I hate this Narrative

[mattdelray1220]

"Even if we lose this was a successful run for us."

Although I agree somewhat. This is a cop out. We can win this series. Winning this series takes our players/coaches/organizations mindset from winning a series next year to ECF. A game 7 away win after we have not won a game in CLE would level us up more than we can imagine. The management would have no other option but to make the proper moves to put us in a position for a legit ECF run next year. I want that.

[DiplomaticMagic]

I agree.

I would agree more with that narrative if we werent playing the Cavs. The Cavs suck. We can beat them and should beat them.

I keep hearing "we're so ahead of the rebuild", "dwight and shaq were swept first playoffs", "look at this team". Those teams weren't playing these Cavs!! This Cavs team is the worst team in the whole playoffs (besides maybe the Zion-less pelicans). This Magic team cant expect the playoffs to be an opponent like this Cavs team everytime. Thats why I really hope we advance and play Boston. Boston is a true contender, and would love for our guys to see what its like and what it takes.

Beat the Cavs!!

[pepe1991]

"Even if we lose this was a successful run for us."

Although I agree somewhat. This is a cop out. We can win this series. Winning this series takes our players/coaches/organizations mindset from winning a series next year to ECF. A game 7 away win after we have not won a game in CLE would level us up more than we can imagine. The management would have no other option but to make the proper moves to put us in a position for a legit ECF run next year. I want that.

Thing is, if we win, teams will look at us differently, but i don't really care about that.

I think that winning early will set somewhat uneralistic expetations going forward and give front office (false) sense of sucess and it could lead them toward idea of resign & run back.

Notion of "arrival" ruined Hawks rebuild. They went to ECF in 2021 with majority of guys being 22 & 23 years old.
They made minimal changes for next year, runned it back but second time around, teams started to pay more attention when they face them & prepare better.

During 2020-21 playoffs they faced first Knicks ( before Brunson ) with bunch of overrated mediocrities like Randle, RJ Barrett, Bullock , Rose etc, round 2, Ben Simmons meltdown and passing layups and out of nowhere they were playing in Eastern Conference Finals.

Next year around they fell apart in round 1, against first serious team, as Heat beat living piss out of them. What followed were panic trades.
Didn't help ,as in 2023, once again, they got serious opponnent in round 1 as they got slapped by Celtics.

And now, just 3 years later from bunch of 22 & 23 guys leading team in ECF, they are in some awkward semi retool limbo without much hope they can do anything.


Season won't be failure if we don't win, it's sucess for young team to be in game 7 of first round. If we pass, great. If we lose, oh well. But no matter what happends tomarrow, this is first step toward being serious playoff team.
Offseason will shift our rebuild into one way or another.

[tooler]

Most people appreciate having a little perspective in their lives. If you'd rather hang your state of mind on a single game then you're welcome to go nuts.

[eyriq]

IMO it's the right narrative. Gotta embrace the context of where we are vs where we should be. We should be barely in the play-in and likely already in Cancun. Young teams don't have this sort of success outside the truly GOAT young cores. Even those have always lost their first postseason appearance. If we win we'll be the most successful young core of all time.

[Skybox]

Truly a successful year, BUT…

As everyone said…if it leads to satisfaction and complacency, it’ll be a short run. I think that the needs continue to be SO glaring and obvious that ORL’s success shouldn’t create a problem. Every fan and commentator (and FA and player agent) should still see how clear the next step(s) is. The great success is due to team defense, 3 young players developing very well despite a big gaping hole where a scoring Lead Guard should be. You don’t have to have a PhD in basketball theory to see that the offense has been almost exclusively fueled by two really special 6’10 guys making good decisions and amazing finishes, largely in iso…the rest of the points come from opportunistic shooters, particularly a surprisingly accurate Suggs. The defense carried the team, even on the nights when the offense exploded…point is- it’s hard not to immediately ask, “Wow…What would they look like with player X in the backcourt?”

If I’m that kind of player (or representing him), I’m taking notice of the opportunity, the possible role, the teammates, their ages, the vibe, the coach, the cap space, the weather, the taxes…”

[Knightro]

This season has been a massive success no matter what happens in Game 7.

But now the real work begins.

It's on Weltman to figure out what needs to happen from a personnel perspective to get this team to level up.

Just flatly running it back should not be an option IMO.

