Before last year, the Orlando Magic struggled to find an identity throughout this rebuild.
Then finally, during their 22-9 run to make the playoffs last year, they became a very good defensive team. They finally found a way to play every night.
Orlando entered this season expecting to be one of the best defensive teams in the league. To make the playoffs again — and possibly do more — was all staked on the team’s potentially elite defense.
The beginning of the season saw the Magic play some incredible defense — holding opponents to less than a point per possession in six of their first 11 games.