Now we get to discover if the Orlando Magic are truly the team we thought they were.
The team I was referring to as the "Orlando Gritty Gutties" and writing columns about how Jamahl Mosley should be considered the frontrunner for the NBA's Coach of the Year.
The team that, despite extended injuries to its top two players - Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner - were still winning games on will and want-to and desire and defense.
But are they really that team?
Are they truly a team filled with dogged, determined fighters?
The best teams, the ones that last, the ones that become more than just a fun story for a season or two, are forged in moments like this. If the Magic are truly the gritty, resilient team they claim to be, then they need to show us they can walk through the fire of injuries, doubt and criticism.
These aren't roadblocks; they're a proving ground.
The Magic, after Friday night's home loss to Memphis, are two games below .500 with 24 games to play. Quite frankly, they have looked more like a lottery team than a playoff team in recent weeks. They haven't had back-to-back wins since Christmas and are 7-15 in their last 22 games.
Granted, there are reasons for their struggles. Because of injuries, their top three players - Banchero, Wagner and Jalen Suggss - have only played six games together this season. But that's no excuse moving forward. Suggs, who has missed the last 12 games with a thigh contusion, should be back in the next week or so, which means the Magic will be as healthy as they can be going down the stretch.
Team president Jeff Weltman took a lot of criticism from fans and media by standing pat at the trade deadline. Weltman, it seems, wants to see if these players are what he thinks they are. Despite the team's obvious offensive woes, Weltman has shown time and again he is committed to continuity and to this nucleus of players. He has resisted the temptation to make impulsive moves and instead has prioritized internal growth, player development, and strategic roster building to create a sustainable contender.
He is banking on Suggs getting healthy and the team peaking heading into the playoffs. He is hoping that the law of averages alone will help improve the Magic's horrid 3-point shooting (last in the league at 30.5%). It has to get better, right? Nearly every player on the Magic's roster can't continue to shoot career lows from distance, can they?
"On paper, we should be a 35-plus percent shooting team, and that should be good enough to have us be a home court playoff team," Weltman says. "Basketball is a game of rhythm and I do think - and I'm not trying to make excuses - that injuries have clearly upended the rhythm and cadence of our season."
The good news is that it's not too late to change the narrative and prove that last season was not a fluke. It's no secret that the Magic came out of nowhere last yyear when they won 47 games, secured the No. 5 seed and took the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games before losing in the first round of the playoffs. Yes, the same Cleveland Cavaliers who now have a league-best 46-10 record.
Unlike last year when the Magic were one of the biggest surprises in the NBA, this year they are on everyone's radar. Last year, they played with house money. This year, the stakes are real, and the competition isn't bluffing.
Nobody hands young teams success in the NBA. Every championship contender has to take its lumps and endure skepticism. Success in the NBA isn't handed out like a party favor. Young teams have to earn it, bleed for it, and survive the growing pains that create contenders. It's time for the Magic to prove that they are the type of team.
"We've kind of doubled down on continuity," Weltman says. "But we have to earn that. There's no sense in keeping it together if it's not going to lead to winning."
Will they embrace the challenge or shrink from it?
Are the Orlando Magic truly "The Gritty Committee" or are they more fluff than tough?