Orlando Magic lock in for final push to the season

The Orlando Magic have 26 games to make good on their goals and reach the Playoffs. They know it starts with locking in for every game and every night to achieve their goals.

Last season, the Orlando Magic were eighth in the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Break.

It felt like Cinderella was starting to hear the bells toll midnight as the break approached. The Magic had largely righted the ship after their difficult January, but other teams were finding their groove too. Orlando was in a drag-out fight for the Playoffs and this young team did not seem to have the experience to make it.

They trailed the 5-seed by 2.5 games. It felt like a long shot to get back to the top of the East.

Of course, the Magic finished the season 17-10 last year. Despite a late-season losing streak, the Magic made up all of that ground to earn the 5-seed and win 47 games. The finishing flourish was a big part of the Magic's push last year.

It showed what the team was capable of and was a statement of how this group would respond to Playoff pressure in their first postseason chase.

This year is different, of course. But the Magic find themselves in the same situation.

They are locked in a tight playoff race, sitting in seventh and trailing the 6-seed by 2.5 games. They still have that same ground to make up.

For Orlando to accomplish their goals, the team needs another late playoff push. And while all of that history and all of those factors remain, they know it does not happen all at once.

If the Magic are going to make the Playoffs, it has to start one game at a time. There is no time to lose.