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The sting has eroded from the “Dwightmare” about half a decade ago, but Dwight Howard games always mean something. Howard is now with the divisional foe Charlotte Hornets and will be coming back to Orlando twice this season. As the countdown to the NBA season begins, schedule release day is an obvious landmark. With only a few months left until tip-off, fans will now get a sense of what is in store for the 2018 season. Both Miami and Orlando made a handful of quiet moves that should improve both teams.
Ibaka and Vogel will be making homecomings of sorts in November. Ibaka, who spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career in Oklahoma City, will face the Thunder in OKC on Nov. 13. The next night, Vogel returns to Indiana, the city where he guided the Pacers to the playoffs in five of the past six seasons. Vogel, who coached 5 ½ seasons previously with the Indiana Pacers, was hired in late May.
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The Lakers have young talent, but they will likely struggle next season. Ball and the rest of the young Lakers core will have plenty of NBA experience by January and both teams will have a rough idea of how their season will play out. With all of the headlines surrounding the Ball family, it is no surprise this game will be a must watch.
With Stephen Curry and his band of All-Stars, the Magic have lost the last eight matchups against the defending champions. Odds are Orlando will not be able to beat Golden State, but the hype heading into both of these games will be phenomenal. Following the Paul George trade, the Pacers are taking their first steps towards rebuilding. Indiana will have their struggles, but they have pieces to build around. When LeBron James comes to town, there is always a buzz. The Cleveland Cavaliers have had no problems beating the Magic of late.
Team and Opponent Stats
But this will be the game where the debate gets settled. A good time to take stock of whether the Magic made the right decision. The Cavaliers are the measuring stick for the entire Eastern Conference. They are a show when they roll into town, as any NBA champion would be, and will get everyone’s best shot every time.
The moment when everyone around the nation began taking notice of what this team was doing and taking them seriously. In each of the past two seasons, the Magic have lost at home to the 76ers. Both of those games were back-breaking and disheartening. These were signs the team was still stuck in their inconsistent malaise and not ready to take that big step forward they would need.
Orlando Magic Daily
Of course, everyone is going to watch Lonzo Ball, but the Los Angeles Lakers have a national fanbase that will be filling the Amway Center. This is a bit of a budding rivalry with some interestingly fun and close games between the two teams in recent years. If health is on their side, the 76ers could make a playoff push. While the Magic could take advantage of seven home games in a row to move up the standings.
No matter how the season looks at this point, it will be bittersweet to see the season come to an end. During a lengthy March homestand, the Orlando Magic will have another nationally televised game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Like the Pacers game, there will be plenty of young talent on display.
From home openers to late-season rivalry games, there are always a few games that stand out. Here are the top 10 Magic games to await eagerly as NBA basketball inches closer. It is hard to tell what kind of impact this game will have for the Magic and their Playoff lives. All the questions dogging the team at this stage of the offseason will have answers by the time the team enters this game. It seems silly in the age of League Pass, but national television games can still go a long way to turning heads and swaying opinions. The Magic’s 2009 win on ESPN over the Los Angeles Lakers was something of a turning point for that team.
With the Eastern Conference looking weak on paper, there is a chance for the Magic to make a playoff push if the right things fall into place. On the other hand, the improved depth may not prove to be enough and leave Orlando with another 30-win season. Even with the early loss to the Heat, the Magic went on to win the season series.
Fultz showed off the Magic’s jersey which will once again feature a Disney patch this season. Fultz has been in the NBA since 2017, the same year Walt Disney World Resort became the jersey sponsor for the Magic. In a league full of established powers, the Magic were one of the true feel-good stories at that time, even making it to the Finals in 1995 where they lost to Houston. Hopefully, the Magic can close out January on a high note and win this ball game.
That tandem, of course, is the tandem of Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. Shaq and Penny came to the Magic in the 1990s, in a time where teams full of established stars like the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls were at the top of the league. Those teams were very talented of course, but lacked the pizzaz that the Magic brought to the floor at times. The team name Magic tends to conjure up the notion that a team is going to be more interesting or special than the other teams in the NBA. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brook Lopez should help an up-and-coming Los Angeles team.
The Magic used their long late-December home stand to build some wins and momentum to be squarely in the Playoff hunt as the calendar turned. Someone will have to grab it and all five teams seem to be in that middle bunch of teams in the Eastern Conference. The first game of the season is always the one we look forward to most. Former Magic standout Dwight Howard, who helped the franchise reach the 2009 NBA Finals and the 2010 East Finals, signed with Atlanta in the offseason. Howard’s hometown Hawks play in Orlando on Jan. 4 and Feb. 25. In February, Orlando will host the San Antonio Spurs (Feb. 15) in the final game before the break for the NBA All-Star Game.
The Magic traded for Ibaka on draft night and remained aggressive throughout the rest of the offseason in upgrading the roster. On paper, both the Magic and Pacers will appear to be lottery teams. Still, both feature young talent that may develop into stars in a few seasons. Players like Myles Turner and Aaron Gordon should get their time to shine in this contest.
Expectations might begin rank ordering where everyone thinks they might finish, but there are endless possibilities standing before all 30 teams in the league. The Orlando Magic will open their 2017 season Oct. 26 with a big game against the Miami Heat. Here are 10 games we are looking forward to during the season. Biyombo, who signed with the Magic as a free agent in July, helped the Toronto Raptors reach the Eastern Conference Finals this past spring.
The Heat added versatile forward Kelly Olynyk and drafted athletic big man Bam Adebayo. The improved depth along the frontcourt should help take the load off Hassan Whiteside. Orlando’s first home preseason game is Thursday, October 5th, against the Dallas Mavericks.
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