[eyriq]

This season has been a massive success no matter what happens in Game 7.

But now the real work begins.

It's on Weltman to figure out what needs to happen from a personnel perspective to get this team to level up.

Just flatly running it back should not be an option IMO.

I think the real work was identifying the core. That said, building around them is mission critical, but identifying the core is most important and hardest.

[fendilim]

Success is subjective.

Ask Giannis.

[jezzerinho]

Agree with the OP. As performance rises, expectations should follow. Otherwise how do you improve as a team. Screw house money, let's go for it and expect to win.

[Skybox]

Yep

More pressure when you have something to lose.

ORL could now be in position to regress…FO didn’t really have to worry about that optic before. Let’s see if they’re up to the challenge. They’ve set themselves up nicely…perfect storm of expiring salary, picks, and glaring needs.

[Residual-Heat]

I agree.

I would agree more with that narrative if we werent playing the Cavs. The Cavs suck. We can beat them and should beat them.

I keep hearing "we're so ahead of the rebuild", "dwight and shaq were swept first playoffs", "look at this team". Those teams weren't playing these Cavs!! This Cavs team is the worst team in the whole playoffs (besides maybe the Zion-less pelicans). This Magic team cant expect the playoffs to be an opponent like this Cavs team everytime. Thats why I really hope we advance and play Boston. Boston is a true contender, and would love for our guys to see what its like and what it takes.

Beat the Cavs!!

I dont agree with this. Theyre better than the Bucks without Giannis and half a dame, and better than the Heat without Butler. Better than the Pelicans without Zion. Probably better than the CLippers without Leonard.

[Residual-Heat]

At this point, im happy they've gotten this far. They have done more than i expected this season, and so from that perspective i wont be upset whatever happens next game. That said, these boys have shown zero quit all season, and I will be sad for them if they lose.

[yoyojw17]

"Even if we lose this was a successful run for us."

Although I agree somewhat. This is a cop out. We can win this series. Winning this series takes our players/coaches/organizations mindset from winning a series next year to ECF. A game 7 away win after we have not won a game in CLE would level us up more than we can imagine. The management would have no other option but to make the proper moves to put us in a position for a legit ECF run next year. I want that.

That's not a narrative at all. End of last season... What was the context of the interviews. "We are making it to the playoffs"... "Playoffs or bust".... And a portion of the fan base laughed at this "false confidence".... And thought our team would be lucky to even make it to the play ins. Full season in review .... We started of decent ... Had a bunch of injuries.... People lost faith in the season.... We continued to get healthy.... Made it as high as #2 in the east.... And settled in the end at #5 with much more experienced teams plowing forward at the end.

Now the narrative is that the cavs suck? Really? Many on this board wanted strus during the off-season.... Want to trade portions of our team for garland or Mitchell (still will trade half of our team for him lol).... Still love mobley and think he was one of the best players in the draft. The cavs made major moves to help fix their problems from last seasons folding.... Tanked so that they can get their favorable matchup in the first round ... Just to be pushed to a game 7 against one of the youngest teams the NBA.

The statement does NOT mean that they are willing to roll over and be content.... BUT They darn right should be proud of how far they have come and be willing to build off of the experience they have had!

I am beyond proud of how we have bounced back from these punches... 2-0 to start the series in poor away games ... Tied it up 2-2 with a ferocious barrage at home ... Lost in a thriller on the road .... And pulled out a win at home with their best player putting on one of the best offensive clinics in the post season. And YET.... I feel as though we could still do much better.

To be honest I have a feeling... And I might be wrong.... We will pull off the away victory in one of the toughest atmospheres that we will have to be in. They should not sell themselves short on what they have accomplished til now.

[J the Drafter]

A far more persistent destroyer of teams has been doing too much, not doing too little. The Magic in 2011 tried to replace Rashard and Vince midseason instead of taking the time to find a good playmaker and a good perimeter scorer with some productive years left. The Magic traded Dipo because they wanted a non-rookie power forward (aka not Sabonis) and didn’t much care who it was or what they had to give up to get him.

The Suns ruined their rebuild by committing to an aging big three and neglecting other team needs. The Sixers ruined their rebuild by investing in Butler and Tobias.

