When the NBA season was suspended March 11 amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Orlando Magic were beginning to hit their stride.
Owners of a three-game win streak and an 8-4 mark over the previous 12 games, the Magic were picking up momentum at the most opportune time — with a second straight playoff berth on the horizon.
“I will say that when play stopped we were playing some of our best ball of the season,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said Thursday in a telephone interview with the Orlando Sentinel.
The league’s reopening plan calls for a 22-team format that will include the 16 that were in a playoff position when the season was suspended as well as the teams within six games of the postseason cutline.