2002–03 Orlando Magic season

The 2002–03 Orlando Magic season was the 14th season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association.^[1] During the off-season, the Magic signed free agents, former All-Star forward Shawn Kemp and Jacque Vaughn.^[2][3] However, Grant Hill only played just 29 games due to his continuing ankle injuries,^[4][5][6] and Horace Grant only played just five games due to a sore left knee, and was released to free agency after feuding with head coach Doc Rivers.^[7][8]

With the addition of Kemp and Vaughn, the Magic won five of their first six games of the regular season, but then lost six of their next eight games afterwards. The team fell below .500 in winning percentage, and held a 24–26 record at the All-Star break.^[9] At mid-season, the Magic traded Mike Miller to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for rookie power forward Drew Gooden, and rookie small forward Gordan Giriček.^[10][11] The Magic played above .500 for the remainder of the season, and finished in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a 42–40 record, earning the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.^[12]

Tracy McGrady won his first scoring title leading the league in scoring with 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game per game, plus leading the Magic with 173 three-point field goals, as he was named to the All-NBA First Team. In addition, Hill averaged 14.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, while Giriček contributed 14.3 points per game in 27 games after the trade, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, Gooden provided the team with 13.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in 19 games, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and Pat Garrity contributed 10.7 points per game and 161 three-point field goals. Meanwhile, Darrell Armstrong provided with 9.4 points, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game, while Kemp averaged 6.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, Vaughn contributed 5.9 points and 2.9 assists per game, and Andrew DeClercq provided with 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.^[13]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, McGrady was selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team,^[14][15][16] while Garrity participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.^[17][18] McGrady finished in fourth place in Most Valuable Player voting with 4 first-place votes,^[19][20] and also finished tied in 18th place in Most Improved Player voting,^[20] while Gooden finished in fifth place in Rookie of the Year voting.^[20]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2003 NBA playoffs, the Magic faced off against the top–seeded, and Central Division champion Detroit Pistons, who were led by the trio of Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, and All-Star center, and Defensive Player of the Year, Ben Wallace. Despite the Pistons having home-court advantage in the series, the Magic took a 3–1 series lead after winning Game 4 over the Pistons at home, 100–92 at the TD Waterhouse Centre.^[21][22] However, the Magic lost the next three games, which included a Game 7 loss to the Pistons on the road, 108–93 at The Palace of Auburn Hills, thus losing in a hard-fought seven-game series.^[23][24][25]

The Magic finished 26th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 605,901 at the TD Waterhouse Centre during the regular season, which was the fourth-lowest in the league.^[13][26] Following the season, Armstrong signed as a free agent with the New Orleans Hornets,^[27][28] while Grant re-signed with his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers,^[29][30] Vaughn re-signed with the Atlanta Hawks, and Kemp retired. After the playoff defeat, the Magic entered a state of rebuilding and did not return to the NBA playoffs until the 2006–07 season.