The Orlando Sentinel (Brian Schmitz) reports: The Magic will win 50 games this season, plus a few more, and they should get it Friday night against the woeful Minnesota Timberwolves at home. Reaching 50 would mean the Magic have made at least a 10-game improvement since last season’s 40-42 record — a significant bump by league standards. It represents a 14-game bump from the back-to-back 36-46 seasons the previous two years. They can become just the fourth Magic team to win 50, and the first since the exalted 1995-96 team of Shaq and Penny. Coach Stan Van Gundy said 50 wins separates a team from mediocrity, providing instant respect. Sort of like breaking 90 on the golf course. It took the Magic a long time to put this thing back together — and they tried — after Shaquille O’Neal’s departure in 1996 started a rapid decline.
