Official 2024-2025 Magic General Season Thread I

[basketballRob]

The Celtics recently played an 8-man rotation against the Knicks. I assume they'll play a 9-man rotation against us with Horford also playing. Who's our 9-man rotation. Is Cole, Goga, and Caleb playing?

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401705717

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[basketballRob]

You guys have no idea how hard it’s going to be to beat Boston 4 times and are on some sort of hippie feel good vibe thinking we will win more than a game if Paolo can’t dominate offensively AND pass the ball like he did the other night. But y’all do you.

Who are you mansplaining this to?...has ANYONE been picking ORL to win?

I think we'll steal one game with an epic performance by Paolo or Franz with uncharacteristic support from someone like WCJ or Cole or even Isaac. Maybe Houstan hits 7 3's and opens up the paint for Paolo.

There are some matchup problems for BOS...nobody can stop Paolo's physicality and when WCJ is playing angry he could beat up on fragile KP...I'm not betting on it or saying it will occur more than once, maybe twice...but there's a case to be made that they can be beat - once or twice, with epic performances. Brown's knee might be a thing too...Brown absolutely bullies Franz on both ends in the past, this could be a factor.

Porzingas usually badly outplays Wendell. He backs him down and shoots over him.

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[ORLMagicGirl15]

You guys have no idea how hard it’s going to be to beat Boston 4 times and are on some sort of hippie feel good vibe thinking we will win more than a game if Paolo can’t dominate offensively AND pass the ball like he did the other night. But y’all do you.

Out of curiosity which poster needed this reality check? The majority of us are expecting Orlando to lose this series.

[rcklsscognition]

Maybe I misread the board and I thought you all were actually optimistic we were going to win the series like I am. I think we will win it and we will do it behind 30+ppg from Paolo and 6+apg from him.

[basketballRob]

Maybe I misread the board and I thought you all were actually optimistic we were going to win the series like I am. I think we will win it and we will do it behind 30+ppg from Paolo and 6+apg from him.

I'm just saying we're better when Paolo passes out of the double teams. When Paolo and Franz play with tunnel vision, we're a worse team. I think our odds of winning are greater if Paolo has double-digit assists over 30 pts.

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[ORLMagicGirl15]

Maybe I misread the board and I thought you all were actually optimistic we were going to win the series like I am. I think we will win it and we will do it behind 30+ppg from Paolo and 6+apg from him.

I will be surprised if Paolo and Franz average 15 points each. If Boston does what Atlanta did to both of them (but better), we’ll have to depend on our “extremely consistent” bench.

[basketballRob]

Maybe I misread the board and I thought you all were actually optimistic we were going to win the series like I am. I think we will win it and we will do it behind 30+ppg from Paolo and 6+apg from him.

I will be surprised if Paolo and Franz average 15 points each. If Boston does what Atlanta did to both of them (but better), we’ll have to depend on our “extremely consistent” bench.

Paolo set the tone against Atlanta, passing the ball. The ball was moving the whole game. No one was holding the ball.

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[Knightro]

The Celtics recently played an 8-man rotation against the Knicks. I assume they'll play a 9-man rotation against us with Horford also playing. Who's our 9-man rotation. Is Cole, Goga, and Caleb playing?

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401705717

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I have to assume the Magic are playing the same 10 man rotation they played against the Hawks at least to start the series.

Once it stops working/doesn’t work at all, then they can shorten it up. But I wouldn’t expect anything before that.

[MartinsIzAfraud]

The Celtics recently played an 8-man rotation against the Knicks. I assume they'll play a 9-man rotation against us with Horford also playing. Who's our 9-man rotation. Is Cole, Goga, and Caleb playing?

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401705717

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I have to assume the Magic are playing the same 10 man rotation they played against the Hawks at least to start the series.

Once it stops working/doesn’t work at all, then they can shorten it up. But I wouldn’t expect anything before that.

yup and would imagine it boils down to who is making shots. Cole or Houstan

[KillMonger]

Chat GPT's strategy against Boston

Defensive Matchups: Utilize Isaac and Wagner to guard Boston's primary scorers, such as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Their length and agility can disrupt offensive rhythms.​

Offensive Execution: Leverage Banchero and Wagner's playmaking to create scoring opportunities. Spacing the floor with shooters like Caldwell-Pope will be essential to open driving lanes.​

Bench Impact: Ensure that bench players like Anthony and Bitadze maintain the team's intensity and effectiveness when starters rest. Their contributions can swing the momentum in tight games.​

Deepseek's strategy against Boston

1. Starting Backcourt: Lockdown Defense
KCP starts on Jrue Holiday or Derrick White, using his elite POA (point-of-attack) defense to disrupt Boston’s initiators.

