The Orlando Magic got beat on the offensive end again. The Memphis Grizzlies blitzed the Magic early and that was that, despite a late run.
Jacque Vaughn has changed his demeanor in postgame press conferences. The Prince of Positivity is gone and a dose of reality has eased in.
Tonight’s message was a simple one? In fact it was simplicity.
Vaughn’s way out of this rut for now is to simplify things even more than they might have been already. To make the game about effort and energy at all times. Not to worry about the results of a play and just give it your all. To pick up a teammate.
That might be why Vaughn put Dewayne Dedmon in the game for extended minutes (sending the struggling Channing Frye to the bench the entire second half). It might explain why Aaron Gordon is now in the starting lineup. Or why Elfrid Payton appears to have the coaching staff’s complete trust at point guard. It might explain why Willie Green, despite all his issues, is gaining playing time with his energy and his veteran presence of being in the right spot.
This is not a perfect roster by any means. Mistakes will be made. What has to be consistent is the effort and the energy.
That has waned in recent games and recent weeks as the team has devolved into frustration and even sent the usually positive Vaughn into defensive mode — the calls for his job getting louder and louder. It comes and goes for this Magic team as it did Monday night against the Grizzlies in a 103-94 loss at FedExForum.
The first quarter was an unmitigated disaster for the Magic as the Grizzlies did what they wanted offensively.
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Memphis is a good team that plays together. The Grizzlies have it all together. Zach Randolph toyed with the Magic ‘s defense, making long twos and bullying his way to offensive rebounds. The Magic were caught flat-footed watching the Grizzlies take that part of the game away and shoot better than 60 percent.
The Magic’s offense was good enough and running with good pace to keep in the game. But that would eventually wane too. Tobias Harris never found his rhythm. The Magic’s second unit struggled against the Grizzlies and the lack of defensive cohesion led to an avalanche.
Memphis did what it wanted in building as much as a 20 point lead.
Maybe it needed Orlando to make things simple in the second half to change things. Vaughn put Dedmon in the starting lineup for the second half. The Grizzlies maybe laxed off the gas pedal a bit. Orlando made its run.
It is a familiar tune and it is something that happens every day in the NBA.
The Grizzlies scored only 36 points in the second half. They saw that 20-point lead cut to nine late in the fourth quarter. The Magic had plenty of opportunities — including an open Victor Oladipo 3-pointer from the top of the key — to cut into that lead. The Grizzlies had that extra gear to make the stops. The sign of the more seasoned team and yet another moment of the Magic offense getting tight in late-game situations.
These are all familiar stories.
Orlando did not come completely ready to play and fell behind big. The team fought back only to fall short. That part is not changing.
The common theme of a defense struggling to get it together — Nikola Vucevic was pulled early for poor defense on Marc Gasol, seemingly — continued. Even playing at the fast pace, the Magic seemed rushed and unable to value possessions. The Grizzlies ran it right back at them too — the first half was played at 95.9 possessions.
Orlando found some composure in the second half by continuing to attack (a positive sign) and chipping away (another positive sign).
The offense though is hardly the problem. The Magic surpassed their season average with 100.0 points per 100 possessions tonight against a good Grizzlies defense. The problem remains the defense.
Orlando was left scrambling too many times and left outmuscled inside. The Grizzlies let off the gas pedal, and the Magic took advantage.
That is all well and good.
Simply put though: The Magic have a lot of work to do and have to re-commit defensively. The game can be pretty simple that way.
Maybe a little simplicity is what the Magic need to get them out of this funk.