Orlando Magic’s struggles come from the start
In addition to the Orlando Magic’s well-known problems at the end of games, they are starting behind too. The first quarters are as much as a problem.
125. Final. . 38.
Time/TV: 1 p.m./FSFlorida
Line: Hawks by 2.5
Tickets: $10-$261 on Vivid Seats
Season Series: Hawks 103, Magic 100 in Orlando on Dec. 20; Hawks 98, Magic 81 in Atlanta on Jan. 18; Tonight in Orlando; Feb. 8 in Atlanta
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | 99.3 | 103.0 | 99.9 | 51.6 | 19.5 | 15.2 | 24.6 |
| Orlando | 96.5 | 101.1 | 103.3 | 49.5 | 23.8 | 15.0 | 21.9 |
It was the very first play of the game. The point of the game where every player should know exactly what they are supposed to do. There are no adjustments or counters. Teams will run what they usually do.
So how did J.J. Redick get open for three in the halfcourt set? What caused the one thing every player knew the Los Angeles Clippers were trying to do on the very first play?
That is a great mystery for the Orlando Magic. The kind of lapses the Magic have had early on defy a lot of logic. The beginning of games are supposed to be when energy is high. Focus and intensity should be clear as the team prepares.
Right now, the first quarter has been one of the biggest trouble spots for the Magic — yes, even more than the end of games.
“Obviously any time you don’t start the game off the way you want, it’s a big thing about flow and how the team goes from that,” Tobias Harris said. “For us, we have to start the games off better. Our energy has to be better to start games. We have to have more of a focus and point of emphasis that we want to reach out there as starters. That’s what we have to get to. Obviously when you start the game and make shots, that’s going to help us later on. But if shots aren’t falling, we have to control other things.”
For the entire season, the Magic have a 101.4 defensive rating (15th in the league) and a 100.6 offensive rating (19th in the league). The Magic are not beating anyone in the first quarter, but they typically were keeping themselves in most games.
Like almost every statistic since January, the story changes in a very dramatic way.
Since Jan. 1, the Magic’s offensive rating in first quarters has dipped to 94.8 points per 100 possessions (26th in the league) and the defense has fallen off a cliff to 110.8 points allowed per possessions (28th in the league). The Magic’s -16.1 points per 100 possessions net rating in the first quarter is the second worst in the league in that time span.
Orlando’s defense has gone from league average to start games to one of the worst in the league.
In the fourth quarter of games in January, the Magic have a league-worst 94.2 points per 100 possessions and 107.6 defensive rating. The -13.4 net rating is still the second worst in the league, but the defense is at least a little better (although still terrible).
The numbers since January 1 essentially say the Magic are worse in the first quarter than the fourth quarter. Of course, this is a microcosm of the overall problems the Magic have had in this time span. Both quarters are bad for much the same reasons.
Essentially, again like everything else, the Magic are playing out of a hole before the game has even really begun.
“It’s tough because when you fall behind and then you have to play catchup pretty much the whole game,” Victor Oladipo said. “We’ve just got to help ourselves in the first quarter.
“I just think we just come out slow and get some slow starts a little bit. And teams hit quick shots and that hurts us a little bit. It’s nothing we can’t correct.”
Oladipo said it was not something he could put his finger on specifically. A lot of the problems in the first quarter are similar problems that are happening throughout the game.
It is also a fickle thing too. The Magic have not won a first quarter since the game against the Milwaukee Bucks from a few weeks ago — they tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder — and they lost both those games. So it does not necessarily matter that much.
Magic coach Scott Skiles said slow starts can sometimes be a bit of fool’s gold just as fast starts can be too. There are still 36 minutes to play and there are always plenty of wild swings that can happen within a NBA game in the process. Success takes focus through the 48 minutes.
There is no denying though how much a bad start can put a team on its heels and get them started off the wrong foot.
The Magic are 14-9 when ahead entering the second quarter and just 3-17 when behind. There would seem to be some correlation. The Magic play better when they get off to good starts.
“Maybe we have to react from the tip off and be the aggressors,” Nikola Vucevic said. “When we did that early in the year, we had some blowouts and played really well. If you are the first team that comes out as the aggressors and puts the other team on their heals, it’s always easier for you to play. We’ve been letting other teams do that a lot to us. We have to change that and be the aggressors from tip off right away and take it to the other team.”
And that is probably what it comes down to. The Magic have not taken the game to opponents. They have not been aggressive. They have not been able to.
Teams are jumping on them right now and forcing the Magic to scramble and focus quickly rather than ease into games. The frank solution is to start games with more urgency and focus rather than the kind of slow way Orlando tends to get into games.
The Magic are struggling to start games as much as they are struggling to finish them.
Next: Orlando Magic failing to take on necessary identity
Another thing on the laundry list of things the Magic are struggling with right now.