On one hand, there were the hopeful Magic who were coming off a pair of positive, building-block-like first-round exits and ready to take the next step, headlined by the acquisition of sharpshooting guard Desmond Bane.
Then there were the downtrodden Sixers, a team that seemed hopeless, anchored down by two of the worst contracts in the NBA with Paul George and Joel Embiid, veteran stars who just can’t stay healthy.
Flash-forward to the end of the regular season, and the vibes surrounding both clubs have completely swapped.
The Magic have simply not taken that step forward that many expected, as Paolo Banchero’s shining star potential has steadily dimmed, and Bane is unable to fix all of Orlando’s shooting woes. Meanwhile, Philadelphia got a shot in the arm with the emergence of Tyrese Maxey becoming a near-lock for an All-NBA team, combined with the outstanding play of rookie V.J. Edgecombe to form one of the most exciting, dynamic backcourts in the NBA instantly, as the 76ers racked off a surprisingly successful regular season.
It’s not all hunky-dory for the Sixers, of course, as Embiid won’t play Wednesday (because of course he won’t), but as far as positive feelings going into the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed play-in matchup, Philadelphia certainly has the edge.
The winner of this matchup will see the powerful Boston Celtics, who likely don’t care about who they face in the first round of the playoffs.
If there’s one opponent that would likely prove to be a potentially tougher opponent for Boston, however, it would be Philadelphia as there’s a chance Embiid could be back in time for that series, adding a whole other dimension to what the Sixers can do offensively.
Here’s a little more on the Nos. 7-8 play-in matchup going Wednesday.
(7) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (8) Orlando Magic @ 7:30 p.m. ET
Season Series: 76ers lead 2-1
Oct. 27: 76ers 136, Magic 124
Nov. 25: Magic 144, 76ers 103
Jan. 9: 76ers 103, Magic 91
As mentioned before, the vibes around the 76ers have been bright and cheery all season long, and even with word that Embiid won’t be playing in the play-in game, that still remains because of how good Maxey has been this season.
The former 21st-overall pick of the 2020 draft has steadily become one of the NBA’s most dynamic guards and looked to put it all together this season, averaging 28.3 points, 6.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game on 46.2 per cent shooting from the field and 36.7 per cent from deep while leading the league in minutes played per game.
In short, Maxey was awesome.
For as long as he’s been there, the 76ers were a team that belonged to Embiid, a player who, when he was able to play this season, was still nigh-unstoppable, but it felt like this season things shifted and the mantle passed to Maxey, and for good reason.
In general, with Maxey and Edgecombe running amok and pushing the pace, Philadelphia just plays a better game, and that only happens if Maxey no longer defers.
Yes, he’ll have his hands full with Jalen Suggs hounding him in the game, but if Maxey really is going to take that final step and become the franchise player he’s on the path to be, then taking on the challenge and getting Philly into the playoffs with a signature performance will be what’s required of him.
Orlando hasn’t had a great run of it this season, and that can be distilled down to what occurred over the team’s final 16 games.
The Magic went 7-9 during that stretch, which included winning five straight and also losing six consecutively.
More so than the losing streak, though, is that Orlando had some really embarrassing defeats down that final stretch of the season, including losing by two to the Indiana Pacers, conceding a record-breaking 31-0 run as it got the doors blown off it by the Toronto Raptors and falling to the G League outfit Maine Red Claws disguised as the Celtics on the last game of the season to concede home-court advantage in Wednesday’s play-in game.
The Magic have been a mess all season long, and some of that blame has to fall on head coach Jamahl Mosley, who very well may be coaching for his job.
There are talented players on this Magic team that can make an impact in guys like Suggs, Anthony Black or Wendell Carter Jr. or Bane, but the fact remains that the team’s two top offensive players, Banchero and Franz Wagner, just might not work with each other.
Banchero, in particular, has had his struggles this season and has been unable to give his team the boost it’s needed, as Wagner has missed most of the season with injury, as opposed to what Wagner was able to do for most of last season without Banchero in the lineup for much of it.
This isn’t to say it’s all been bad for Banchero this season. He remains as big, strong and talented as ever. There just needs to be more given, is all.
Overall, the bones of a good team is here with the Magic, but they just haven’t been able to get it together.
Perhaps this play-in experience will be able to cure what ails them?
X-Factor: Paul George, 76ers
Though his contract remains a disaster, very quietly, George has been excellent for Philly since he returned from his 25-game suspension for a failed drug test.
In the 10 games he’s played since he came back from suspension, George has averaged 21 points per game and shot 41.5 per cent from three-point range.
It’s a well-known fact that Orlando’s Achilles Heel remains its inability to shoot the three-ball (the Magic finished the season in 27th place, shooting just 34.3 per cent from deep). Philly wasn’t much better than the Magic, connecting on just 34.9 per cent, but over their last 10 games, the Sixers shot better from three, and George’s deadeye accuracy is a major reason why.
Though he’s no longer the legitimate max-contract player he once was, George is still very good, and him playing the role as a secondary or tertiary option or creator is downright scary.
He’s still a great spot-up shooter, allowing space for Maxey and Edgecombe to attack downhill by keeping at least one defender at home with him out on the perimeter, he can get his own shot when needed and he’s still a capable pick-and-roll operator.
The Magic have equivalent players to George in Banchero and Wagner, but neither is as good a shooter as he, and they certainly aren’t potentially No. 3 on the scouting report.
He may not be paid like one, but George is one hell of a role player that Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse has at his disposal.