Magic Eliminated From Playoff Contention After Loss vs. Cavs

The Orlando Magic will miss out on the postseason for a third straight season.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 4, 2023

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic's quest for the 2023 NBA Championship is officially over.

Even though the odds were incredibly long from the beginning of the season, the Magic was not officially eliminated from play-in contention until Tuesday after losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers at home.

Considering the fact that the Magic started the season with the No. 1 overall pick and had very low expectations, Orlando being eliminated with just three games to go is an achievement in itself.

With Orlando's elimination, the Chicago Bulls are officially in the play-in tournament and will have a chance to compete for a playoff spot next week against the Toronto Raptors and two of the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets or Miami Heat.

Heading into Tuesday night, the Nets had a two-game lead over the Heat and a four-game advantage over the Hawks for the sixth and final playoff spot.

Over the final five days of the regular season, these teams will fight for positioning within the play-in tournament, one which can go in any direction considering how close these teams are to one another.

For the Magic, it will still have a chance to put its imprint on the play-in standings. After hosting the Cavs for a rematch Thursday, Orlando heads to Brooklyn to face the Nets on Friday before closing out the season in South Beach on Easter Sunday against the Heat.

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Published Apr 4, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.