Orlando Magic relent, and see the heart of their problems

Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel had a simple message for his team at halftime as they faced a large deficit. That message cuts to the heart of the problem.

The message on the locker room whiteboard for the Orlando Magic after the game, likely the message left for the team at halftime, was a simple one.

DO NOT RELENT.

That seems like a simple request. But wrapped into it is every issue this team has faced in the last six years.

Do not give in to frustration or defeat. Do not give up on each other. And do not give up on the belief in yourself. Do not give in to the run or pressure you face. A team has to rise to the occasion.

It takes a certain amount of personal pride to play through all the frustration that has only grown throughout this season. Something the Magic have displayed at times this year and in plenty of others. They always seemed to give some spark of hope. The results might be there, but the team had to build something and some base line.

Of course, there were also plenty of duds. Duds that proved just how far the Magic still had to go. And the heart of the problem for Orlando in this six-year rebuild.

That message from coach Frank Vogel had to be cinched in still — 72 games into the season. Perhaps it was falling on deaf ears. Perhaps the team needed a bit of a wake up — Vogel picked up a relatively rare technical foul trying to put some fire in his team that would never come.

Whatever the case, the message did not seem to be sinking in.

The Orlando Magic, trailing by 21 points at halftime to the Philadelphia 76ers, scored the first five points of the third quarter. They got an energetic play from Aaron Gordon on a reverse alley-oop. Then the spigot stopped and the team fell back into its lazy defensive play. Orlando relented.

And the results were an avalanche of momentum plays from the hungry 76ers, fighting for home court in the Playoffs. The Magic trailed by as much as 35 points, unable to reel the 76ers back in or put in the work they would need to get there.

Orlando could not find itself and instead discovered perhaps this is who they are.

"“Part of changing who we’ve been for the last six years or however long these guys have been there, whether they’ve been here one year, two years, four years, whatever they’ve been, part of changing the losing culture is not giving in, not relenting in situations where the other team’s kicking your butt,” Vogel said. “So to me, it was a good opportunity to challenge these guys and call something out that’s been an issue for us.”"

That has been a growing problem for the Magic the last five years. Perhaps the big reason why they have fallen behind in their rebuild. Or why their rebuild never took off.

The Magic have seen deficits balloon before. The story that unfolded on the Amway Center floor was nothing new. The Magic have seen this play out for much of the past six years. They never had an answer and so defeat became normal.

Vogel has professed a desire to change this. He has pushed his team, even through the inevitability of their Playoff elimination and their certain defeat, to keep fighting and playing hard. Orlando will not always have the talent or ability to win. But effort had to be a standard.

The team’s ability to receive and enact this message has always been inconsistent. Orlando has not always held onto the rope when teams put on those big runs.

Once Philadelphia got the ball rolling, the Magic were powerless to stop them.

"“Get consecutive stops,” Aaron Gordon said. “It was defense. That is what it comes down to. Stop them. We weren’t able to do that all night.”"

Gordon said Vogel was animated at halftime in trying to get the Magic to play at a higher level and with more commitment overall. The message was to stick together and not give up. But he would not get into much more detail in that.

Vogel confirmed there were some raised voices at halftime. And his mass subs showed a coach searching for any answer he could to get his team to snap to attention.

Of course, Orlando is not where it is by accident either. Injuries have sapped the team of much of its depth and the team’s record — now the third worst in the league — is not a coincidence either. Orlando earned every single one of those defeats.

Vogel is trying to push his team to play for an uncertain future. His message is about rebuilding a team culture for a team that may not be the same next year. There may be no time like the present to begin doing so. But, at the same time, the message has not quite hit home.

"“Our guys have played with great effort and energy and on-the-court integrity throughout much of this stretch of the season where we’ve been out of it,” Vogel said. “We started the game that way and I felt like we gave in and relented when they made their run. And that’s why you saw some of the mass subs. That’s why I raised my voice at halftime and I thought we played with more integrity in the second half and more competitive spirit in the second half.”"

Orlando played a bit better in the second half. Although it was not much.

Philadelphia took a 35-point lead in the third quarter and cruised to a victory. The Magic’s bench players finally played with the energy in the fourth quarter and cut into the lead. But that was far too little and too late.

Both teams had conceded the result by then.

Orlando has only 10 games remaining this season. They will likely say they want to be professional and finish the season strong for at least their own personal pride. Those words need actions to have any meaning. Carry over to next season might be a myth.

But the uncertainty over even a basic effort has characterized this team for much of this rebuild. Blowout defeats are far too often and questions about basic effort and execution and fighting back at the end persist for this group.

Orlando Magic

No one expects the Magic to win every game. This is a deeply flawed roster. But they certainly expect them to compete and play hard. Getting outworked and outhustled are plainly unacceptable. Even at this late stage of the season.

"“We’re building the right culture,” Wesley Iwundu said. “Going in the right direction starts game by game. If we go out there and compete, we give ourselves a chance no matter what.”"

The message, Wesley Iwundu said, was clear at halftime. To go out there and fight and not relent. The team needed to play hard and prove it. Iwundu said that culture is what the Magic are fighting for.

At least, that is what they profess they are fighting for. The Magic have not exactly acted that goal. And they did not Thursday.

Thus the growing disappointment.

Orlando will not have anything to play for but themselves in the final 10 games. They will have to show they will not relent or give in when opponents push against them.

That has been the heart of their problem throughout the last six years. They have never been able to sustain that initial punch.

Next: Grades: Philadelphia 76ers 118, Orlando Magic 98

And those words on the whiteboard cut to the heart of the problem. The Magic must not relent and must not give up in their final 10 games.