Magic Trying to Be Like Super Bowl Champion Seahawks

Orlando wants to take a page or two out of Seattle's playbook.

Orlando Magic forward Noah Penda defends Milwaukee Bucks forward Ousmane Dieng. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic are winners of three straight games, but that doesn't make them satisfied. They won't be until they win the NBA Finals.

It's a long shot, but they are hoping to join the Seattle Seahawks at the podium of the 2026 champions in their respective sport, but in order to do that, they will need to lean into their defensive-minded identity.

“It’s getting there. It’s definitely getting there. It’s not necessarily “The Dark Side” like the Seattle Seahawks defense, but we’re getting there," Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said.

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner defends Milwaukee Bucks guard AJ Green. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Magic Defense Showing Improvement

The Magic defense has taken a bit of a hit this season after being No. 2 all of last year. Their defense has been around the middle of the pack in the NBA, but they look strong in their latest win against the Milwaukee Bucks, holding them to just 99 points. It's the second game out of three in a row on a win streak where the Magic have held their opponent to under 100 points.

Magic forward Franz Wagner explained what the team needs to do in order to get better on defense.

“I think we’re more consistent with our communication and just with following the game plan, but I think our offense is connected to that. Like I said, I thought we did a really good job, especially in the second half, well, all game of trying to find the next action, creating an advantage, and not having so many one pass and no pass, you know, possessions ourselves," Wagner said postgame.

"If you move the ball like that and make them work on defense, it’s going to be harder on them to get out and run and score easy ones in transition. I think that’s what hurts us a lot of times and, you know, hurts our defensive rating sometimes.”

The Magic have built their identity on defense because it's how championships are won, especially when the team is far from an offensive juggernaut.

“That ball’s not going in the hole; you [have to] find a way," Mosley said.

"And so, our ability to contain the basketball, rely on our defense to get out and get some early baskets to watch the ball go through the hoop was big for us because it wasn’t falling in that first half. But we got to continue to trust the work that we put in, continue to trust that process. But again, our guys made sure that we can rely on the defense to set the tone for this game.”

If the Magic continue to play well on the defensive side of the ball, more wins will continue to come, which could lead to more success down the line.