Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

History

Early years
The Orlando Magic officially entered the NBA as an expansion franchise in 1989. It was one of the four new expansion franchises awarded by the NBA along with the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves. It was also the first (and still only) professional sports franchise in the Orlando area. Led by a local businessman, Jimmy Hewitt and former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Pat Williams, the Magic hired Matt Guokas as the team's first coach. The inaugural team compiled a record of 18–64 with players including Reggie Theus (the current head coach of the Sacramento Kings), Scott Skiles (now current coach of the Chicago Bulls), Terry Catledge, Sam Vincent (now the current coach of the Charlotte Bobcats), Otis Smith (now current general manager of the Magic), and Jerry Reynolds. In the club's first draft in 1989, the Magic chose Nick Anderson with the 11th pick in the first round.


Original Magic logo, used from 1989–2000.The club's first game was on November 4, 1989, at the Orlando Arena (O-Rena). Despite playing a hard-fought game, the visiting New Jersey Nets won 111- 106. The Magic's first victory came 2 days later, as the Magic defeated the New York Knicks 118–110.

In the 1990 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic selected Dennis Scott with the fourth overall pick. Scott, known as a sharpshooter, helped the Magic compile a 31–51 record. Combined with the fast-paced energy style of Skiles, who was named the NBA's Most Improved Player at the end of the season, the Magic heralded the NBA's most improved record that season.

1992 was a disappointing season for the Magic as various players missed games with injuries. Dennis Scott played only 18 games, Nick Anderson missed 22 games, Stanley Roberts, Jerry Reynolds, Bison Dele, Sam Vincent and Otis Smith all missed at least 27 games each. With a shortage of healthy players the team struggled through a 17-game losing streak and finished with a 21-61 record.

The Shaq era
The club's history was changed dramatically with the 1992 NBA Draft. With the first overall pick, the Magic selected big-man Shaquille O'Neal from Louisiana State University. O'Neal, a 7 ft 1 in center, made an immediate impact on the Magic, leading the club to a 41–41 record. The Magic again were the NBA's most improved franchise, and O'Neal garnered All-Star starter status and the 1992-1993 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. However, the Magic missed that year's playoffs, because they were tied with the Indiana Pacers for the 8th (and final) playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and because the Pacers won the tiebreaker.

Missing out on the playoffs had a silver lining: despite having the NBA's best non-playoff record (and thereby the least chance of gaining the top draft pick with only one ball in the lottery machine), the Magic once again won the NBA draft lottery. In the draft, the Magic selected Chris Webber, but traded him to the Golden State Warriors for the number three pick, guard Anfernee Hardaway (known as "Penny" Hardaway) and three future first-round draft picks. Prior to the draft, Guokas stepped down as head coach, and Brian Hill was promoted to become the Magic's second coach. Also, General Manager Pat Williams was replaced by John Gabriel.

With the lethal combination of O'Neal and Hardaway, the Magic became a dominant team in the NBA, compiling the first 50 win season in franchise history with a 50–32 record. The Magic were in the playoffs for the first time, ranked the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the underdog Pacers team swept the Magic 3–0 in the first round, thus ending the Magic's season.

However, in the 1994-95 season, the Magic's sixth season, after acquiring rebounder Horace Grant as a free agent from the Chicago Bulls, Orlando compiled a 57–25 record, best in the East and winning the Atlantic Division title. In the playoffs, the Magic defeated the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and the Indiana Pacers, advancing to the NBA Finals. The Houston Rockets, though, ended Orlando's dream of a championship by sweeping Orlando 4–0 in the Finals to take the crown.

In the 1995-96 season, the Magic again were near the top of the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division with a 60–22 record, led by O'Neal and Hardaway. However, the Magic were seeded number two, behind the amazing 72-10 record the Chicago Bulls accumulated under Michael Jordan. In the playoffs, after the Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks, Orlando met the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals. The combination of Jordan, Scottie Pippen and rebounder Dennis Rodman as well as Toni Kukoc was too much for the Magic, and Orlando was swept 4-0 in the Eastern Conference finals.

End of the Shaq era
In the offseason, O'Neal left as a free agent to the Los Angeles Lakers, dealing a huge blow to the Magic franchise. In the middle of the season, though, urged by player discontent, management fired coach Brian Hill and named Richie Adubato as interim coach for the rest of the season. Under Adubato, the Magic went on a 21-12 streak to compile a 45–37 record, led by Hardaway, Darrell Armstrong, the team's emotional leader, and Rony Seikaly acquired in a trade with Golden State. In the playoffs, the Magic came close to stunning the heavily favored Miami Heat in the first round, extending the series to a decisive game five, even after losing the first two games.

The Magic then hired Chuck Daly to be head coach for the 1997-98 season. In addition, Hall of Famer Julius Erving joined the Magic's front office, giving Orlando immense hope for a successful season. However, the season was hampered by injuries, as Hardaway sat out the majority of the season . Anderson, combined with newly acquired free agent Bo Outlaw, led the team to a respectable 41–41 record, just out of reach of the NBA playoffs. In addition, Rony Seikaly was traded during the season to the New Jersey Nets for three role players and a future draft pick.

