ORLANDO – In the first two months of last season, the Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers faced off twice and forward Al-Farouq Aminu came away from those games convinced that the Magic were a team on the rise because of the problems they present to foes with their collective defensive length.
Fast forward to April, when the Magic closed the regular season with a stirring 22-9 run and reached the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, and Aminu was the least shocked person in the NBA that Orlando was suddenly a factor in the postseason once again.