ORLANDO – To fully fathom how far the Orlando Magic have come in terms of toughness and togetherness in their fight for respectability, you must first look backward at what was quite possibly their low moment last season.
Some 13 months ago, the Magic were run off the Amway Center parquet by the hot-shooting Utah Jazz to the tune of a 125-85 final score. That 40-point margin tied for the most lopsided loss in franchise history at home and it was the fourth consecutive defeat of a losing skid that ultimately reached nine games. The Magic never turned things around, went 25-57 and missed the playoffs a sixth straight season.