Orlando has that Magic Feeling Again
Do you remember where you were the night of Nov. 6, 1989?
Some of you Magic fans weren’t even alive back then, but downtown Orlando certainly was. That was the night the Magic won their first regular season game, beating Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks 118-110, touching off a spontaneous celebration worthy of a championship.
The fans cheered the players into the locker room then tumbled outside themselves to celebrate some more. They screamed and yelled and jumped all over each in the kind of excited, goofy way that high school kids do after winning a state championship. A lot of them stopped to pose for pictures in front of the arena billboards advertising the game and the date. Those who went straight to their cars, beeped their horns and shouted “GO MAGIC!’’ as they pulled out of the parking lots.
It was joyous and unsophisticated and downright naïve, now that I look back it, but no one cared. They were having fun because that’s what the occasion called for. It was a new team. It was a great game. It was fun being a part of it.
That memory flashed into my mind about a month ago. The Magic had just beaten Allen Iverson and Philadelphia 105-99 and the ‘House was rocking that night, too. Steve Francis hit a four-point play early in the fourth-quarter to ignite the crowd and the fans aggressively stayed in it the rest of they way in what was a nip-and-tuck game to the finish. Francis and Grant Hill made some clutch shots in the final minute and the place exploded when the buzzer sounded.
When it was over, I walked outside and the excitement among the fans was as palpable as it was 16 years ago. This wasn’t the first win of the season or anything more significant than another home victory, but still there was a real sense that something good was happening among Magic fans. You could hear the exhilaration in their voices and they recounted Francis’ last-quarter heroics or Hill’s 29-point performance or the seven blocked shots by the Magic defense that night.
By the time I reached the parking garage, the horns were beeping and people were shouting “GO MAGIC!’’ out their windows as they left the lot. It was then that I had that sense of déjà vu. It felt like 1989 again … Going to Magic games was fun.
That’s what I say when people ask me about this year’s team: Going to Magic games is fun again. Doesn’t matter how they phrase the question – “Are the Magic really going to make the playoffs this year? How long do you think Grant Hill will play? Is Steve Francis going to make the all-star team?’’ – my answer begins or ends with “These guys are fun to watch again.’’
Francis is the best pure talent the Magic have ever had. Nobody can cross-over, duck under, jump over, then spin back and lob up a fallaway jumper like this guy. He is a show unto himself. When he incorporates more of his teammates into the act, it’s a very entertaining show.
Hill is the polar opposite of Francis. He is as calm as Steve is volatile. He is as restrained as Steve is aggressive. He flows while Steve just goes, all of which makes him the perfect complementary player. On those nights when he’s saved something for the fourth quarter, the Magic really do look good enough to play a round or two in the post-season.
The real strength of this team, however, is what lies in between Francis and Hill. The so-called “role players’’ know and accept their part. They give the team a balance and diversity that hasn’t existed in the 16-years franchise history.
There is reliable offense. Cuttino Mobley and Hedo Turkoglu are averaging more than 30 points and three 3-pointers a game between them. When Pat Garrity gets his rhythm going, you can add at least one more three-pointer and another 10 points to that list.
There are reliable defenders. The always soft mid-section of the Magic defense has tightened up considerably. How many big games have opposing centers or power forwards put on Kelvin Cato, Dwight Howard and Tony Battie? Those three are averaging 5.5 blocks a game, which would be two more than the entire team averaged a season ago. Throw in the developing game of Mario Kasun, bruising Brandon Hunter and Michael Bradley and there aren’t many nights when they get undressed right in front of their own basket.
There is even a reliable defensive specialist on the perimeter in Stacey Augmon. Called on to start in place of the injured Hill at Golden State, Augmon not only helped slow down Jason Richardson and Mike Dunleavy Jr., he scored 13 points to help the Magic to a road victory.
There is even consistent rebounding, a rare occurrence any season for the Magic. Howard, Cato and Battie battle for position and possession on every shot. Their teammates come back and offer so much help that Orlando actually led the league the first seven weeks of the season. This from a team that has never finished higher than sixth in rebounding stats, and has finished in the top ten only twice.
All numbers aside, the thing that makes this year’s team so entertaining is they enjoy what they’re doing. You can see it on their faces just as clearly as you could see that past teams didn’t particularly enjoy what they were doing. These guys want to play, whether it’s a Monday night in Denver or a Saturday night in Orlando. They don’t pick-and-choose the games they’ll make an effort. They play every single night.
Maybe that’s why fans are celebrating like the old days when they leave the Waterhouse Centre this season. Maybe that’s why the horns are tooting and the fans are still rooting when the game is long since over.
That Magic feeling is back. Let’s hope they don’t let it go away.
