It’s a big week for the NBA. The Finals are upon us, Tom Thibodeau got fired and the Magic… have new uniforms.
While television ratings may dip with new fresh faces and no recognizable names on the 22nd and 26th largest teams in the NBA market, the league’s Transition Phase One is complete. Out with the old, in with the new.
These Finals pit the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder, with league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, against the Indiana Pacers, led by the gangly, young, Olympian point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Yes, the same Tyrese Haliburton upon whom Knicks fans are still violently wishing ill will.
No matter how you slice it, within a week, we will crown a new NBA champion. The youth movement has taken over. For those of you griping about how tired you are of LeBron, these Finals are for you.
The second biggest news to hit NBA fans this week was the firing of Tom Thibodeau. After having coached the Knickerbockers to their most successful season in a quarter-century, the Knicks brass canned their poor coach, thinking Final Four wasn’t enough. And while it can be argued that the Knicks were finally relevant again since the days both Thibs and I had hair, his manner of coaching raised enough question marks to justify his dismissal, at least by those making the decisions.
Thibs barely used his bench. His stars routinely led the league in minutes played per game which led to those players becoming visibly gassed as the playoffs went on. Furthermore, the defense that has traditionally been Coach Thibodeau’s calling card was borderline non-existent.
Someone in the Knicks front office felt the series against the Pacers was winnable and while they might be wrong, Thibs took the fall. The Game One loss that left Tyrese Haliburton channeling Reggie Miller is an image Knicks no longer want associated with their franchise. They’d grown tired of perennially losing to the Pacers and while they still might in the future, at least Thibs will no longer be to blame.
We can debate where the Thibs firing ranks on the over-reaction scale, but he’s gone and Gotham begins their search for a new coach.
And finally, perhaps the biggest news of all… The Orlando Magic have new uniforms.
Yay!
Not to be overshadowed by the impending NBA Finals and the Knicks firing their coach, I woke to the groundbreaking news that the Magic were putting lipstick on a pig.
Spare me if I don’t get too excited (cue disgruntled Magic fan starting to vent).
We have two, entirely new teams in the NBA Finals, one built almost exclusively through the draft thanks to shrewd GMing, visionary trades and key free agent acquisitions, presenting a force that could be around for years, and we have another team who, despite overwhelming 30:1 odds, surprised everyone in a winnable East with solid point guard play and a clear sense of self. Meanwhile, Orlando’s front office is experimenting with fonts.
This off-season is HUGE, dare I say, a turning point for the Magic. While the same can be said for many other teams in the league, not too many of those teams boast a #1 draft pick with the potential to become a top player in the league.
Yes, Orlando was debilitated by injuries to key players last season but that doesn’t change the fact that they have not won a playoff series in 15 years!!!
Orlando has pieces they can move this off-season and some they likely deem immovable. Jalen Suggs signed a huge contract, Franz Wagner has as well, and the eventual face of the franchise Paolo Banchero is presumably about to sign a max deal. Those three contracts together will restrict the franchise in signing new talent to fill their gaps, unless they get creative in places other than the garment room.
Furthermore, they must come to a consensus on what those gaps are. They have young guards they’re not sure of, a coach around whom there are questions and don’t rebound or pass the ball well, ranking dead last in the league in assists. They have a slew of other players who may or may not fit whatever it is they’re trying to accomplish, which is hopefully compete for a championship, yet this franchise has been far from cutthroat on the trade market, a zero-sum game leaving Orlando in the negative.
I watched OKC fans throughout these playoffs. They were rabid, anticipation bubbling for their first ever championship. I saw Pacers fans within the Fieldhouse walls after they’d beat the Knicks in six. They didn’t want to leave the building, celebrating well after the game was over. Both fan bases are unappreciative beyond belief.
As if you couldn’t tell, Magic fans also yearn for that feeling. It’s been way too long, only two Finals runs in their entire existence, both those teams dismantled for various reasons. It’s impossible to argue that Orlando isn’t on its way up, but every other team is trying to get better as well. Multiple teams are trying to figure out how to get Giannis on their roster. Teams are already pouring through the upcoming draft talent to see who might immediately benefit their roster in some way.
And the Magic are rolling out new jerseys.
You know what sells? Winning basketball games, not a new damn font.
Say what you will about the Thibs dismissal. At least the New York Knicks, disillusioned or not, are actively trying to make their team better instead of spending time dabbling with embroidery. I don’t laud New York for the dysfunction. I’m not asking for a celebrity row full of Chalamets. I am looking for effort, direction and improvement.
All I have to say is this. If the Orlando Magic don’t start winning playoff series soon, I’m going to lose my temper. They are in dire need of a culture change. No new uniform is going to change that. The change must come from within.
Oklahoma City and Indianapolis just proved that small market teams can achieve the impossible. Here’s hoping the franchise in Central Florida follows suit.
