By Staff Editor Jeffery Laux
In the first few games of the season, the Orlando Magic have been one of the surprise teams currently sitting atop the Eastern Conference with a 3-1 record. A huge part of their early success has been the strong play offensively as one of the league’s highest-scoring teams during this stretch. This has helped them set a franchise record (476 points).
The Magic have received major production across the board, mainly in the frontcourt with both Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon. The dynamic duo has become the first pair of Magic teammates to each score 40 points together in a game since Hall of Fame big man Shaquille O’Neal and point guard Penny Hardaway. Vucevic has been on an offensive tear through the first four games averaging 23.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest, while Gordon has one-upped him averaging 27.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in two games played. Both players have shown growth and progression through the years and it’s finally paying off.
As of Thursday morning, the Magic stood at or near the top of several major statistical categories. They led the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage, ranked second in points scored per possession and were sixth in field-goal percentage defense. The high level of production has led to Orlando quickly racing out to one of the best records in the league that could make it one of the surprise teams in the Eastern Conference. This already includes topping the defending Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers last weekend by a whopping 21 points. No NBA team has beaten the Cavaliers more than that since 2012, when the Warriors rained threes down upon King James’s Cavs. “Again, it’s too early to make any big judgments about this (team), but it’s an early positive sign for us,’’ Vogel has been quoted regarding his new-look Magic. “With how we’re playing offensively and moving the basketball, we’re facilitating everything and everybody feels good about our chemistry. Everybody is playing with the basketball the right way, thinking extra pass and playing for each other. That’s how chemistry is established.”
Let’s hope and pray that the Orlando Magic can keep themselves together throughout the season to end the playoff drought that Dwight Howard and company left the Orlando Magic to deal with on their own. The Magic need to sell out games like the old times, but they also need consistency to bring back the true and real Magic fans across central Florida. In my opinion, the Magic are playoff contenders if Vucevic, Gordon, and Simmons play at a high level all of this season. The east has gotten weaker with only two guaranteed playoff teams, the Cavaliers and the Celtics. The Magic could make a case for the 5th to 8th seed in the playoffs with the amount of depth this team holds in its arsenal. It shouldn’t take magic to make this happen.