While most of the mainstream media talks about more high-profile teams such as the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics, Paolo Banchero and his Orlando Magic have quietly been holding steady in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture, and are currently in prime position to secure a postseason berth without having to participate in the dreaded Play-In Tournament. The Magic currently sit in fifth place in the conference, and Banchero has looked the part of the All-Star selection he was rewarded with earlier this season.
One proponent of the Magic is none other than former NBA guard Austin Rivers, who recently took to ESPN's NBA Today to issue a strong warning to the rest of the Eastern Conference not to take Orlando lightly.
“We always talk about the Knicks, the big market teams, the Lakers, the Warriors,” said Rivers, per Sean Green on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter. “But the Orlando Magic just have been creeping the whole way through, they play harder than anybody in the NBA. We don't talk about Franz (Wagner), we don't talk about Paolo. This is a team built by a young core. They just extended coach (Jamahl) Mosley, shoutout to him, he deserves flowers for that.”
Despite Rivers' glowing comments, praise for the Magic has been rare in the national media so far this year, and as is the case for many a small market team, it seems that Orlando is going to have to force people to pay attention to them with a deep run this spring.
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