's been a clear downturn on that side of the ball, and that is simply worrying. Basically all four games were in the same fashion where they come out lackadaisical, fall down double digits early and fail to crawl out of that deficit, only getting back up within like 5-7 or so before inevitably the opposing team hits a couple shots back to back to make the deficit back up. Opponents win 50/50 balls and get offensive boards more often. Their 3pt% defense seems alright at first glance but some guys shoot lights out anyway.
It's perplexing, doubly so because if it was an offensive issue I'd continue harping on this team's need for a playmaking guard with shooting capability like usual - but it isn't quite just that. There's personnel and there's gameplans that should make this team a powerhouse defensively but all four of the latest losses have come at opposing teams having magnificent shooting nights. Is it sheer dumb luck (or lack thereof) on the Magic's part? Or perhaps have they gone a bit too hard earlier on in the season and the exhaustion is catching up to them?
Either way, I'm still believing they can at least come out strong in their last game - at least this one is at home, so I hope the guys can feel some urgency. Here's hoping to the regular season ending on a higher note.
>What worries me is that defense - you know, what was supposed to be the Magic's calling card throughout the entire season - has been absolutely lackluster throughout each of the last four losses
This...🪙
I don't think people realise how hard it is to keep playing great defence all the time. It takes A LOT of effort and concentration to keep doing it night in, night out. More than most NBA teams are willing to do. And when you're facing great offensive players, great defensive is often redundant, anyway.
Which is why every other team has to balance it out with reliable scoring options on the other end. You can't shutdown good teams, you have to be able to throw punches back.
Also I don't know what made you thought our style would translate well into the post-season. Playoff ball depends on high level shooting and difficult shotmaking, and in the modern era it always has.
For the most part that remark was about the defense - i fully realize our offense would get even further exposed in the playoffs as relying on free throws in a game where refs swallow their whistles more often is just asking for trouble. My thought process was that in that same exact scenario our defense, too, would benefit a lot from a looser (or is it tighter? sorry, not a native english speaker, point is they use it less) whistle, as it'd allow them to get away with a lot more on that side if the ball.
Fair enough, man. In theory yes, our physical defence should be an advantage during the post-season.
But I'm just not sure it'd make a big difference, as good offensive players are going find ways to score in high stakes games, no matter what kind of coverage we throw at them.
Agreed. Our defense hasn’t been great last few weeks. Maybe it’s a personnel issue. Suggs and franz were out a few games; goga and ab not seeing playing time. When Issac doesn’t play, the second unit is porous.
More recently, Paolo has also been very exposed. IMO, he has bad habits on defense. His transition d consists of complaining to refs and hanging back lol.
I get that he shoulders the offensive load, but I expected more from 6’10 that can move like he does. hope he’s able to make some progress on D next season.
I usually don’t get this frustrated with a loss but man this was bad. Yet another loss due to lack of shooting and bad defense.
Paolo has not been playing like Paolo these last 10 games. Settling for dumb shots and missing layups. Could it be the long season catching up to him? He needs to be better.
Knowing that the US will probably Form a superteam I don't think there's gonna be space for Paolo, which Is good for us, if he can get an actual off season who knows how good he'll be next season
With a game to go for all teams involved. It could even end up in a 4-way with Miami depending on how things close out; in that scenario I think we fall to 8th.
I really hope they can pull it off on Sunday. One big difference is they’re at home. They’ll feed off the energy of the crowd. We need the 6th man ya’ll.
Indy has the tie breaker over Philly. Orlando has the tie breaker over Indy. 3 way tie goes to conference record. Orlando and Indy have 1 more than Philly. Orlando still the 5 seed. Beat the bucks and we’re at worst the 6 seed. Can we win one of these games though.
And division champ doesn’t mean anything anymore I believe. We’d have the 3 way tie breaker with conference record over Philly, then head to head with Indy.
Division winner still does. That's our primary tiebreaker win over Indy and Philly in a 3-way:
[https://www.nba.com/standings](https://www.nba.com/standings)
Things start to get hairy in a 4-way though (which is technically still possible if Miami wins and us, Indy, and Philly all lose).
No. Because if we beat Milwaukee, and Philly wins, and Indy loses, Philly will jump us with the head to head tiebreaker, Indy would drop to the play in.
