Last week before the Orlando Magic embarked on their short two-game road trip, Steve Clifford took a reporter to task on the team’s seemingly light schedule.
Yes, the opponents the Magic are playing are all below .500. That would seem to mean the team has the opportunity for wins. But counting those victories as automatic is a fool’s errand. The team still had to earn its wins.
Coaches do not think like that when it comes to stretches in the schedule. They view each team as its own individual challenge. And as the Magic have learned there are no guarantees in this league.