Orlando Magic change the game by changing the pace
The Orlando Magic found their identity and pushed the tempo in defeating the Chicago Bulls. The result was surprising and a bit overdue.
The Orlando Magic promised at the beginning of the season they would be a running team. They would push the pace and look to use their defense to generate offense.
The first half of the season largely saw Orlando slow the ball down and get bogged down in something that vaguely resembled an offense. It certainly was not a tempo offense. It was one that was slow, methodical, plodding and hesitant. The Magic’s youth was not quite unleashed.
Then Monday came. Oh, boy, Monday came.
The Magic’s offense changed immediately with Elfrid Payton pushing the pace in transition. Orlando was active and aggressive, looking to take it to the defensive-minded, Eastern Conference-contending Chicago Bulls on the road and be the aggressors. This was a Magic team that nobody had even seen to this point this season.
It made a huge difference.
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Orlando posted a 102.1 pace in this game, according to NBA.com! This from a team that was averaging around 98 possessions per game entering the game. This was an incredible increase in pace and it was evident how much it affected things.
The Magic were rarely shooting up against the shot clock or forcing things. They were being the aggressors, getting into their sets and having plenty of time to get a decent shot out of a pick and roll when the initial set broke down. There was a fluidity that had been lacking to this offense.
Again, a team averaging less than a point per possession put up an astounding 117.8 offensive rating in the game.
One game does not a season make and certainly the Magic will not be able to maintain this kind of pace every game moving forward. But doing this against the Bulls, seemingly coming up with a new offensive identity out of thin air was simply astounding to see.
So where did it come from?
Both Jacque Vaughn and Victor Oladipo in their postgame comments credited rookie Elfrid Payton with helping get the team up and running. Payton continued to show incredible poise for such a young player as he led the break and took the ball quickly down the floor even after made baskets. His teammates had no choice but to keep up.
His 10-point, seven-assist stat line tells a good part of the story. So too do his zero turnovers and the Magic’s 11 total turnovers for the game (three of them came early in the fourth quarter as the Bulls made a quick run on the Magic’s second unit). Orlando was precise in its execution even at the quickened pace, another rare feat.
The strength on offense came from a defense making deflections and being active. Yes, the Bulls put on a strong offensive performance too — a 112.3 offensive rating for the Bulls in this one including big games from Pau Gasol and Derrick Rose — but the Magic set the tone with their defense too. They did a good job generally rotating and pushing the pace.
Orlando was certainly trying to create fast break opportunities out of nothing. And it worked.
The Magic gained confidence from making shots. Amazing how simple things can be when the shots go in. That will not always happen. That is when this newfound identity will be truly tested.
It will be tested again when the Magic go to their next game — Wednesday against the Rockets. It is one thing to play like this and succeed for one game, it is another to do it again.
The Magic may have been adequately embarrassed by a poor first quarter in Portland to start playing with increased effort and efficiency. The last seven quarters have been a pleasant turnaround.
So has Orlando finally found its running identity? The Magic may have.
Momentum has been the next day’s pitcher so much with this team, it is hard to tell what sticks. But what we saw Monday in Chicago was refreshing. It was a vision as to what the Magic can be.