At this level within the NBA common season, most groups clarify their priorities for the season’s closing stretch.
Some groups flip their consideration to giving gamers on the finish of their rotation extra enjoying time and in addition give attention to transferring down the standings with the hopes of bettering their draft lottery odds.
Others groups take the alternative strategy: they push to maneuver up the standings with the hopes of securing a spot within the play-in event/playoffs or higher seeding for the playoffs.
The Orlando Magic have made it clear they’re among the many groups taking the second strategy.
“We know what we’re working toward,” guard Gary Harris informed the Orlando Sentinel. “We’re building. We put ourselves in a position to continue to be in the race to make the play-in. Regardless if we make it or not, we know we want to be playing our best basketball this time of the year. Regardless of what happens this year, we know how good we can be. Our goal is the playoffs.”
With Friday’s 116-109 street victory over the Washington Wizards, the Magic have gained 5 of their final seven video games and are nonetheless eligible to make the play-in.
The Magic (33-44) are 4 video games behind Chicago (37-40) for the No. 10 seed within the Eastern Conference coming into Sunday’s residence recreation in opposition to Detroit (16-61).
Orlando owns the season tiebreaker over Chicago, in order that magic quantity is 2 — which means the Magic will probably be eradicated from play-in rivalry with any mixture of two Bulls wins or two Orlando losses.
Both groups have 5 video games remaining.
The Nos. 7-10 seeds in every convention compete within the play-in event for the Nos. 7 and eight spots within the playoffs.
The Magic nonetheless want to leap over Indiana (34-44) and the Wizards (34-43) within the standings earlier than making an attempt to catch the Bulls.
But Orlando is enjoying for greater than only a potential play-in spot.
“It’s about teaching young men how to win basketball games,” coach Jamahl Mosley informed the Sentinel. “And grow, get better, find their confidence and find their belief. That’s what this is about. I know where we are with the standings and play-in and they’re going to keep fighting for that, but even more so it builds something in ‘this is who we are,’ ‘this is who we’re going to be’ [and] ‘this is what we’re growing toward.’ They all believe and see that. That’s where it starts, with everything — the belief system that you’re capable of doing it in any circumstance.”
Harris understands how a late-season push can assist a crew for the next season.
During his fourth 12 months with the Nuggets in 2018, Denver gained 11 of 16 video games to arrange a matchup with Minnesota on the ultimate day of the common season, the place the winner would advance to the playoffs and the loser wouldn’t.
The Timberwolves gained, with the Nuggets ending that season 46-36, however Denver got here again the subsequent season a greater crew — successful 9 of the primary 10 video games of the season and being the West’s No. 2 seed in that season’s playoffs.
“These are all learning experiences,” Harris stated. “That’s how we’re taking it. We’re learning how to win as a team. Sometimes you got to take some lumps. Sometimes you got to get close and not make it just to really understand the importance of each game, not just at the end of the season but throughout the whole season.”
The Magic have their very own historical past of ending a season robust however lacking the playoffs, main to raised success the next 12 months.
Orlando gained 16 of the ultimate 22 video games of the 2005-06 season however missed the playoffs, ending the 12 months 36-46. The following season the Magic went 40-42 and made the playoffs by ending eighth.
Playing in video games with penalties down a season’s stretch can assist youthful groups study what it takes to succeed in the subsequent stage of improvement.
That’s been the case for the Magic via the shut video games they’ve performed during the last couple of months.
“Just realizing what it takes to be a really good team,” ahead Franz Wagner stated to the Sentinel. “High energy, intensity, how well you have to be connected as a group and how little things matter. That last point is the more important one — how important those details are in close games.”
Regardless of how this season ends, there’s a bigger-picture hope that it’ll assist result in extra success down the road.
“We talk about it a little bit,” guard Markelle Fultz stated. “We try to stay in the moment right now. I feel like a lot of teams and people try to put themselves in a box as far as what they’re trying to do next year or if they’re trying to get picks or whatever, but we’re doing a good job of staying in the moment and taking it one game at a time.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com