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Orlando Magic
Overall: 70
Title track: 89
Ownership: 56
Coaching: 85
Players: 64
Fan relations: 65
Affordability: 42
Stadium experience: 30
Bang for the buck: 101
Change from last year: +8
A slight improvement for the Magic in this year's rankings, mostly in the off-court categories, can only help so much when the on-court performance is, well, lacking. A third straight sub-.500 season in 2014-15, a coach fired midway through it and a roster that was depleted by injuries had the Magic fan base looking ahead to this season -- or, sigh, maybe even further into the future.
What's good
Who can say whether it's the entertainment, the food or the plain and simple love of basketball -- be it played well, badly or somewhere in between -- but stadium experience, at 30, is the Magic's best showing in the standings. OK, maybe it has something to do with the 5-year-old Amway Center's 875,000 square feet, 20,000-plus seats, 1,100 digital monitors and the largest HD scoreboard in an NBA venue. Whatever -- it was voted the second-best facility in the NBA by fans this year (and Sports Business Journal named it the sports facility of the year back in 2012). In addition, the Magic organization goes the extra mile to make sure fans enjoy watching the team -- fans gave the Magic the third-best score in the NBA in fan-friendliness.
What's bad
Of course, the best way to maximize a great arena is to put a great team on the court. Unfortunately, the Magic ranked in the bottom half of all teams in the players, coaching and title track categories; and in bang for the buck, they're just 101st, fifth worst in the NBA. No surprise that the team hasn't ranked well in the on-court categories since it ended the 2014-15 season at 25-57 -- and somehow, that was the Magic's best record in three years. Magic faithful will hope that players returning from injuries and new coach Scott Skiles, who played for Orlando for five seasons in the prime of his career and has nearly 15 years' experience as a head coach, will turn things around and get those ranks back up to the top half of the standings, where they haven't been since 2011.
What's new
Regardless of what's happening on the court, the affordability and flexibility of ticket prices and deals keep fans in their seats. The Magic's affordability ranking went up 21 spots from last year, thanks to the 2,500 seats the team offers for $20 or less, along with 8,000 seats for $40 or less and 9,000 seats for $50 or less. The team also offers various "Fast Break Pass" ticket options that start at $69 for 12 games. Another 16-place increase in fan relations shows that even if the Magic can't win off the court, at least their fans are getting some entertainment for their money.
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