Washington (United States) (AFP) – Jamahl Mosley was fired as coach of the Orlando Magic on Monday, hours after the team was eliminated from the NBA playoffs with a blowout loss in Detroit. The top-seeded Pistons rallied from a 3-1 deficit in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference first round series to eliminate Orlando with a 116-94 triumph in game seven on Sunday.
The Magic was barely back in Florida before team president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman announced Mosley’s dismissal. “We’re grateful to Jamahl for all he has done for the Orlando Magic,” Weltman said. “We appreciate his leadership and the positive contributions he made as head coach. While this was a difficult decision, we feel it’s time for a new voice and fresh perspective.”
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The Pistons, only the 15th team in NBA history to win a series after trailing 3-1, announced later Monday they were extending the contract of coach J.B. Bickerstaff. No details were revealed.
Mosley, 47, served as an assistant coach for Denver, Cleveland, and Dallas before being hired by the Magic as head coach in July 2021. His five seasons marked the longest tenure for any Magic coach since Stan Van Gundy, who guided Orlando to the 2009 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
But the Magic have not won a playoff series since 2010, falling in the first round seven times and missing the playoffs nine times since then. Under Mosley, the Magic went 189-221, including a 45-37 record this past campaign, and made the playoffs the past three seasons before making quick exits.
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