The Orlando Magic front office was adamant about making the playoffs, even if it meant an early exit. Erasing the stigma associated with the Magic’s lengthy playoff drought and giving their young core the experience of meaningful basketball was viewed as more valuable that a spot in the lottery.
Mission accomplished there.
But the Magic, down 3-1 to the Raptors, now face that early exit.
Few Magic fans were measuring the success of this season on the results of this series. Orlando exceeded expectations long ago and showed tangible progress in their rebuild. Making the playoffs was a bonus, winning games in the playoffs against the league’s second best team was an added bonus.