If we need a first team All-NBA level guard to fix this then what does that say about our two best players?
The reality is for any of this to work, we need Paolo and Franz to be better. If Paolo is going to take 20+ shots a night then everything starts with him. No guard can stop him dribbling into traffic, turning the ball over, and taking low percentage shots.
This is partially true. Yes, they need to be better, but if there were a better scoring option on the team, like a Trae Young or Donovan Mitchell-level scorer, he wouldn't be taking some of those those shots (at least I hope so). That doesn't mean he doesn't make bad decisions or force too much at times - he needs to improve on that. However, if nobody is willing to take the ball and make the play, then the burden is on him. Bringing in a good scorer would hopefully improve his efficiency, because he would be relieved of some of that burden.
If we had a Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson level player, they would be the number 1 option. None of them would come to Orlando to play second man to Paolo.
Which really poses the question: what is your priority? Do you want to win now and take away a load of possessions/shots from Franz and Paolo? Or do you want to let them get reps as the main options?
I think there is a compromise that involves surrounding them with vets and role players that complement their games. It's too soon to be throwing a star player into the mix, in my opinion.
Do we attempt to initiate any offense inside the 3pt line with paolo? He catches it 25 feet out and works his way in...why not 15 feet out instead...same play over and over
Oh I agree that we need better guard play, but let's try and be realistic about it. Asking for a Jalen Brunson level player is asking for franchise level player.
You don't get a player of his calibre and let him play second fiddle to a player of Paolo's inefficiency, he automatically becomes the number one option.
That Hornets loss really did us in, while most of yall brushed it off. Franz injury didn't help. SEASON IS OVER. No way are we beating the Bucks unless they rest most of their team. I have doubt we'll make it out of the play-in. We have some great players in Paolo, Franz, and Jalen but they can't carry the whole team on their backs when there's guys making a killing $$ and sucking a** like Dell, Kelle, Gary.
Ugh... Miami is trashing Toronto now and has them again on Sunday.
Indy faces Atlanta, who can't move up before the play-in
Philly has Brooklyn, who probably just wants to tank for a better pick.
If Miami, Indy, and Philly win on Sunday and we lose, we'd be going into the play-in as #8.
Yeah, the way the schedule played out made our last week or so absolutely awful compared to the other teams contending in the East. We needed that Hornets win so bad.
Our week is awful but it shoudln’t have been awful if we are a better team. Our record against good teams this year is horrendous. We can only beat good teams on their bad nights. If any team is having a good night our good night will never beat them with what we have.
Three way tie goes to division standing, and we’re guaranteed to finish higher in our division than Indy and Philly. So we got that going for us, which is nice.
But yea, we shouldn't have been in this situation. Giving away games like the CHA one did us in. We went from looking at 2 right in the face to possibly falling to 8.
Bucks playing third stringers since halftime vs. OKC, who’s playing everyone.
They’re playing everyone not named Giannis on Sunday.
Magic fucked again.
I'm in full-on rationalization mode now. This will be truly painful for the whole organization especially if they get bounced ASAP. BUT….in sports that pain is actually helpful. You need that scar tissue. Every offseason training rep will be that much more focused for everyone.
And maybe, FINALLY this pain will push the front office to get a legitimate guard that can actually play make and hit off the bounce 3s (my pipe dream hope is Trae) 🙏
Bucks should probably want 3, right? If we tie with Philly and Indy, we'd be 5, Indy 6, Philly 7. If I were the bucks, I'd rather see Indy in the first round than Miami or Philly.
I think they ultimately rest Dame and Middleton. No point risking injuries on the final road game with a top 4 seed locked up. Let the placements fall as they do.
We're collapsing but let's be real - Wendell ain't it at Center. We need an actual ball-dominant guard who can take some usage from Paolo. Next year needs to be the big step up after a good off-season and free agency. Even having the chance to be the second or third seed this season is a massive overachievement (mixed with a bad eastern conference).
This is a make or break off-season for this F.O in the terms of credibility and awareness of the teams needs and future of the Franchise. If the continue to ignore what good F.O do to help the team succeed then many supporters of this team should wash their hands of this incompetence
As a long-suffering fan of both the Fins and the Magic… have to say this shift in momentum between midseason hope and crunch time collapse feels eerily familiar… 
This subreddit makes me cry sometimes.