Gary Harris shifts to the bench, strengthening the second unit.

Cory Joseph provides steady ball-handling, reducing turnovers against Boston’s swarming defense.

2. Three-Point Defense: Run Celtics Off the Line
KCP + Isaac can switch everything 1-4, limiting open threes for Tatum/Brown.

Stay Attached to Shooters: Boston’s offense relies on White, Holiday, and Hauser spotting up—KCP’s closeouts are vital.

Force Mid-Range: With KCP’s on-ball pressure, funnel drivers into help (Banchero/Isaac).

3. Offensive Adjustments
KCP as a Floor Spacer: Boston helps aggressively—his 40%+ 3P shooting keeps defenses honest.

Joseph as a Stabilizer: Reduces risky passes in playoff settings (Magic rank bottom-10 in turnovers).

More Spain PnR (Banchero/Wagner + KCP): Forces Boston to choose between protecting the rim or closing out on KCP.

4. Small-Ball Lineups with KCP
Closing Group: Banchero, Wagner, Isaac, KCP, Anthony

Switchable defense

KCP/Anthony provide secondary shot creation

Isaac roams as a weak-side disruptor

5. Attack Boston’s Weak Links
Target Pritchard/Hauser: Isolate them in PnR with Joseph/Anthony.

Hunt Horford in Drop: KCP’s movement shooting punishes Boston’s conservative coverage.

6. Rebounding & Transition
KCP’s quick outlets fuel fast breaks—Boston is vulnerable in early offense when Porziņģis is backpedaling.

Joseph’s veteran savvy helps secure loose balls in crunch time.

Final Outlook
With KCP + Joseph, Orlando now has:
✅ Elite backcourt defense (KCP on White/Holiday)
✅ Reduced turnovers (Joseph’s steady hand)
✅ More spacing (KCP’s gravity opens driving lanes)

Series Prediction:

Magic steal 1-2 games if KCP locks down Boston’s guards and Banchero dominates.

Likely Celtics in 5-6, but far more competitive than before.

X-Factor: If KCP shoots 45%+ from three, this becomes a toss-up series.

[basketballRob]

Black's laser focused.

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[basketballRob]

The Celtics recently played an 8-man rotation against the Knicks. I assume they'll play a 9-man rotation against us with Horford also playing. Who's our 9-man rotation. Is Cole, Goga, and Caleb playing?

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401705717

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using RealGM mobile app

I have to assume the Magic are playing the same 10 man rotation they played against the Hawks at least to start the series.

Once it stops working/doesn’t work at all, then they can shorten it up. But I wouldn’t expect anything before that.

Goga - Kornet
Isaac - Horford
Wendell - Porzingis
Paolo - Tatum
Franz - Brown
KCP - White
Joseph - Holiday
Black - Pritchard
Caleb - Hauser

Cole could get some minutes on Hauser, Pritchard, and Holiday. I like Isaac on Porzingas more than Wendell, but Wendell is the starter. Matching Paolo against Horford or Porzingis doesn't work. So I think the Magic play Goga some.



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[RookieStar]

Guys... we will be playing our 10man rotation because some of those games will be blowouts so we just rest our starters. lol no sense letting Paolo/Franz get frustrated being down 20.

[basketballRob]

What's the over and under on games before Kristap's taps out? I think he makes it 1.5 games.

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[basketballRob]

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[basketballRob]

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[KillMonger]

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[GelbeWand09]

Maybe I misread the board and I thought you all were actually optimistic we were going to win the series like I am. I think we will win it and we will do it behind 30+ppg from Paolo and 6+apg from him.

I'm just saying we're better when Paolo passes out of the double teams. When Paolo and Franz play with tunnel vision, we're a worse team. I think our odds of winning are greater if Paolo has double-digit assists over 30 pts.

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Yea I think if we win a game or 2 it's probably a balanced attack combined with great defense/3 point shooting. Paolo high scoring games probably means ball watching of the others again with no rhythm and a lot of isos, which is not the way you hurt Boston's defense.

[basketballRob]

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Paolo is at 4432 pts, 919 assists, and 1396 rebounds.

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[AdamTheGreek]

Magic are flying up to Boston today so we can practice in TD Garden tomorrow.