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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.
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They will play once on ESPN (March 3 vs. Miami) and three times on NBA TV (Feb. 7 at Houston; March 17 at Phoenix; and March 29 vs. Oklahoma City). There are also no bad seats within the arena and your experience of taking in a live, professional basketball game will be a great one. As a visitor to Orlando, you can take advantage of an organized trip to watch Magic games at the Amway Arena. Catching a Magic game continues to be a popular event in Orlando and the atmosphere is welcoming and exciting for all of its attendees.
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.
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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.
They never had anyone who could matchup well with LeBron James, and he just runs roughshod over the team. Maybe that changes with a rim protector back in the paint and Aaron Gordon sliding to small forward to shadow James . And James always brings a special buzz to the arena every time he arrives in Orlando. Magic fans certainly do not forget James for the 2009 Playoffs. The Orlando Magic are not going to be a team in the limelight this year. This is a team that will have to work largely in anonymity and without much national attention.
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.
As good as Nikola Vucevic was on the offensive end, even putting in some big games against Howard, the Magic never had anyone who could impact the game defensively like him. Howard has moved on to his third team in five seasons since leaving Orlando as he will play for the Atlanta Hawks this year. His struggles to find his rhythm and regain his stellar play from his Orlando days in Houston flamed out almost completely as the Rockets nearly missed the Playoffs last year.
At the tail end of 2017, the Orlando Magic will be facing defending division champion Washington Wizards. The Toronto core is still intact and DeMar DeRozan appears to be one of the best shooting guards in the league. If Kyle Lowry can remain healthy, the Raptors can continue their reign among the Eastern Conference’s elite. In recent years, the Magic have struggled in the month of December and playing the Warriors on the first does not bode well to start the month. The Magic have an easy stretch after Golden State, but getting a win here would be massive.
But it is still great to see the best player on the planet. Charlotte took a big step back last season and are going to be looking to return to the postseason. All-Star guard Kemba Walker is still in town and the Hornets also drafted Florida State Seminolesguard Dwayne Bacon to bring another needed offensive boost. They are playing at home and the Amway Center should be packed.
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.
That should create an interesting buzz in the arena that afternoon. Minnesota is going to be viewed as the “it” team this year (as will the Utah Jazz who follow Minnesota into town Nov. 11). The Timberwolves will get their first ever Christmas game this year. Both the Jazz and the Wolves are following rebuild plans like the Magic and have seemingly leaped ahead. Last year though, the Magic beat both in Orlando to hold some form of superiority.
Their lone trip to Orlando will be special and come with the buzz of last year’s team. The Hawks will be one of those teams the Magic will be fighting for Playoff positioning. Every one of those games will be important for the team. The emotions of Howard’s return has waned, but now he is a division rival. For the first time though since Howard left, Orlando has a center who can at least match or simulate the rim protection he left behind when he was traded away.
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