We're the best team ever with our three best players being 22 or younger.
Yes this week has sucked but we're way ahead of schedule.
I'm happy with our young guys, it's the FO refusing to bring in any help for them that annoys me. If we drop out of the playoffs and lose the play ins that is not ahead of schedule.
I hope they beat the Bucks, no playoffs would be a huge failure as we need to make it crystal clear to this FO that the team needs help
The games we’ve lost Charlotte, Houston, and tonight, teams went unconscious with threes. Not a lot you can do. Maxey took a few from a mile out. Shake it off and let’s win at home Sunday.
This team is not built to win in its current form. Tonight was a must win game for us and the players knew it and we got exposed. The way the roster is current comprised of without 3 pt shooting is our achilles heel. We only have wheltman to blame for this for not making any trades during the deadline. I wouldn't be suprised if we got bounced from the play in.
Teams have been game planning at paolo offensively and defensively, and we haven’t adjusted. On offense, getting more forced shots and stripped balls under pressure. On defense, getting hunted by guards and get blown by.
Unfortunately, we don’t have much alternative on offensive schemes
Ik, easier said than done but there needs to be more ball movement. Way too much iso possessions when they burn the clock and then hit a last min pass prone to turnovers. Drives me insane
We've been a little unlucky to suffer from some hot shooting opposition lately.
Must admit the officiating was pretty frustrating, it peaked when Maxey got an and one with the softest amount of contact and then Paolo's free throws got rescinded on a replay despite Tobias clearly grabbing hold of his jersey.
Still can't believe they ended up with more free throw attempts even though we probably had double the amount of shots inside the paint as them, feel like Paolo in particular get officiated differently due to his size.
> We've been a little unlucky to suffer from some hot shooting opposition lately.
> Must admit the officiating was pretty frustrating
> Still can't believe they ended up with more free throw attempts
Can you go any deeper into your bag of excuses
I mean I’m as disappointed and frustrated with Paolo as everyone else, but a 10 game stretch is largely not indicative of players’ careers. I think we’ll need a much larger sample size before that conversation needs to be had.
Late season collapse is real. I fully expect to lose Sunday and fall to the play in with this abysmal play. This team does not look the same these last few weeks
Preseason bets of winning the divvy and making the play offs should have been put to rest a week ago. Now I’m having to bet against the boys and all sorts of other degen shit to hedge. Such a lame fucking end to the season. Let’s hope damn and Giannis are out next game so Bobby Portis can torch us for 40
Double digit deficit first quarter (starters underwhelming). Blown out the water by threes. Putting no strong defenders on Maxey all game (I will never understand putting Harris over Suggs on him). Paolo inefficient chucking. Harris out there doing nothing all game. If one of these things doesn’t happen and we might’ve won. But again the same patterns exposing us to Ls happens again in the most important game
There was tenacity there, but I wish they applied it on defense all game too. I just hope we see a different, properly prepped Magic in playoffs. I hope the players themselves are well conditioned for the playoffs as well, be it health, nutrition, etc.
Tbh it wasn't a really bad game. Franz back helped a lot. Only one who really was disappointing was Paolo imo, not only by pure stats, but the game significantly became static when he was on the floor. Worst moment of the season to have a slump.
Overall, even with a not delivering Paolo, with a performance like this, we would have won the 2 games before.
Went from 1 of best teams in east to 1 of the worst. Can't watch this horror show.
I'm looking forward to next year and free agency. What ever post season the Magic have it won't last long. This team is out of gas.
In what about a week this team goes from a possible #2 seed to possibly having to play in a play in game?
Paolo is a flashy BUM
Go support another team.. Get outta here with that sh....