In 1998-99, with the acquisition of Matt Harpring and Michael Doleac and a healthy Hardaway and Anderson, the Magic tied for the Eastern Conference's best record in the lockout-shortened season, 33–17. Armstrong again led the team emotionally, winning the NBA's Sixth-Man and Most Improved Player awards. In addition, Orlando also acquired NBA great Dominique Wilkins, along with brother Gerald, who were past their primes but were both still very good. In the playoffs the Magic were seeded number 3 because of tiebreakers and faced the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers, led by Allen Iverson, upset the Magic 3–1 in the first round.


A special Magic logo from 1999, celebrating the team's 10 year anniversary.In 1999, the Magic, under General Manager John Gabriel, who was later named Executive of the Year, hired rookie-coach Doc Rivers. Gabriel dismantled the previous team trading their only remaining superstar Anfernee Hardaway to the Phoenix Suns for Danny Manning (who never donned a Magic uniform), Pat Garrity and two future draft picks. The Magic were then a team virtually comprised of all no name players and little experience which included team captain Armstrong, Bo Outlaw and a young Ben Wallace, along with Coach Rivers led the Magic to a 41–41 record, barely missing out on the playoffs. At the end of the season Rivers was named Coach of the Year by the NBA. This year was characterized by the slogan "Heart and Hustle", as the team was known for its hard-working style.

2000-present
In the following offseason, Gabriel, with millions of cleared salary cap space, attempted to lure three of the NBA's most prized free agents: Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, and Tracy McGrady. Despite Duncan opting to remain with the San Antonio Spurs, the Magic acquired Hill, a perennial All-Star, and McGrady. However, Hill was limited to 4 games because of an ankle injury. McGrady blossomed into a star during this season, becoming one of the NBA's top scorers. With the addition of Mike Miller from the draft, the Magic compiled a 43–39 record, which included a nine-game winning streak, and once again made the playoffs. Miller won the Rookie of the Year that season. In the playoffs, the Magic faced an upstart Milwaukee Bucks team in the first round. The Bucks won the series 3–1.

In 2001-02, McGrady led the Magic to a winning record of 44–38. However, Hill was still severely limited by his ankle injury and did not play for the vast majority of the season. McGrady, combined with Armstrong, Miller, and 3-point sharpshooter Pat Garrity, formed the core of the team that season. However, the Magic were defeated 3–1 in the first round of the playoffs by the Charlotte Hornets led by Baron Davis (the team has since relocated, becoming the New Orleans Hornets).

In 2002-03, with the acquisitions of Gordan Giricek and Drew Gooden from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Mike Miller and Ryan Humphrey, McGrady once again led the Magic to a 42–40 record. Despite still not having Hill due to injury, the Magic entered the playoffs for the third straight year. However, after taking a 3–1 lead in the best-of-seven first round series, the Magic faltered and fell to the Detroit Pistons 4–3 in the now infamous heartbreaker in which McGrady was quoted "It's nice to finally be in the second round" after still needing one more win to advance.

The Magic's 15th season in 2003-04 proved to be one of its toughest ever. Even with the acquisition of veteran free agents Tyronn Lue and Juwan Howard, the Magic struggled early. After winning its first game, the Magic lost 19 consecutive games, setting a franchise record. The Magic finished with a disappointing 21–61 record, the worst in the NBA. In the middle of the 19-game losing streak, coach Doc Rivers was fired, and assistant Johnny Davis was promoted. In addition, general manager Gabriel was replaced by John Weisbrod.

In the offseason, Weisbrod completely dismantled the team. Though he kept Davis as coach, he shook up the player roster, only keeping a few of the players from last season. The most significant trade was that of Tracy McGrady. McGrady, discontent with the Magic, wished to move on; Weisbrod accused McGrady of "slacking off" and not attending practices (McGrady later admitted that he did not give 100% percent during the 2003-2004 season). The Magic traded McGrady along with Reece Gaines, Tyronn Lue, and Juwan Howard to the Houston Rockets for Steve Francis, Kelvin Cato, and Cuttino Mobley. In addition, the Magic acquired center Tony Battie and two second-round draft picks from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Drew Gooden, Steven Hunter, and the draft rights to Anderson Varejao. The Magic then signed free agent Hedo Turkoglu. With the number one draft pick, the Magic selected high-school phenom Dwight Howard and traded for point guard Jameer Nelson. Nelson, who most scouts speculated to be a top-10 pick, fell to the 20th pick, and the Magic traded a future first-round draft pick to the Denver Nuggets for Nelson.

After a promising 13–6 start, the Magic began to fall apart. First, Weisbrod traded Mobley for Doug Christie from the Sacramento Kings. Christie, because of his emotional ties to the Kings, at first refused to play for the Magic. Later on, Christie claimed he had bone spurs and was placed on the injured list after playing only a few games for the Magic. Near the end of the season, with a playoff-push faltering, Weisbrod fired Davis after leading Davis to believe he was going to be the team's head coach for the entire 2004-05 NBA season. He then promoted Chris Jent to interim head coach.

