Serge Ibaka: ‘We didn’t respect the gameplan’
The Orlando Magic spent a day deconstructing their loss to the Miami Heat in Wednesday’s opener. Their conclusion? They didn’t stick to their gameplan.
There is an obvious tinge of disappointment to the way the Orlando Magic opened their season Wednesday night against the Miami Heat. Frank Vogel provided plenty of stern words after the game.
The next-day film session? It certainly was not the friendliest session for the Magic. They saw times where their effort was not up to part. They saw moments where their execution was subpar. It often was not the Heat defense causing them to miss shots.
Nikola Vucevic said after the game the Magic were sometimes selfish and trying too hard rather than sticking to the gameplan and moving the ball to work together. It is part of the growing pains for this team.
Serge Ibaka had a much more stern assessment for his team’s performance — as well as his own.
“We didn’t respect the gameplan like coach asked us to do,” Serge Ibaka said. “We didn’t do it the way coach asked us to do. That’s what happens when you don’t respect the gameplan because the gameplan is very important.”
Ibaka said he did not do the best he can Wednesday as he struggled figuring out when to leave Hassan Whiteside to help on dribble penetration and when to stick with the center. That kind of indecision has marked the Magic’s interior defense for several years. The trust from the post players to have weakside help to box out centers like Hassan Whiteside or Andre Drummond, whom the Magic face tonight in Detroit.
Ibaka promised to play better in Friday’s game and moving forward.
Vogel said the Magic did not execute basic premises of their offensive and defensive systems in Wednesday’s game.
“The third quarter was just very frustrating just executing simple fundamentals, screening and using screens, and understanding the extra pass and what is necessary against a guy like Whiteside,” Vogel said. “We didn’t executed all that stuff. That’s why we looked the way we did. Hopefully we will be better next time.”
Vogel seemed confident if the Magic execute how they execute in practice, they will play much better. Then again, it is hard to imagine the Magic playing much worse.
The Magic though will get a big benefit to their gameplan back in the lineup.
After serving his one-game suspension, Bismack Biyombo will make his Magic debut. Just about every player noted the Magic missed the rim-protecting big man a lot in Wednesday’s game. Simply his energy and defense were plainly absent from the game.
Not having Bismack Biyombo was not an excuse, but the absence was certainly noticeable.
“Big time,” Evan Fournier said. “Rotation coming off the bench, playing with a lot of energy, blocking shots, just being a presence int he paint, he’s huge definitely.”
Biyombo showed a lot of that energy and elite rim protection throughout the preseason. he was one of the preseason’s most impressive players. And the Magic were stretched somewhat thin in their front court trying to handle Whiteside and all the drivers from the Heat without him in there.
The expectation is that adding Biyombo will bolster the team’s defense.
“Everybody is going through the same thing right now,” Biyombo said. “That should not be our excuse. It comes down to players. We’ve got to get it done on the floor. That’s the bottom line right now.”
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Biyombo watched the game from his apartment in Orlando and certainly felt the frustration of not being out there, joking he was so loud he was afraid neighbors might complain. He noted, without being able to comment much because he was not there, that the team looked a bit tight. He said he hoped they worked out the first-game jitters on Wednesday.
Biyombo joked once the team starts winning “a lot of games” the chemistry talk will die down. There is no doubt the Magic are still in the process of growing as a unit and figuring out the right way for them to play.
When it comes to bouncing back from Wednesday’s loss, the beauty is the Magic had a chance to get some work in on a rest day and then they go right back to it Friday.
That is often the beauty of the NBA, there is never time to dwell on failures. There is an often immediate chance to do better the next time.
“We get another opportunity,” Biyombo said. “That is the beauty of the NBA. We get a chance to play tomorrow. It’s a fun process for me. I love this. I think our guys are going to take it as a challenge and be able to embrace it.”
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The Magic know they have to do better and commit to their game plan in order to find success and put Wednesday’s disappointing performance behind them.