The Orlando Magic’s puzzle is two sided still

The Orlando Magic turned in their best defensive half of the preseason. Only after their worst defensive half of the preseason. Both those teams exist.

The play the recaps and the game stories will talk about is Elfrid Payton‘s spinning floater for the win or his 3-pointer to tie the game at an oddly euphoric Amway Center for a preseason game.

Elfrid Payton, often maligned for his shot and offensive decision maker, got Tim Frazier on his back, spun away from the contact and floated a shot up and in to give the Orlando Magic a two-point lead late in overtime during the Magic’s eventual 114-111 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Amway Center.

That was a big play for Payton on his way to 17 points and 12 assists as he began a master class on the Magic’s offense, probing into the defense and setting himself and others up.

The play though that signaled who the Magic want to be and who they can be came next.

The Pelicans ran a pick and roll with Buddy Hield as he escaped from Evan Fournier and ran into the Nikola Vucevic/Serge Ibaka brick wall. Hield made the right play, trying to feed it to the spot the defenders vacated.

Evan Fournier though was in tune. He dug down on the catch and hurried Omer Asik. Asik struggled to catch the pass as it slipped through his legs where Fournier was able to dig it out. He grabbed the ball and held on for a foul, helping the Magic ice the game away.

This was a little play. But a play indicative of the kind of effort and energy the team will need. The kind of grimy, dirty, physical defense the team has to engage in to be successful. The kind of tough-minded, physical play that has only appeared in brief flashes for this team during the preseason.

It took some time — a long time. It took some hand wringing — a lot of hand wringing. The Magic got there in the second half, specifically the fourth quarter and overtime, to secure a win in what was the Magic’s dress rehearsal for the season.

This is who the Magic are and want to be.

“Just trying to start on defense,” Payton said. “That’s what is going to carry us this year. Even when our offense isn’t there, our defense has to be there. I tried to bring that to the game tonight and our guys followed.”

It was not easy to follow though.

The Magic’s defense in the second half was as good as it has been all preseason. The team put physical pressure on the Pelicans. They were into their bodies and disrupting everything. They were not relying heavily on their rim protectors, but they were there throughout the second half.

New Orleans ended up posting 43 points on 34.1 percent shooting in the second half. Orlando forced 10 turnovers for 16 points. The Magic gave up 81.2 points per 100 possessions in the second half. Adding in overtime, the Magic conceded only 49 points and a 76.1 defensive rating.

In the fourth quarter and overtime alone, the Magic posted a 69.7 defensive rating with a +37.1 net rating. This is downright dominance. The kind of dominance the Magic want to see defensively and can grow from.

“We needed to pick up our pace, our energy, our defensive coverages,” Aaron Gordon said. “We were lacking and those are energy zappers. If you don’t execute the gameplan, that zaps energy from the team, from the bench, from the coach. They wanted to get on us and reassure us that we were going to come back and win this game.”

The Magic needed to rekindle that energy after a lifeless first half. For as good as the Magic were in the second half, they were just as bad in the first half. Terrifyingly so.

The Magic were abused in pick and rolls, failing to keep in touch with Anthony Davis and failing to rotate well to help the helper when Serge Ibaka, Bismack Biyombo or Nikola Vucevic were forced to help.

The Magic gave up 62 points, 54.8 percent shooting and 122.5 points per 100 possessions in the first half. If this was the Magic’s dress rehearsal, it was not the opening act they wanted. Far from it.

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It had Frank Vogel clearly steaming on the sideline as questions and frustrations seemed to build.

This was the continued buildup of the Magic’s defensive struggles throughout the preseason. The tension of the identity the team wants and has struggled to fit.

The Magic were two-faced in their final preseason game — it was hard to tell which team they really were. But it has been this way throughout the preseason.

“We have to be better than that in the first half,” Fournier said. “We have to start the game right way, just like we did in the second half. Being more aggressive. Pick up 3/4 court, getting through our stuff and being the more aggressive team.”

The good play showing up in flashes and brief stretches only to be replaced with a lackadaisical or half-hearted effort.

The Magic have searched for that stronger effort.

Perhaps it was urgency. Going down 23 points in the first half and not playing up to the standard the team is trying to set for itself, woke the team up some. The Magic began communicating better and getting more physical defensively. Things began to click for them. Things got on the same page.

And the Magic showed they can be devastating when they do this.

But they also showed that uncertain part to their game and their identity. The part that still is not on the same page. The part that still has a lot of learning to do. And the part that looks like the team from last year — disorganized and inconsistent.

Both those teams exist within the Magic. It was clear in this one 48-minute dress rehearsal.

Vogel said he will preach the positive. They will teach what they did not do well, but continue to highlight the positive.

“I think every small success builds confidence in your group,” Vogel said. “We’ll highlight that. We’ll show the things we did well and why we came out on top tonight. For us to compete and figure a game out and do whatever it takes to get over the hump was definitely a positive.”

Defense will remain focus for the team as the regular season approaches in less than a week. The Magic will hold onto the momentum built in coming from behind and scoring a confidence-building win.

Related Story: Grades: Orlando Magic 114, New Orleans Pelicans 111

When the team heads back out to the court next Wednesday, it will all count. And which of these two teams takes the floor will be the big mystery to answer. Finally.