Orlando Magic still working to establish their culture

The Orlando Magic are trying to build a winning culture with the time they have left this season. Losses like Monday’s defeat have to be pushed away.

Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel took the podium following the team’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers nearly a month ago.

His team had just lost a fouth-quarter lead to the flame-throwing ability of Damian Lillard.

If the Magic were going to build up their franchise and their organization and turn the corner, losses like these had to become a thing of the past. Losing a double-digit lead at home was the exact kind of loss the team had to avoid.

This was the kind of loss that had to stop for the Magic to take that next step. It was good to get it out of the way early. Orlando could learn and improve from here.

For the rest of the season, with a new philosophy and style in tow, the team would be trying to build something it could carry forward into the offseason and toward a 2018 Playoff push.

The Magic had to establish that base now. There was no waiting.

Orlando Magic

A month later, Vogel sensed the team needed to be reminded of this goal. The urgency had to increase and the Magic had to turn things around after a disappointing weekend. The Magic have not established that base to this point. And time was running out.

There have been plenty of signs of the same mistakes getting made and the team dropping games they simply should not — whether it be not running through the tap of the full 48 minutes or not showing up to begin with.

The loss to the Trail Blazers in that first game three weeks ago was not an anomaly. Orlando lost double-digit leads to the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards on consecutive nights. The Charlotte Hornets blew out the Magic by 40 points on the road, with Vogel questioning the team’s “competitive spirit.”

Orlando is as inconsistent as ever. And, as the Magic try to build their culture, consistency is what they need most. That will lead to wins — or, at least, a better chance at some victories. That is the base to build from.

The team’s three-game road trip out West was a chance to reinforce these without the distractions of home. This goal was what he reminded his team as he spoke to the media at shootaround, per Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel:

"“We’ve got to build winning habits with this team,” Vogel said.“That’s the number-one priority for what we’re doing right now. This group and our coaching staff and everybody has to figure out how to win games at a higher rate than we’ve done over the last four or five years. This trip will be no different.”"

After one game of that road trip — and now 10 games since the trade deadline — it seems to fair to ask: What is this culture that is growing? What has changed for the Magic in reality? Is Orlando building the momentum it needs for the offseason?

Monday’s 120-115 loss to the Sacramento Kings was not encouraging. The Magic frittered away a chance at a win, losing focus on both offense and defense at times and giving the Kings control.

On back-to-back possessions, with the Magic trailing by one possession late in the fourth quarter, they lost track of Anthony Tolliver and he buried them. First, it was beating Aaron Gordon on a backdoor cut in secondary transition for a dunk to extend the lead to four. Then it was answering Aaron Gordon’s 3-pointer with his own, his fifth of the game.

But the game merely built up to that moment. There were plenty of other plays the Magic needed to make that did not go their way by their own volition.

The Kings built a 10-point lead and had control for much of the second half largely thanks to the tone the Magic set early on in the third quarter. Orlando turned the ball over on the first three possessions. Hardly the attention to detail needed out of the locker room.

Even late, with teh Magic trailing by four and about 45 seconds to play, the Magic forced a 3-pointer, isolating a two-man game with Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic that seemed desting to go nowhere.

The Magic and Kings played each other close for much of the game. But with the Kings not playing four key players and on an eight-game losing streak, it felt like the Magic could pull away and get some distance. It felt like they would at the end of the second quarter when they went up by six, their biggest lead of the game.

Instead, Sacramento tied the game before halftime. Darren Collison drew a four-point play, one of two Sacramento had in the game. The Kings made 16 3-pointers in all. Orlando was scrambling to get out to the perimeter.

The team played hard and well enough to win. The Magic scored the points they needed. But they never buckled down defensively. And there were enough moments of offensive stagnation to cause plenty of frustration.

They lacked discipline and precision. The things a team needs to win.

Statistics say Orlando should be slightly better than the team is. Aesthetically the Magic are playing better. There is something within the team’s style to grab hold to.

Yet, results matter. Especially when a team is trying to build a culture.

Orlando did not play its best and had a chance to win the game. When the Magic fell behind by 10 points, they seemed to snap to attention. They quickly erased the deficit, defending better, challenging shots and getting out in transition. Orlando seized the game. The urgency returned.

Where was this the rest of the game?

These are all parts of the culture Frank Vogel wants to build. It is the most important thing the Magic do the rest of the season.

To begin establishing the team’s base for the future, the Magic need to emphasize the very basic things it takes to win. Attention to detail, focus, effort and execution. It is not going to be perfect all the time, but there has to be a base to build off.

It takes composure and trust — in the system and each other. A lot of that has been missing for the last five years. Vogel knows this and is trying to change it.

This is everything for the Magic the rest of the season. Figuring out how to find a path to winning is key for the team the rest of the season. There is not much time left.

It is OK to lose because the team missed shots or could not score down the stretch. It is not OK not to see a baseline of commitment to the team or to see the team panic or recede into a shell. When the Magic have the opportunity to win, they need to take it.

Next: Grades: Sacramento Kings 120, Orlando Magic 115

Winning is still the ultimate goal for this group — and whatever iteration of it comes next.