MIAMI, Fla. — It's prove it time for the Orlando Magic, who tipped off their 2024-25 NBA regular season with a 116-97 rout of the Heat on Wednesday night at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

Since they were ousted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs in May, Magic players, coaches and executives have been saying that their first trip to the postseason since 2020 taught them how important each game is because home-court advantage is key to winning in the playoffs.

At least in Game 1, they showed they have not forgotten that lesson.

A road game against a perennial playoff team like the Heat was a good place to start, coach Jamahl Mosley said, because those games help build team chemistry as players get out of their comfort zone and must face the jeers of opposing fans together.

It also was a good test physically and mentally because the Magic lost three of four games against the Heat last season, including both games in Miami. The Heat threw some distractions their way, too, because they unveiled Pat Riley Court in an extended halftime to commemorate the 30th season of the team president's involvement in their management.

"Knowing the ups and downs and what’s going to happen throughout the season, they’ve communicated a lot of that already," Mosley said. "I think that’s been the biggest point for these guys, knowing what they’re facing and how we have to go about it and how we approach it with the mindset of believing what we’re capable of doing and then stepping on the floor and proving it."

Their road record could play a pivotal role in the team's growth. The team went 47-35 in the 2023-24 regular season, a 12-win improvement from the previous season, but they were just 18-23 away from the Kia Center.

Even though management brought back almost the entire roster from last season, Mosley said he knows that not all the plays and strategies the coaching staff installed in training camp will kick in right away.

“It’s going to come in different stages for this group,” he said.

Forward Franz Wagner said he believes that the team's preparations are further along this year than in previous years because most of the roster is returning from last season. 

In addition to Wagner, Orlando signed forward Jonathan Isaac and center Wendell Carter to contract extensions. Isaac renegotiated his contract and is now under contract for five years and $84 million, and the team signed guard Jalen Suggs for five years and $150.5 million and Carter for three more years and $59 million. They also signed centers Moe Wagner and Goga Bitadze and guard Gary Harris to multiyear contracts. Guard Cole Anthony signed a three-year, $39 million extension previously, and guard Anthony Black, guard/forward Jett Howard and rookie forward Tristan da Silva remain on their rookie contracts.

To help the team's mostly young core of players, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman brought in two longtime NBA players with championship experience — guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who won titles with the Denver Nuggets in 2023 and with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, and Cory Joseph, who was part of the San Antonio Spurs team that won the 2014 championship.

"It’s really the first year here we’ve had expectations, too, and we talked a lot about our mindset coming into the season," said Wagner, who signed a maximum five-year contract extension worth at least $224 million in the offseason. "We’re very aware that we’re not sneaking up on anyone and that also we haven’t done anything yet. We have that urgency every day and know that every game matters."

At the same time, Wagner said the team has to manage those expectations well because it's a long season.

"We have to have a sustainable mindset….having the right urgency but also being loose," he said.

Both teams entered the season healthy, with only Miami guard Josh Richardson on the injured list for the start of the game. The Magic's Isaac left the game early with a sore hip after colliding with Moe Wagner and falling to the floor, but Mosley said Isaac will be fine.

The NBA season started Tuesday, with the champion Boston Celtics pounding the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers dominating the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Knicks and Timberwolves made a major trade in the offseason to result in All-Star forward Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo ending up in Minnesota and Karl-Anthony Towns playing for the Knicks.