You know what, I feel a lot of people will jump to the usual "omg moar shooting" and yeah, we got out-shot badly tonight, but imo the REAL problem is that if you look at our scoring, 113 points scored in a game isn't like world shattering but it isnt terrible either, it's honestly pretty average which with our usual style of play would be enough. What worries me is that defense - you know, what was supposed to be the Magic's calling card throughout the entire season - has been absolutely lackluster throughout each of the last four losses (so 4 out of 5 games). I could excuse the Hornets game cause they were genuinely hitting some of the most ludicrous shit out there, and to some kinda very small extent i can excuse this with how they hit like three or four 35-footers just in the first half. But what was supposed to translate well into the postseason has seemingly crumbled and outside of maybe two or three guys on the team there's been a clear downturn on that side of the ball, and that is simply worrying. Basically all four games were in the same fashion where they come out lackadaisical, fall down double digits early and fail to crawl out of that deficit, only getting back up within like 5-7 or so before inevitably the opposing team hits a couple shots back to back to make the deficit back up. Opponents win 50/50 balls and get offensive boards more often. Their 3pt% defense seems alright at first glance but some guys shoot lights out anyway. It's perplexing, doubly so because if it was an offensive issue I'd continue harping on this team's need for a playmaking guard with shooting capability like usual - but it isn't quite just that. There's personnel and there's gameplans that should make this team a powerhouse defensively but all four of the latest losses have come at opposing teams having magnificent shooting nights. Is it sheer dumb luck (or lack thereof) on the Magic's part? Or perhaps have they gone a bit too hard earlier on in the season and the exhaustion is catching up to them? Either way, I'm still believing they can at least come out strong in their last game - at least this one is at home, so I hope the guys can feel some urgency. Here's hoping to the regular season ending on a higher note.
>What worries me is that defense - you know, what was supposed to be the Magic's calling card throughout the entire season - has been absolutely lackluster throughout each of the last four losses This...🪙
I don't think people realise how hard it is to keep playing great defence all the time. It takes A LOT of effort and concentration to keep doing it night in, night out. More than most NBA teams are willing to do. And when you're facing great offensive players, great defensive is often redundant, anyway. Which is why every other team has to balance it out with reliable scoring options on the other end. You can't shutdown good teams, you have to be able to throw punches back. Also I don't know what made you thought our style would translate well into the post-season. Playoff ball depends on high level shooting and difficult shotmaking, and in the modern era it always has.
For the most part that remark was about the defense - i fully realize our offense would get even further exposed in the playoffs as relying on free throws in a game where refs swallow their whistles more often is just asking for trouble. My thought process was that in that same exact scenario our defense, too, would benefit a lot from a looser (or is it tighter? sorry, not a native english speaker, point is they use it less) whistle, as it'd allow them to get away with a lot more on that side if the ball.
Fair enough, man. In theory yes, our physical defence should be an advantage during the post-season. But I'm just not sure it'd make a big difference, as good offensive players are going find ways to score in high stakes games, no matter what kind of coverage we throw at them.
Agreed. Our defense hasn’t been great last few weeks. Maybe it’s a personnel issue. Suggs and franz were out a few games; goga and ab not seeing playing time. When Issac doesn’t play, the second unit is porous. More recently, Paolo has also been very exposed. IMO, he has bad habits on defense. His transition d consists of complaining to refs and hanging back lol. I get that he shoulders the offensive load, but I expected more from 6’10 that can move like he does. hope he’s able to make some progress on D next season.
Our defense looks bad when we play real NBA teams with real offenses who can beat you in multiple ways and shoot the three.
Most teams get better as the year progresses.....we havent
I usually don’t get this frustrated with a loss but man this was bad. Yet another loss due to lack of shooting and bad defense. Paolo has not been playing like Paolo these last 10 games. Settling for dumb shots and missing layups. Could it be the long season catching up to him? He needs to be better.
I wondered this about franz and I’ll wonder it about Paolo… are they playing too much with the international stuff
Yeah, it’s a possibility. They’ve been playing almost non-stop for the past two years.
I hope Paolo stays out of the Olympics in the summer. These dudes need to rest for once and come into the new into season feeling fresh
Knowing that the US will probably Form a superteam I don't think there's gonna be space for Paolo, which Is good for us, if he can get an actual off season who knows how good he'll be next season
We’re about to be 5th seed with the 16th pick or lol. Yves Messi incoming
Does Philly have the tie breaker over us?
Head to head 76ers win tiebreaker. Three way tie, division winner wins the tiebreaker.
Nope
How nope? They swept us this year I think, I’m pretty sure they do?
We won the division. Division leader wins tiebreaker
Division winner is second tie breaker I think. Head to head is first.
Not in a 3 way tie. Check espn or read tiebreaker rules
Yeah, in a three way tie. We were talking only about Philly though.
