The first commandment of sports journalism is quite simple, “Thou Shalt Not Cheer In The Press Box.”
In other words, no cheering for the team you are writing or broadcasting about.
In the technical sense, I don’t feel I am breaking any rules or breaching any ethics by telling you that I sat on press row during the Orlando Magic’s season-opening 116-86 blowout victory over the Houston Rockets Wednesday night hoping the hometown team has a great season.
No, I won’t have my blue-and-white pom-poms on this season while I am writing about the Magic, but inwardly I will be pulling for them to do well and win.
Not because I am some huge supporter of the Magic, but because I am a supporter of the players, coaches and fans of the Magic. How do you not pull for a team filled with good guys and hard workers and a fan base that has mostly stuck with their team through a decade of misery?
This was my overriding feeling Wednesday night when the Magic opened a season of elevated expectations with the most lopsided season-opening victory in team history. Seeing a sellout crowd of 18,846 mostly Orlando fans cheering loudly and proudly made me realize just how loyal and faithful they have been through the years. They’ve been through 10 losing seasons in the last 11 years, and yet they still show up en masse to cheer for their team.
Last year, when the Magic finished seven games below .500, their local TV ratings were up 112% and the team drew four of the five largest crowds in the history of the franchise. That’s right, the team finished 13th in the Eastern Conference last year and still finished in the top half of the league in attendance. And coming into this season, the Magic rank third in the league in new season tickets sold.
“Our fans fueled us,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after the victory. “They were incredible.”
Obviously, the fans are still in love with their basketball team on this 35-year anniversary of the Magic’s inaugural season. The Magic commemorated the anniversary Wednesday night by remixing the team’s original theme song and welcoming back two greats — Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu — from the 2009 NBA Finals team to get the crowd revved up before the game.
In those 35 years, perhaps the most beloved Magic team in history was the Heart and Hustle bunch of 1999-2000 that didn’t win any championships but led the league in selflessness, floor burns and sweat stains. That team had a young, charismatic, up-and-coming coach by the name of Doc Rivers, who would say years later that “Heart and Hustle” wasn’t just a mantra; it was a mindset. “It’s who we were,” Doc said. “We did not have a ‘quit’ button.”
The leader of that team was rags-to-riches Darrell Armstrong, who once said of his Heart and Hustle teammates: “We were hungry to prove ourselves. We came out every night ready to compete.”
It seemed only appropriate that current Magic team came out wearing the classic jerseys from the Heart and Hustle era. This team, after all, has a chance to be the sequel to Heart and Hustle — except with more talent. Much like Doc was back then, the Magic now have a young, charismatic, motivational coach in Jamahl Mosley who teaches and preaches all of the right lessons. How do you not root for an NBA coach who still regularly talks and texts with his high school coach when he needs some advice?
“It’s easy to get behind this team because they genuinely care about each other and like each other,” Mosley says. “You can see it in the way that they play and interact with each other — and it’s not fluff. This is a great city to live in and a great time to get behind the Magic. In my mind, there’s a level of excitement in Orlando about a group of guys who are all about each other — and that’s very rare.”
Yes, it is refreshing that the Magic don’t have a bunch of selfish team-wreckers such as James Harden and Kyrie Irving on the roster. Instead, they have guys like sixth man Cole Anthony, who led the team with 20 points Wednesday night after just signing a team-friendly contract extension earlier this week. Perhaps he could have gotten a bigger contract on the open market, but Anthony’s made it clear he loves the team and the town. Likewise, starting point guard Markelle Fultz, who has battled injuries throughout his career and is in the final year of his contract, will tell anybody who listens he wants to re-sign with the Magic.
And how can you not root for the potential comeback story of Jonathan Isaac, who has spent most of his Magic career in rehab but returned Wednesday night and looked like the defensive disruptor he’s always been. He came off the bench to score 11 points, grab four rebounds and blocked a driving dunk attempt by Jalen Green in the third quarter. He drew a technical foul by standing over Green and flexing, but who could blame him for the cathartic show of emotion after all he’s been through?
“Pure joy,” Isaac said of his reaction to blocking the dunk. “It was a moment when I said to myself, ‘I’m good. I’m back.’ ”
Of course, having a teamful of good guys and hard workers is great, but it doesn’t really matter if you don’t win. And, make no mistake about it, there is pressure to win and make the playoffs this season. And if it’s going to happen, it starts with the team’s two young stars — Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
Banchero, the league’s reigning Rookie of the Year who was part of USA Basketball’s World Cup team over the summer, will need to take the next step and improve his 3-point shooting this season. Wagner, who had a mega-summer with the German national team on its run to the World Cup title, also must develop into an All-Star type of talent if the Magic are going to become a championship contender someday.
This is Year 3 of the current iteration of the Magic rebuild that has resulted in the construction of one of the most intriguing young rosters in the league; a team filled with players who are easy to embrace and a coach who is easy to admire.
No doubt about it, this is a team you want to cheer for because of the way it goes about its business, but let’s be honest, shall we?
A winning attitude off the floor is great, but it’s time to put a winning product on the floor.
Much like they did on Wednesday night, it’s time for the Orlando Magic to bestow some victories that are worthy of the unwavering loyalty of their fans.
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen
