One of the most interesting series that the Atlanta Hawks are going to play this season is against the Orlando Magic. This is not because the Magic are going to be the most competitive team in the Eastern Conference, nor should they be a measuring stick that the Hawks use to see how they are traveling.
The two teams play on the Hawks’ second night of the season. In a nice quirk of the fixture, the Hawks have three straight home games to start the season, with the Rockets being the first game of the season. This is a good chance for the Hawks to bank two wins against teams that have been struggling.
So, why should we be highlighting the second game of the season against a team that finished down the bottom of the NBA standings last season? Well, there is the beef between the 2022 No.1 draft pick, Paolo Banchero and Dejounte Murray. The new Hawks guard made him look silly in a pro-am game, then called him out. This is going to be a great time so see what Murray brings to the team.
The Atlanta Hawks play the Orlando Magic three more times for the season.
The second time that the Hawks play the Magic is not until the end of November. Both teams will have figured out team chemistry and this has the chance to be a tremendous game given the talent that will be on display. It could be a dangerous game for the Hawks given that it is on the Magics’ home floor.
If the fire has not gone of the Murray/Banchero by this game, then it will be just a footnote in the third game which is to be played on the Magics’ home floor again. Banchero will realize just how many good players will be coming at him every night. He cannot afford to focus his attention on one matchup for long.
Then, five days and two games later the Hawks and Magic play their final matchup of the season, this one is at State Farm Arena. It is unlikely that the Magic will be close to a playoff team this season. However, what they may do is help galvanize the Hawks into a strong playing unit much earlier than would otherwise take a lot longer to mesh. Maybe Murray was right, NBA players should play in pro-ams. It certainly is going to add spice to this matchup.