ORLANDO, Fla. — Before the start of the 1999-2000 season, Doc Rivers gathered the Orlando Magic players at midcourt during practice. He shared that Sports Illustrated had projected their team to challenge the 1972-73 Sixers, who went 9-73, for the worst record in NBA history.
“When he said that, we were like, ‘Nah,’ ” recalled former power forward Bo Outlaw, a leader on that team. “Our personality was [Rivers’] personality. He was a fighter. A grinder. That’s what we were. We were not accepting what [the media was] saying. …
“We took that personal. We were like, ‘All right, we’re going to show y’all.’ ”
