May 30, 2009 is a date and time that feels so close in everyone’s minds that were in Amway Arena that night.  While the decisive game six victory that won the team its first birth to the NBA Finals since 1995 remains a great memory for many in the City of Orlando, this year’s edition of the Magic provides little flashbacks to the spring.  While the team is 24-11 (1^st in the Southeast), they have lost their last four and most astute basketball observers would agree this team is not the same.

It’s the consensus opinion that the Magic have more talent on paper than last year’s Eastern Conference Champions.  What seems to be missing this year are the qualities that you are not able to quantify.  Those hidden intangibles, so valued in sport because of the difficulty in acquiring them, are the things that have not found their way yet this year to the City Beautiful.  You could effectively say that the “Magic” is missing from this organization. 

The key thing to remember is I said that the Magic have not found their way yet.   While it is certainly presumptuous to believe this team can flip a switch come playoff time, there is still time for them to find their way out of their funk in time to make serious run.  Head Coach Stan Van Gundy said as much after Wednesday’s loss versus Toronto.  “Eventually we will decide that we are the ones that have to change it, that this isn’t happening to us, that it’s happening because of us.”

The question becomes how do they rise up out of their current malaise?  Certainly, effort is a large component.  When examining the various offseason moves and early season injuries, one would have to deduce that as this team continues to play together and gains more continuity, greater on-court chemistry will naturally develop.   Perhaps vocal leadership is needed more than it ever has been in this current era of Magic Basketball.  These can only be assertions as the problems of the Magic are a lot harder to uncover and their current struggles are likely a mix of factors.  Situations like these are precisely why coaches and front office personnel get paid the money they do, to motivate and find the right mix of players that will breed success. 

When and if things turn around in 2010 is anyone’s guess.  Tonight’s game against the charging Atlanta Hawks, would be as good a time as any to go in the right direction, but their can’t be a timetable put on change.  This is uncharted territory for this organization and many Magic fans.  Supporters have no choice but to wait, be patient, and hope for the best.  One thing is for sure.  If things do turn the corner, you’ll know when it happens.  It will start looking a lot more like last May around Orlando.