{"id":253444,"date":"2026-05-01T04:02:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T04:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/253444\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T04:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T04:02:13","slug":"atlanta-hawks-embarrassing-game-6-supplants-orlando-magics-worst-playoff-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/253444\/","title":{"rendered":"Atlanta Hawks’ embarrassing Game 6 supplants Orlando Magic’s worst Playoff moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Orlando Magic are mostly riding high right now. <\/p>\n

Up 3-2 in their series with the Detroit Pistons, their focus is squarely on trying to advance with a Game 6 victory at the Kia Center, in perhaps the biggest game in their arena’s history.<\/p>\n

There is still a job to do.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Magic are not focused on anyone but themselves.<\/p>\n

With all four East series reaching six games for the first time since 2003 — an inauspicious year for the Magic’s series — the picture of who advances in the Playoffs is not quite in focus yet.<\/p>\n

Orlando has played significantly better this playoffs than the team did in the regular season. But even in these Playoffs, the Magic got a very brief reminder of why the team was the 8-seed.<\/p>\n

The Magic have had to wear the 30-3 run<\/a> they gave up to open the second quarter of Game 2 around their necks. It was the only thing keeping the Magic from a first-round sweep as it turned out — or the inspiration that brought them to victories in Games 3 and 4.<\/p>\n

They no longer need to wear that as the worst run in these Playoffs. Their 15-point Game 2 loss is no longer the worst single run in these Playoffs. As it turned out, the Orlando Magic’s 52-point loss to the Toronto Raptors<\/a> no longer looks so bad in comparison.<\/p>\n

The Atlanta Hawks lost Game 6 at home 140-89 to the New York Knicks, bowing out of the playoffs with a huge whimper. The 51-point defeat was the biggest point differential in an elimination game since 1956 and the third-largest margin in an elimination game in NBA history.<\/p>\n

New York went on a 31-4 run in the final 8:11 of the first quarter to put the game far out of reach. The Knicks buried the Hawks with a 31-7 run in the first 7:21 of the second quarter to lead by 50 points before halftime.<\/p>\n

It does not get worse than that for any team in such a big spot. And it was a frustrating way to end a solid season for the Hawks, who unseated the Magic as Southeast Divison champions.<\/p>\n

Those runs and this game certainly feel much worse than what happened in the Magic’s most embarrassing loss of the season.<\/p>\n

The Toronto Raptors put the Orlando Magic at their lowest this season with a 139-87 defeat on March 29. The loss was the worst defeat in Magic hisory. It also included an NBA-record 31-0 run.<\/p>\n

The Game 2 loss in this year’s playoff to the Detroit Pistons, where the Pistons went on a 30-3 run to turn a tie game at halftime into the only runaway victory in the series, was a painful reminder that the Magic that frustrated for most of the seaosn was still there.<\/p>\n

Orlando’s confidence has completely changed. It seems unlikely the team would face such a deep embarrassment any time soon. It does not seem likely to happen in the critical Game 6 either.<\/p>\n

The Hawks lost Game 5 by 29 on the road. A blowout of this magnitude is always unlikely, but not impossible.<\/p>\n

The Hawks will now have to wear that throughout the offseason. A terrible way to go out. And it clears the Magic of some of their embarrassment.<\/p>\n

New York is the first East team to punch its ticket to the second round. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will head to a Game 7 after Boston lost a 3-1 series lead.<\/p>\n

The Magic they have put their embarrassing and lifeless play behind them. They are still in position to advance.<\/p>\n

And that could set the Magic up for some potential revenge against those Raptors in a seven-game series.<\/p>\n

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