NEWSLETTER
Despite launching a complete rebuild since the last made the postseason in 2019-20, the Orlando Magic had a familiar face in the building on Thursday night.
Current Bulls starting center Nikola Vucevic was sitting courtside for the Magic’s Game 3 matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The big man appeared to be with his family and could be seen greeting some Magic employees in a video posted by a fan on social media.
Take a look:
While the Magic entered the game down 0-2 in the series, they took full advantage of their home crowd and blew the doors off Donovan Mitchell’s team 121-83. The team got 31 points and 14 rebounds from No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, and the squad as a whole shot 51.1 percent from the field.
As for Vucevic’s decision to hit up the game, I don’t think we should be shocked. The veteran spent nine seasons with the franchise and made two All-Star appearances during that time. He also led them two their previous two postseason appearances – both of which were five-game first-round exits. Similar to DeMar DeRozan and Toronto, we know that Vucevic’s ties with that community and fan base run deep.
At the same time – if I can just put my meathead hat on for a minute – this does bother me a bit. I can’t deny that it’s pretty strange to see a player chilling courtside at a conference rival team’s playoff game. This one feels especially weird when we add in the context of Orlando completing fleecing the Bulls in that Vucevic trade. They added Wendell Carter Jr. and two first-round picks … only to also end up with the player they traded sitting courtside at THEIR playoff game three seasons later.
Again, this frustration isn’t directed at Vucevic. He should have the right to go visit some former friends and watch some playoff basketball. But it is a painful reminder of where this current organization stands, and how far they still have to go.