What most fans see as complacency is, in my view, actually restraint. The FO have improved the team without squandering money or trade assets. The team still has needs, but the decision on who to invest in, when to invest, and if some all-in move or series of moves is even the best decision is something that could break the team if it’s done unwisely. So I don’t think it’s a sign of failure if the FO decides not to make the flurry of moves some people are expecting.

[Rainwater]

This was a successful season regardless, no one was expecting them to get this far. I believe moves were going to be made regardless with all the cap space.

[The-Stallion70]

The Suns ruined their rebuild by committing to an aging big three and neglecting other team needs. The Sixers ruined their rebuild by investing in Butler and Tobias.

Let's go back to the Summers when these moves happened.

Are you suggesting that the Sixers would have been better off staying with MCW and Dario Saric instead of trying to get Butler? Saric or MCW never became stars.

Did Boston really derail their team when they acquired Kyrie?

[I Rasharted]

I'm sorry you hate a narrative.

[TheChaser]

"Even if we lose this was a successful run for us."

Although I agree somewhat. This is a cop out. We can win this series. Winning this series takes our players/coaches/organizations mindset from winning a series next year to ECF. A game 7 away win after we have not won a game in CLE would level us up more than we can imagine. The management would have no other option but to make the proper moves to put us in a position for a legit ECF run next year. I want that.

Thing is, if we win, teams will look at us differently, but i don't really care about that.

I think that winning early will set somewhat uneralistic expetations going forward and give front office (false) sense of sucess and it could lead them toward idea of resign & run back.

Notion of "arrival" ruined Hawks rebuild. They went to ECF in 2021 with majority of guys being 22 & 23 years old.
They made minimal changes for next year, runned it back but second time around, teams started to pay more attention when they face them & prepare better.

During 2020-21 playoffs they faced first Knicks ( before Brunson ) with bunch of overrated mediocrities like Randle, RJ Barrett, Bullock , Rose etc, round 2, Ben Simmons meltdown and passing layups and out of nowhere they were playing in Eastern Conference Finals.

Next year around they fell apart in round 1, against first serious team, as Heat beat living piss out of them. What followed were panic trades.
Didn't help ,as in 2023, once again, they got serious opponnent in round 1 as they got slapped by Celtics.

And now, just 3 years later from bunch of 22 & 23 guys leading team in ECF, they are in some awkward semi retool limbo without much hope they can do anything.


Season won't be failure if we don't win, it's sucess for young team to be in game 7 of first round. If we pass, great. If we lose, oh well. But no matter what happends tomarrow, this is first step toward being serious playoff team.
Offseason will shift our rebuild into one way or another.

Great post

[MagicMatic]

A far more persistent destroyer of teams has been doing too much, not doing too little. The Magic in 2011 tried to replace Rashard and Vince midseason instead of taking the time to find a good playmaker and a good perimeter scorer with some productive years left. The Magic traded Dipo because they wanted a non-rookie power forward (aka not Sabonis) and didn’t much care who it was or what they had to give up to get him.

The Suns ruined their rebuild by committing to an aging big three and neglecting other team needs. The Sixers ruined their rebuild by investing in Butler and Tobias.

What most fans see as complacency is, in my view, actually restraint. The FO have improved the team without squandering money or trade assets. The team still has needs, but the decision on who to invest in, when to invest, and if some all-in move or series of moves is even the best decision is something that could break the team if it’s done unwisely. So I don’t think it’s a sign of failure if the FO decides not to make the flurry of moves some people are expecting.

This cuts both ways.

Yeah, pushing your chips in for aging overpriced declining stars isn’t a good strategy. You’ll be squeezed for assets like Suns and Lakers are currently and you’ve hit your ceiling.

It’s also not a good idea to hold onto your core and never address any roster issues. People act like the front office is going to acquire all roster solutions in one offseason…That can land you on a treadmill too when teams figure you out and you’re paying the same players perpetually until your window closes.

You can only tell yourself this FO has made all the right decisions because nobody has been moved aside from Bamba and Bol. They have squandered assets. We just will never know what that return happens to be. Why? Because many of these guys will just expire now. Worst case is that they are resigned and nothing is addressed.

This is a big offseason to see what the FO does. They simply cannot run this entire roster back. It’s not feasible to expect better results after this season while making no decisions. I’d also argue this Orlando team should have finished 3rd in the eastern conference and dropped the ball in the last 5-10 games because there is some initiative to play 4 guards (aside from our rookie) when it makes zero sense and is delusional short term thinking.