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John Raoux / Associated Press
The Orlando Magic have signed their ticket to the 2018-19 NBA Playoffs for the first time since their loss to Danny Granger and the Indiana Pacers in 2011-12 with a 116-108 win Sunday night against the Boston Celtics. That was another reminder that this team is a potential killer of suitors.
The team of head coach Steve Clifford went under the radar for a good part of the year after the Magic was only 25-57 last season under Frank Vogel . With the loss of Shelvin Mack and the somewhat ludicrous assumption that DJ Augustin can effectively lead the offensive throughout 82 games, Magic has surpassed all post-season prognoses.
But Augustin got the second best on / off performance of Magic (plus-5.0, overtaken by star player Nikola Vucevic), while shooting 42.1% against three, tenth among players having recorded more than 64 games. He also likely earned Clifford Coach of the Year votes with his performance.
Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42
One of the best free agent additions was not recorded by a player who signed or traded last season, but with a coach. Excellent work by Steve Clifford and his staff who propelled Magic into the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12.
But back to these predictions. CBS Sports& # 39; The pre-season screenings, for example, gave the Magic the 26th highest ranking, while Illustrated Sports put them dead last. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report ranked them 28th and Grant Hughes of B / R gave them a generous 25th. (The Brooklyn Nets, the other surprise team from the East in the playoffs, outpaced the Magic in each of those polls.)
Still, they are here after finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference with the opportunity to climb to sixth with a game to play. Most would think of magic as a story of well-being. Hey, they finally succeeded!
And they have come a long way since this deserving clip by Stan Van Gundy:
Orlando is more than that.
After all, the magic split The season series with the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers swept the Boston Celtics in three games. They also defeated the San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors and won 3-1 against the Indiana Pacers.
Sixteen of the Magic's 41 wins were played against teams of 500 or more. Where the Magic has strangely struggled, it's against opponents inferior to .500 (18 defeats), which they will not see of course in the playoffs.
Curiously, the Magic have been downright electric since they lost their sixth choice, Mo Bamba, because of a left tibial tension fracture, thanks in part to the emergence of Jonathan Isaac. The former Texas Longhorn looks promising, but his net odds of under-19.6 per 100 possessions have sank the Magic in the lower half of the league.
Since he's fallen, the Magic has won 20 wins out of 29 and led the NBA to net rankings in February (over-11.3). They finish the season with the league's fourth highest score in the last 12 games.
Josh Robbins @JoshuaBRobbins
"A phenomenal scene in the locker room.The guys were ecstatic, deserving, and it's fun to see.I felt like we did it the right way." played our best here, these last 30, 31. We have made good progress all year round. "-Steve Clifford
The defensive play style of the Magic under Clifford is conducive to the atmosphere of series, their opponent having only 106.5 points per game (fifth in the league).
In addition, the Magic have their own version of a superstar of low positions in Vucevic, to match with Marc Gasol and Joel Embiid. He just hangs out Giannis Antetokounmpo, Embiid, Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns with 20.8 points and 12.0 rebounds per game, and he shoots 36.4% out of three (better than all the other villages).
Vucevic should savor another opportunity to play against Embiid after beating in each of their three clashes this season (28.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists on a 56.4% shot ), including the Magic March 25 the shells of head coach Brett Brown and his team in good health.
No matter who they draw, Terrence Ross is arguably the most dangerous weapon and the most important player of Magic. In wins, he carries a net odds of over-15.5. In losses, it's a debilitating minus 17.3
Things will change during the series when the intensity reaches a deafening roar, the rotations are shortened and the eyes enlarge. None of Magic's heavy spinning players has recorded a minute of basketball playoffs since 2014 outside of Ross (2016, Toronto).
But the Magic have played against some of the best teams all year, so expect a match effort in the first round.
Howard Beck, from Bleacher Report, talks with Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry about this week's Full 48 podcast, explaining how MVA favorite Giannis Antentokounmpo gave the Bucks the top spot in the the conference is.
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