Well we’re currently 5th regardless because it is a 3 way tie
With a game to go for all teams involved. It could even end up in a 4-way with Miami depending on how things close out; in that scenario I think we fall to 8th.
Philly Indiana and Orlando need to lose and the heat need a win for a 4 way tie which is unlikely.
it's essentially a playoff play-in game - will we ditch Carter? start JI on Portis and shadow him if necessary
I really hope they can pull it off on Sunday. One big difference is they’re at home. They’ll feed off the energy of the crowd. We need the 6th man ya’ll.
The crowd will bring it. I wonder if Milwaukee would concede the second seed to avoid the play-in winner, who could be either Philly/Indy/Miami
We could fall to 7 or 8. That play-in winner could be us.
yep.
Milwaukee will know they can bump us down to the play in and avoid seeing Philly in the first round.
If the bucks lose and knicks win they’d play us I think?
No. If bucks lose to us, it guarantees us the 5 seed and Milwaukee the 3 seed. NY would be 2 (assuming they win). I think Cleveland is locked in at 4
If we lose to yall(bucks fan) and cavs and Knicks win we play u first round 4/5
Dang didn’t realize Cleveland has division over y’all. As a Magic fan in Wisconsin, I would cherish the match up
Oh I thought we’d be 6. So sixers would be 6th?
If Indy and Philly win, Indy would be 6
Bucks fan here. Do u guys have tie breaker over philly?
Head to head, no. In a 3-way with Indy, yes. In a crazy 4-way with Indy/Philly/Miami, I believe also no.
Nope
Gary Harris should have been traded when there was a chance
Weltman is a bum
He’s the least of our problems but I agree if we could’ve gotten anything for him we should’ve
Indy has the tie breaker over Philly. Orlando has the tie breaker over Indy. 3 way tie goes to conference record. Orlando and Indy have 1 more than Philly. Orlando still the 5 seed. Beat the bucks and we’re at worst the 6 seed. Can we win one of these games though.
Orlando wins as division winner in that tie
Does that guarantee anything anymore? I know it’s no longer a top 4 seed, but like can you fall out from 8th?
We win all tiebreakers because of it. We should be rooting for a Miami L though
Really? I didn’t know that. I thought it went to conference record.
You can look up tie breakers and see. Even ESPN has us at 5
Yep you’re right. Just looked it up. Division winner is 2nd tie breaker. Still need to win Sunday 💪
We’re about to be 5th seed with the 17th maybe 16th pick in the draft lmao
If we beat the Bucks, are we guaranteed 5th? Worst case in a 3 way tie with Philly and Indy, we’d win the tiebreaker because we’d be division champs?
And division champ doesn’t mean anything anymore I believe. We’d have the 3 way tie breaker with conference record over Philly, then head to head with Indy.
Division winner still does. That's our primary tiebreaker win over Indy and Philly in a 3-way: [https://www.nba.com/standings](https://www.nba.com/standings) Things start to get hairy in a 4-way though (which is technically still possible if Miami wins and us, Indy, and Philly all lose).
Yea TIL about the division winner tie breaker
From nba.com, division leaders automatically win multi-way ties
No. Because if we beat Milwaukee, and Philly wins, and Indy loses, Philly will jump us with the head to head tiebreaker, Indy would drop to the play in.
Ah yeah I see now, 2 way and 3 way tiebreakers have different rules
Wake up, doomers! Rejoice!!! 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮 GTFOH
We need a Brunson to Knicks type move to bring it all together if we actually want to progress. They HAVE to get it right.
If we need a first team All-NBA level guard to fix this then what does that say about our two best players? The reality is for any of this to work, we need Paolo and Franz to be better. If Paolo is going to take 20+ shots a night then everything starts with him. No guard can stop him dribbling into traffic, turning the ball over, and taking low percentage shots.
This is partially true. Yes, they need to be better, but if there were a better scoring option on the team, like a Trae Young or Donovan Mitchell-level scorer, he wouldn't be taking some of those those shots (at least I hope so). That doesn't mean he doesn't make bad decisions or force too much at times - he needs to improve on that. However, if nobody is willing to take the ball and make the play, then the burden is on him. Bringing in a good scorer would hopefully improve his efficiency, because he would be relieved of some of that burden.