Throughout the season, bolstered by Hill's return, the Magic played spectacularly, defeating top NBA teams such as the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and the Detroit Pistons. However, led by the erratic play of Francis, the Magic also lost to league bottom-feeders, such as the expansion Charlotte Bobcats and the Atlanta Hawks. However, Howard showed great promise, becoming one of the few players to average a double-double. Howard was a consistent rebounder and scorer, becoming the first rookie to start and play all 82 games in a season. In addition, Nelson, after a slow start, developed into a talented player, taking over the starting point guard position. Hill also returned and averaged 19 points a game. Hill was chosen an All-Star starter by NBA fans, and Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson were named to the All-Rookie first and second teams, respectfully. Howard was an unanimous selection.

The Magic finished the season with a 36–46 record, disappointing after a strong start. Their playoff push was hampered by injuries in the last quarter of the season: a season-ending broken wrist for sixth man Hedo Turkoglu, a shin injury to Grant Hill, a rib cage injury to Nelson, and a three-game suspension to Francis for allegedly kicking a photographer. In the end, the Magic ended a few games out of the playoffs.

On May 23, however, the Magic's plans were disrupted by the abrupt resignation of General Manager and Chief Operating Officer John Weisbrod. In addition, the Magic announced the following day that Brian Hill, the coach who led the Magic to the NBA Finals under O'Neal and Hardaway, would return as head coach.

The Magic drafted Spaniard Fran Vazquez with the 11th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. On July 28, Vazquez stunned the team after announcing that he will remain in Spain to play for Akasvayu Girona, getting ridiculed by media after he was quoted that the decision to stay was made by his girlfriend.

Owner Rich DeVos announced on October 21 that he was transferring ownership to his children, with the official owner role moving to son-in-law and team President Bob Vander Weide. The transfer is supposed to be complete by the end of the year.

The 2005-06 season opened with high hopes for the Magic despite not being able to add first round draft pick Vasquez. Grant Hill was supposedly finally healed from his multiple ankle surgeries. Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson showed excellent progress during summer-league play. Kelvin Cato was in shape for training camp. Second round draft pick Travis Diener showed excellent shooting and decision making during the summer. And the free agent signing of Keyon Dooling showed that the club was going to continue making progress.

Then the trouble began. Grant Hill, despite his ankle apparently being healed, suffered a painful sports hernia injury that would hamper his play throughout the entire season. After playing in three preseaon games, he underwent surgery to correct the hernia and would not appear during the regular season until mid-December, to which he lasted a month before attempting to make another comeback in February and early March, however only playing sporadically. Steve Francis continued to play in the selfish manner that he only knew how to play and hampering the development of Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard. Then a foot injury to Nelson forced him to sit out over a month.

Then rays of hope came shining down on the season. On February 15 the Magic announced that they had acquired Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Kelvin Cato and a 2007 top-five protected first-round draft pick. One week later on February 22 Orlando announced that they had traded Steve Francis away to the New York Knicks in exchange for Anfernee Hardaway (whom they waived two days later) and Trevor Ariza. With a set starting rotation of Battie, Howard, Turkoglu, DeShawn Stevenson, and Nelson, the Magic mounted a surprising run at the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, including an 8-game winning streak and twelve consecutive home wins. The streak included wins against NBA powerhouses Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas and Miami, as well as a game against the Philadelphia 76ers in which Howard recorded 28 points and a career-high 26 rebounds. Unfortunately, not only did a win by the Chicago Bulls over the Miami Heat on April 16 eliminate the Magic from playoff contention, but the Bulls also ended both Magic winning streaks with a 116–112 overtime victory in Orlando on April 17. However, with a nucleus of young talented players and plenty of salary cap flexibility, the future looks bright for the Magic heading into the 2006-2007 season.

2006-07
After beginning the season strong with a 13–4 record, the Orlando Magic began to suffer in the standings as the result of multiple losses, due in large part to the injuries of Tony Battie, Trevor Ariza, Keyon Dooling, and Grant Hill. The Magic were also hampered with the sporadic play of many of their young stars, who on multiple occasions showed their propensity for streaky shooting and the team's lack of a solid scoring two-guard. Despite the team's poor play, Dwight Howard continued to develop and blossom in his third year in the league, culminating in his first selection to the Eastern Conference All-Star team. The final few weeks of the season saw the Magic build momentum and confidence with an impressive late push towards the Playoffs. On April 15, 2007, with an 88–86 victory over the Boston Celtics, the Magic secured its first berth in the NBA Playoffs since 2003 by locking up the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. This marked the first time that the team had made the playoffs while posting a losing record. Nevertheless, their Playoff run ended on April 28, 2007 after they were swept in the first round by first seeded Detroit Pistons whose experience, veteran leadership and ability to consistently make the clutch basket proved far too much for the undermanned and overwhelmed Magic to overcome. It was announced on May 23, 2007, that Brian Hill had been fired as head coach of the Magic.

**WIKIPEDIA.ORG