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Orlando Magic · Franchise era 5 of 7

Dwight and four-out basketball: the Orlando Magic story

The story in one sentence

Howard's interior dominance surrounded by shooters produced 59 wins and a 2009 Finals appearance.

01

Defense and shooting reach the Finals

02

Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Hedo Türkoğlu gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for the long rebuild.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Before 2004–05

    What came before

    McGrady became one of basketball's most complete scorers, but Grant Hill's injuries denied Orlando the partnership it envisioned.

  2. June 29, 2004

    The seven-player swap that paired Tracy McGrady with Yao Ming

    Houston wanted a perimeter superstar beside Yao Ming; Orlando needed a new core after McGrady requested a move.

    29TradeJune 29, 2004To HOUHOUMCGRADY1HOUHOWARD5DraftPICKround asset+1 assetsTo ORLORLFRANCIS3ORLMOBLEY5DraftPICKround assetMcGrady–Francis blockbusterHOU receives Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue + 1 moreORL receives Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Kelvin Cato7 original assets · 1 outcomes tracedOpen trade →

  3. 2009

    Eastern Conference Finals: Orlando Magic vs Cleveland Cavaliers

    Eastern ConferenceFinals
    2009
    ORLANDOMAGIC
    CLEVELANDCAVALIERS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Eastern Conference Finals · 6 games

    Orlando Magic vs Cleveland Cavaliers

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 6 · May 30, 2009Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic →Closest game · Game 1 · May 20, 2009Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers →

  4. 2009

    NBA Finals: Orlando Magic vs Los Angeles Lakers

    NBA Finals
    2009
    ORLANDOMAGIC
    LOS ANGELESLAKERS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    NBA Finals · 5 games

    Orlando Magic vs Los Angeles Lakers

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 5 · Jun 14, 2009Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic →Closest game · Game 3 · Jun 9, 2009Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic →

  5. 2010

    Eastern Conference Finals: Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics

    Eastern ConferenceFinals
    2010
    ORLANDOMAGIC
    BOSTONCELTICS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Eastern Conference Finals · 6 games

    Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 6 · May 28, 2010Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics →Closest game · Game 2 · May 18, 2010Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic →

  6. After 2011–12

    What came next

    Vučević became an All-Star, but the Magic never found enough creation and eventually traded the veteran core.

The core

Faces of the chapter

01Dwight Howard→02Jameer Nelson→03Hedo Türkoğlu→
← Previous eraThe T-Mac years2000–01—2003–04Next era →The long rebuild2012–13—2020–21