Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic are a professional basketball team that are members of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Magic were an expansion team that joined the NBA in 1989 and were named the Magic over other potential names as the Juice or Tropics.http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/orlando/magic.html50

The Magic have yet to claim an NBA championship, though they have been in the NBA Finals on two occasions. They were swept in the 1995 NBA Finals by the Houston Rockets and then were defeated in the 2009 NBA Finals by the Los Angeles Lakers by a count of four games to one.http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/orlando/magic.html

Some of the most notable Magic alumni include Shaquille O'Neal, Anfernee Hardaway and Horace Grant. Scott Skiles played for the Magic when he set the single game assist record with 30, and Dennis Scott along with Nick Anderson were long range marksmen for the franchise.http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/orlando/magic.html

Coming off the disappointment of the NBA Finals loss to the Lakers, the Magic set out to try and defend their Eastern Conference Championship in the 2009/10 NBA season. With a solid rotation led by Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and newcomer Vince Carter, the Magic posted a record of 59-23, winning the Southeast Division by six games over the Atlanta Hawks and procuring the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.http://www.nba.com/standings/team_record_comparison/conferenceNew_Std_Div.html

The Magic faced the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round of the playoffs. The Bobcats were the seventh seed, and extremely familiar opponents for the Magic, as they are division rivals. The Bobcats made their first playoff appearance in franchise history and had their first winning record as well, posting a mark of 44-38, including 10-6 in the division. That mark was tied with the Magic for the best record.http://www.nba.com/standings/team_record_comparison/conferenceNew_Std_Div.html

The Magic swept the Bobcats out of the first round, clinching the series with a 99-90 win in Game Four of the best of seven on April 26, 2010. It was the first playoff sweep in franchise history. They now can wait for their next opponent, which will be the winner of the series between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks.http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_magic/2010/04/magic-release-second-round-ticket-information.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sports%2Fmagic%2Fbasketblog+%28Magic+BasketBlog%29