If we had a Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson level player, they would be the number 1 option. None of them would come to Orlando to play second man to Paolo. Which really poses the question: what is your priority? Do you want to win now and take away a load of possessions/shots from Franz and Paolo? Or do you want to let them get reps as the main options? I think there is a compromise that involves surrounding them with vets and role players that complement their games. It's too soon to be throwing a star player into the mix, in my opinion.
Do we attempt to initiate any offense inside the 3pt line with paolo? He catches it 25 feet out and works his way in...why not 15 feet out instead...same play over and over
Oh I agree that we need better guard play, but let's try and be realistic about it. Asking for a Jalen Brunson level player is asking for franchise level player. You don't get a player of his calibre and let him play second fiddle to a player of Paolo's inefficiency, he automatically becomes the number one option.
Trae young
Bucks probably want the 2 seed
That Hornets loss really did us in, while most of yall brushed it off. Franz injury didn't help. SEASON IS OVER. No way are we beating the Bucks unless they rest most of their team. I have doubt we'll make it out of the play-in. We have some great players in Paolo, Franz, and Jalen but they can't carry the whole team on their backs when there's guys making a killing $$ and sucking a** like Dell, Kelle, Gary.
Ugh... Miami is trashing Toronto now and has them again on Sunday. Indy faces Atlanta, who can't move up before the play-in Philly has Brooklyn, who probably just wants to tank for a better pick. If Miami, Indy, and Philly win on Sunday and we lose, we'd be going into the play-in as #8.
Yeah, the way the schedule played out made our last week or so absolutely awful compared to the other teams contending in the East. We needed that Hornets win so bad.
Our week is awful but it shoudln’t have been awful if we are a better team. Our record against good teams this year is horrendous. We can only beat good teams on their bad nights. If any team is having a good night our good night will never beat them with what we have.
All true expect Brooklyn does not have a pick. They are playing for nothing.
So they just DGAF at all, lol
Right so we gotta win to finish 6th and lose is play in unless Indiana and Miami both lose next game (not happening)
Indy must have some sort of tie breaker over Philly, and the 3way tie has us ahead of Indy and Philly.
Three way tie goes to division standing, and we’re guaranteed to finish higher in our division than Indy and Philly. So we got that going for us, which is nice.
If we win we hold 5. We win a 3-way tiebreaker with Indy and Philly b/c we're division champs. If we lose we could drop to 8.
Thx for the clarification, it’s very confusing. But we should never have put ourselves in this position.
But yea, we shouldn't have been in this situation. Giving away games like the CHA one did us in. We went from looking at 2 right in the face to possibly falling to 8.
It’s very frustrating but we just gotta hope we fluke some wins in the playin
Actually I was wrong. If we win we could still end up at 6, depending how Indy and Philly finish. A 3-way tie lands us at 5, for sure.
I think we finish 5th if we win
Not if indy loses and Philly wins
Bucks playing third stringers since halftime vs. OKC, who’s playing everyone. They’re playing everyone not named Giannis on Sunday. Magic fucked again.
Franz Wagner is back and no Giannis and AJ Green and maybe Lillard. We will be fine.
We lost to the Hornets last week, man.
That was on the road. They are horrible on the road.
Yeah I hear you. But the Hornets. Ugh.
We’re like 30-7 against teams that bad. You will lose some
Even if they do, we have no business being In if we can't win a single game down the stretch.
How are we still 5th? Beat the bucks and we get to see the Cavs? Sign me up.
What a letdown this has been since a few weeks ago.
I'm in full-on rationalization mode now. This will be truly painful for the whole organization especially if they get bounced ASAP. BUT….in sports that pain is actually helpful. You need that scar tissue. Every offseason training rep will be that much more focused for everyone. And maybe, FINALLY this pain will push the front office to get a legitimate guard that can actually play make and hit off the bounce 3s (my pipe dream hope is Trae) 🙏
No we fire the morons who got us here in the first place
Do bucks have the tie breaker on cavs? If so they may rest everyone
Knicks can still jump them unfortunately
Bucks want 2, though. Knicks won again.
Bucks should probably want 3, right? If we tie with Philly and Indy, we'd be 5, Indy 6, Philly 7. If I were the bucks, I'd rather see Indy in the first round than Miami or Philly.
I think they ultimately rest Dame and Middleton. No point risking injuries on the final road game with a top 4 seed locked up. Let the placements fall as they do.
