With 3 consecutive victories, the dark horse of the Eastern Conference has quietly emerged, looking very much like the Thunder? The Cavaliers and Knicks’ opponents are here!

When the NBA preseason whistle sounded in various arenas, most fans initially focused on the lineups of the Clippers, Nuggets and other Western Conference powerhouses, or on the changes in the Eastern Conference structure caused by serious core injuries to the Celtics and Pacers. But as the preseason schedule progresses, a team that was once regarded as a "young potential stock" is quietly rewriting the Eastern Conference's competitive landscape with a crushing attitude. They are the Orlando Magic. So far, the Magic have played three preseason games. Not only have they won three consecutive games, but they have also beaten their opponents by a total of 54 points. They have declared with undisputed performance that the dark horses of the Eastern Conference have completed their super rise. The Cavaliers and Knicks, who are aiming to compete in the Eastern Conference Finals, have now truly ushered in their strongest opponents.

The Magic's preseason tour has been full of "dimensionality reduction strikes" from the beginning. In the first game against the Heat, they used a "boiling frog in warm water" method to get a good start with an 8-point advantage. In the second game, facing the 76ers who lacked Embiid George, the Magic completely unleashed their firepower and led their opponents by 30 points, fully demonstrating their depth advantage. In the second game with the Heat, they once again took control of the game and secured their third consecutive victory with a 16-point victory. What is even more noteworthy is that this team did not even come out in "full strength mode" - Banqueiro, as the core of the team, played only 37 minutes in three games, and was more often in a state of "paddling and adapting" on the court; the second leader, Little Wagner, also had limited playing time, and his performance of 36 minutes in total was more like a regular warm-up. Even so, the Magic can still suppress their opponents on both offense and defense. Such dominance has long gone beyond the scope of "preseason training."

If you look back at the trajectory of the Magic in the past two seasons, you can understand that their current rise is no accident. In the 2022-23 season, they achieved a record of 47 wins, showing the momentum of the young team; although last season ended with 41 wins, the winning rate remained at 50%. More importantly, the team developed a tough core in the predicament of a camp full of injuries. At that time, from Suggs to Banqueiro to the Wagner brothers, core players suffered injuries in turn, and some players were even reimbursed for the season. Even so, the Magic still made the playoffs with their remaining lineup. Facing the powerful Celtics in the first round, they did not surrender easily. Instead, they relied on the dual-core explosion of Banqueiro and Wagner Jr. to start five games with their opponents. In that series, Banqueiro averaged 29.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, upgrading from the 26 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in the regular season; Wagner Jr. also averaged 25.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists. The two young men proved their core quality with their "postseason upgrade" performance.

What is even more amazing is that the Magic last season had already built an "iron army" background on the defensive end. Data shows that they averaged 6.0 blocks per game, ranking first in the league; their defensive efficiency reached 109.1, ranking second in the league; and they also ranked second in the league in limiting their opponents' shooting percentage. You know, this is still an answer given when the core is frequently absent and the lineup rotation is unstable. The Magic's only shortcoming at that time was their "partiality" on the offensive end - their three-point field goals and field goal percentage per game were at the bottom of the league, and their assists were not among the top of the league. But even so, they can still rely on their iron-blooded defense and willpower to drag their opponents into the slow-paced confrontation they are good at, and forcefully carve out a place in the Eastern Conference.

In the new season, the Magic finally made up for the last shortcoming on the offensive end. During the offseason, the team management showed a precise operational vision: in order to improve the outside firepower and forward hardness, they sent away Cole Anthony, Pope and 4 first-round picks + 1 first-round swap rights, and acquired "Muscular Man Short-Handed Bane" from the Grizzlies - a shooter with a stable three-point shooting rate of 41% in the first five seasons of his career, which can exactly solve the Magic's fatal problem of "lack of three-pointers"; in order to sort out the offense and reduce mistakes, they used 700 players in one year Wan signed Tyus Jones. The point guard has sent out 1,655 assists and made only 277 turnovers in the past four seasons. The assist-to-turnover ratio is close to 6:1, and he can also maintain a three-point shooting rate of about 40%. He is the perfect candidate for "court commander"; in addition, the team also renewed Banqueiro with a super maximum salary of 239 million for five years, and retained Wagner for 5 million for one year, completely locking the core framework and laying the foundation for the team's stable development.

Judging from the new season lineup predicted by the US media, the Magic's offensive and defensive balance has reached the top level in the Eastern Conference. In the starting lineup, Tyus Jones serves as the point guard to control the rhythm, Bain and Wagner Jr. form a "combo guard + scorer" combination on the front line, Banqueiro can be inside or outside as the fourth position, and Wendell Carter guards the penalty area at the fifth position. This lineup has Tyus Jones's stable organization and Bain's precise three-pointers, coupled with the breakthrough kills of Banqueiro and Wagner Jr., the offensive level has been fully upgraded. On the bench, Wagner and Suggs can form a "second engine". Blake, the No. 6 pick in the first round of 2023 (averaged 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game last season), and Silva, the 18th pick in the first round of 2024 (averaged 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last season), have shown full potential. Even high-ranking rookies like Bitadze and Howard can contribute at certain times. What's even more rare is that although the Magic have the "height advantage" of superior average height, the team's speed is not limited by this. The impact of young players and the experience of veterans complement each other, making the entire lineup full of vitality without losing stability.

Looking at the Eastern Conference, after Tatum and Haliburton were both injured and had a high probability of being reimbursed for the season, the only teams that can truly compete for the Eastern Conference championship are the Cavaliers, Knicks and Bucks, but they are not perfect either.. The Cavaliers invested heavily in the offseason, with a total expenditure of 380 million in the new season, but they delivered embarrassing results in the preseason. In the most recent game, they lost to the Celtics who lacked a core by a huge margin of 31 points. Where exactly the huge reinforcements were spent has become the focus of questions from fans and the media. With the short guards of Mitchell and Garland, it is difficult to lead the team further in the playoffs. Although the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season and added Clarkson, Brogton and other substitutes to their immediate combat capabilities during the offseason, the hidden danger of "disunity" within the team has never been resolved, and core Brunson's efficiency issues in high-end games have gradually been exposed. If such a lineup wants to compete for the championship, it obviously still has obvious shortcomings. After the Bucks bought out Lillard, Porter Jr. took over the No. 1 position. Obviously, this is not the backcourt configuration of a championship team.

In contrast, the Magic's advantages have become increasingly obvious: the team's lineup structure is young and reasonable, and the core players are all on the rise, with a growth ceiling that far exceeds that of the Cavaliers and Knicks; the lineup framework is complete, with no obvious shortcomings, and the balance of offense and defense is top-notch in the Eastern Conference; more importantly, the team has experienced injuries and playoffs last season, and has the psychological quality to "fight tough battles." As the US media said, the Magic in a healthy state are fully capable of breaking out of the Eastern Conference, and Banqueiro has also entered the new season's MVP candidate list with his consistent and stable performance. The trajectory of this team's rise is very similar to that of the Thunder and Timberwolves two years ago - the core framework is clear, and the boss has the ability to "upgrade in the playoffs." As long as they stay healthy, it is only a matter of time before they achieve results. The suspense of the Eastern Conference in the new season may change from "the Cavaliers and the Knicks compete in the Eastern Conference Finals" to "the Magic pretending to be the dark horse and taking the lead" - after all, when a team combines defensive iron, upgraded offense, core stability and lineup depth, their rise has long been inevitable.