A scant six years ago, the Orlando Magic were still playing basketball at this stage of May. The team’s future seemed incredibly bright with one of the top five players in the league anchoring an elite defense. Title contention, if not championships, were clearly in front of them.
As has happened before in Magic history, success was fleeting. The team quickly fell apart and the winds of change were coming as the title slipped away.
It has been four years seemingly lost in the desert since Dwight Howard requested a trade and left Orlando in his acrimonious way.