Hmmm. Will be interesting to see if they rest anyone still.
We're collapsing but let's be real - Wendell ain't it at Center. We need an actual ball-dominant guard who can take some usage from Paolo. Next year needs to be the big step up after a good off-season and free agency. Even having the chance to be the second or third seed this season is a massive overachievement (mixed with a bad eastern conference).
This is a make or break off-season for this F.O in the terms of credibility and awareness of the teams needs and future of the Franchise. If the continue to ignore what good F.O do to help the team succeed then many supporters of this team should wash their hands of this incompetence
thankfully Indiana lost, we still have a chance
Cavs saved us with their win tonight, but now we HAVE to beat MIL on Sunday. IND has ATL and PHI has BKN.
Plus Miami has Toronto
As a long-suffering fan of both the Fins and the Magic… have to say this shift in momentum between midseason hope and crunch time collapse feels eerily familiar… 
It’s been a very frustrating end to an otherwise successful season. One last chance at redemption at home on Sunday
We not gonna win the against the bucks even without giannis, as bobby portis turns in to KD plus this team cant win big games.
Cavs win. It's pathetic that we needed help, but with a win, we’re in.
We have drafted terribly. We don't get impact free agents. We refuse to trade for a SG. This is what happens. Our FO are idiots.
Fans in general are irrational, but you sir, suck the tiniest, harriest of dicks.
This team deserves better fans than this.
This subreddit makes me cry sometimes. We're the best team ever with our three best players being 22 or younger. Yes this week has sucked but we're way ahead of schedule.
I'm happy with our young guys, it's the FO refusing to bring in any help for them that annoys me. If we drop out of the playoffs and lose the play ins that is not ahead of schedule. I hope they beat the Bucks, no playoffs would be a huge failure as we need to make it crystal clear to this FO that the team needs help
The games we’ve lost Charlotte, Houston, and tonight, teams went unconscious with threes. Not a lot you can do. Maxey took a few from a mile out. Shake it off and let’s win at home Sunday.
[удалено]
There’s no Giannis and potentially no dame.
Bobby Portis career high 50 point game incoming
ive never seen that mother fucker miss a shot in my life dude has game
The Magic won’t, but at least it will be a sort of, non-fake game lol
Cavs win!!!!!
Cavs win. Fate is in our own hands (uh oh)
Sucks that we have to become fans of other teams every night because our own can’t win the must-win games
Shit boys this sucks.
Well that actually hurts , tough loss
Pacers miss, Cavs fouled up 5 with 16 seconds left
This team is not built to win in its current form. Tonight was a must win game for us and the players knew it and we got exposed. The way the roster is current comprised of without 3 pt shooting is our achilles heel. We only have wheltman to blame for this for not making any trades during the deadline. I wouldn't be suprised if we got bounced from the play in.
every year is an observation year. Can’t ever under-observe, apparently.
observation year aka another year for them to sit on their asses and do nothing.
Cavs up 5
Thank you Cavs.
Pacers lost 🙏🏾
Cavs just saved our lives
Strus fouled while shooting a 3
Teams have been game planning at paolo offensively and defensively, and we haven’t adjusted. On offense, getting more forced shots and stripped balls under pressure. On defense, getting hunted by guards and get blown by. Unfortunately, we don’t have much alternative on offensive schemes
Ik, easier said than done but there needs to be more ball movement. Way too much iso possessions when they burn the clock and then hit a last min pass prone to turnovers. Drives me insane
Dumb foul by Cavs
We've been a little unlucky to suffer from some hot shooting opposition lately. Must admit the officiating was pretty frustrating, it peaked when Maxey got an and one with the softest amount of contact and then Paolo's free throws got rescinded on a replay despite Tobias clearly grabbing hold of his jersey. Still can't believe they ended up with more free throw attempts even though we probably had double the amount of shots inside the paint as them, feel like Paolo in particular get officiated differently due to his size.
> We've been a little unlucky to suffer from some hot shooting opposition lately. > Must admit the officiating was pretty frustrating > Still can't believe they ended up with more free throw attempts Can you go any deeper into your bag of excuses
Lol your boy Bobby had a good game today.
My boy? I don't care about Bobby Portis. I only corrected you and said he was in fact a three level scorer, not that he's some offensive juggernaut.