Bill Fay is an Orlando freelance writer and has covered the Magic since the beginning.
Some of you Magic fans weren’t even alive back then, but downtown Orlando certainly was. That was the night the Magic won their first regular season game, beating Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks 118-110, touching off a spontaneous celebration worthy of a championship.
The fans cheered the players into the locker room then tumbled outside themselves to celebrate some more. They screamed and yelled and jumped all over each in the kind of excited, goofy way that high school kids do after winning a state championship. A lot of them stopped to pose for pictures in front of the arena billboards advertising the game and the date. Those who went straight to their cars, beeped their horns and shouted “GO MAGIC!’’ as they pulled out of the parking lots.
It was joyous and unsophisticated and downright naïve, now that I look back it, but no one cared. They were having fun because that’s what the occasion called for. It was a new team. It was a great game. It was fun being a part of it.
That memory flashed into my mind about a month ago. The Magic had just beaten Allen Iverson and Philadelphia 105-99 and the ‘House was rocking that night, too. Steve Francis hit a four-point play early in the fourth-quarter to ignite the crowd and the fans aggressively stayed in it the rest of they way in what was a nip-and-tuck game to the finish. Francis and Grant Hill made some clutch shots in the final minute and the place exploded when the buzzer sounded.
When it was over, I walked outside and the excitement among the fans was as palpable as it was 16 years ago. This wasn’t the first win of the season or anything more significant than another home victory, but still there was a real sense that something good was happening among Magic fans. You could hear the exhilaration in their voices and they recounted Francis’ last-quarter heroics or Hill’s 29-point performance or the seven blocked shots by the Magic defense that night.
By the time I reached the parking garage, the horns were beeping and people were shouting “GO MAGIC!’’ out their windows as they left the lot. It was then that I had that sense of déjà vu. It felt like 1989 again … Going to Magic games was fun.
That’s what I say when people ask me about this year’s team: Going to Magic games is fun again. Doesn’t matter how they phrase the question – “Are the Magic really going to make the playoffs this year? How long do you think Grant Hill will play? Is Steve Francis going to make the all-star team?’’ – my answer begins or ends with “These guys are fun to watch again.’’
Francis is the best pure talent the Magic have ever had. Nobody can cross-over, duck under, jump over, then spin back and lob up a fallaway jumper like this guy. He is a show unto himself. When he incorporates more of his teammates into the act, it’s a very entertaining show.
Hill is the polar opposite of Francis. He is as calm as Steve is volatile. He is as restrained as Steve is aggressive. He flows while Steve just goes, all of which makes him the perfect complementary player. On those nights when he’s saved something for the fourth quarter, the Magic really do look good enough to play a round or two in the post-season.
The real strength of this team, however, is what lies in between Francis and Hill. The so-called “role players’’ know and accept their part. They give the team a balance and diversity that hasn’t existed in the 16-years franchise history.
There is reliable offense. Cuttino Mobley and Hedo Turkoglu are averaging more than 30 points and three 3-pointers a game between them. When Pat Garrity gets his rhythm going, you can add at least one more three-pointer and another 10 points to that list.
There are reliable defenders. The always soft mid-section of the Magic defense has tightened up considerably. How many big games have opposing centers or power forwards put on Kelvin Cato, Dwight Howard and Tony Battie? Those three are averaging 5.5 blocks a game, which would be two more than the entire team averaged a season ago. Throw in the developing game of Mario Kasun, bruising Brandon Hunter and Michael Bradley and there aren’t many nights when they get undressed right in front of their own basket.
There is even a reliable defensive specialist on the perimeter in Stacey Augmon. Called on to start in place of the injured Hill at Golden State, Augmon not only helped slow down Jason Richardson and Mike Dunleavy Jr., he scored 13 points to help the Magic to a road victory.
There is even consistent rebounding, a rare occurrence any season for the Magic. Howard, Cato and Battie battle for position and possession on every shot. Their teammates come back and offer so much help that Orlando actually led the league the first seven weeks of the season. This from a team that has never finished higher than sixth in rebounding stats, and has finished in the top ten only twice.
All numbers aside, the thing that makes this year’s team so entertaining is they enjoy what they’re doing. You can see it on their faces just as clearly as you could see that past teams didn’t particularly enjoy what they were doing. These guys want to play, whether it’s a Monday night in Denver or a Saturday night in Orlando. They don’t pick-and-choose the games they’ll make an effort. They play every single night.
Maybe that’s why fans are celebrating like the old days when they leave the Waterhouse Centre this season. Maybe that’s why the horns are tooting and the fans are still rooting when the game is long since over.
That Magic feeling is back. Let’s hope they don’t let it go away.
Bill Fay is an Orlando freelance writer and has covered the Magic since the beginning.