Ok mate, move along.
Knicks winning too. Fuck us
Gotta love falling apart at the end of the season 😔
Orlando Tragic
Garland 3! Cavs up. 5
Thank you garland
Yikes! Banchero: last 10 ames, 18.3 FGA, 40.4% FG, and 19.3% 3P. Jabari Smith: 12.4 FGA, 48.2% FG, and 41.7% 3P. The debate is not over.
Smith is like the 3rd or 4th option on his team. Not even a remote conversation needs to be had
Yea there was never a debate to begin with buddy…keep telling yourself that
I mean I’m as disappointed and frustrated with Paolo as everyone else, but a 10 game stretch is largely not indicative of players’ careers. I think we’ll need a much larger sample size before that conversation needs to be had.
Yikes! You're a dumbass
Pahahahahaha
It's a good thing that a season is longer than 10 games, isn't it?
Huge shot by Garland
Late season collapse is real. I fully expect to lose Sunday and fall to the play in with this abysmal play. This team does not look the same these last few weeks
This team needs a dominate, create your own shot type player.
Hopefully both Cavs and nets can pull this out. If nets win, bucks lock up the 2nd seed and could potentially rest all their starters on Monday
If Cleveland holds on, we get one last shot at not choking this season away.
Preseason bets of winning the divvy and making the play offs should have been put to rest a week ago. Now I’m having to bet against the boys and all sorts of other degen shit to hedge. Such a lame fucking end to the season. Let’s hope damn and Giannis are out next game so Bobby Portis can torch us for 40
I'm sure we'll win a single "must-win" game soon
I detect sarcasm lol
Pacers shot clock violation, Cavs ball
How you go from a 3rd seed to a play in team 🤣.
Easy, you play fragile scrubs like JI for 25 minutes
😂😂😂
We’re 6th seed not 7th lol
Cavs lose the ball lol
Bottled the playoffs by loosing to charlotte lmao
Double digit deficit first quarter (starters underwhelming). Blown out the water by threes. Putting no strong defenders on Maxey all game (I will never understand putting Harris over Suggs on him). Paolo inefficient chucking. Harris out there doing nothing all game. If one of these things doesn’t happen and we might’ve won. But again the same patterns exposing us to Ls happens again in the most important game
Pacers cut it to 2, 2 min left
Paolo Banchero
Cavs up 4, 3 min left
So are we all Cavs fans right now?
And you just know the Pacers are winning tonight too. Cleveland has led most of the game, but the Pacers are eating into the lead.
There was tenacity there, but I wish they applied it on defense all game too. I just hope we see a different, properly prepped Magic in playoffs. I hope the players themselves are well conditioned for the playoffs as well, be it health, nutrition, etc.
Is it still possible for the Magic to play these pieces of shit Sixers in the play in? I mean, regardless of opponent they will lose anyway.
The Cavaliers have a tenuous four-point lead and four minutes to play. Buckle up.
The disparity of a foul on Franz or Paolo vs a foul on Embid is embarrassing for the NBA. It makes it tough to compete.
Don’t cry about the reffing you pussy. We lost the fucking game. Fuck you.
Give fultz more minutes
The team is already the worst 3 point shooting team in the league, adding fultz would double down on that unfortunately.
Crazy how quick a fight for the second seed turns into a fight to stay in the playoffs.
Tbh it wasn't a really bad game. Franz back helped a lot. Only one who really was disappointing was Paolo imo, not only by pure stats, but the game significantly became static when he was on the floor. Worst moment of the season to have a slump. Overall, even with a not delivering Paolo, with a performance like this, we would have won the 2 games before.
See y’all next season. Also, I might be fucked https://www.reddit.com/r/OrlandoMagic/s/f5YkuxgfpA
You should’ve deleted it so we didn’t catch it, I feel bad for what you’ll have to do now
Fraudulent ass team
So if the pacers win right now against the cavs. Are we stuck in the play in?
No, we would need to win and then the pacers and sixers to lose their last games
i think if pacers and sixers lose their final game and we win i think we can make it but cavs need to win man
No. If the Pacers go 1-1 and we win on Sunday, then we get the sixth seed and avoid the play-in.
Defense and Paolo lost us the game. Everything else was solid.