Orlando Magic, as always, have themselves to blame
As the Orlando Magic near the end of their season, the individuals on the team have to look at themselves individually as the team finds its fit.
As the Orlando Magic awoke the sleeping giant (not really anymore) that is the Miami Heat late in the fourth quarter, cutting an 18-point fourth quarter lead to six points and having multiple opportunities to cut it to four, the Magic probably did not have time to reflect on the missed opportunities that left them scrambling just to inch back into the game.
Luol Deng‘s 3-pointer from the corner with about a minute left silenced any thought of winning the game, giving the Heat a nine-point lead and putting the Magic into desperate 3-pointer territory and no shot at winning. That put an end to that.
And it likely began the deconstruction of a first half played without energy, heart or effort. Particularly on the defensive end. A half that made a deficit too large for the Magic to overcome and made it look like the team was just cruising to the end of the season — now a mere 48 minutes of basketball away from mercifully ending.
Why did the Magic lose Monday night to the Miami Heat? Why have they lost so many games this year?
They can look in the mirror for that answer.
They can look at the inopportune turnovers, the rushed decisions under pressure, the missed free throws, the mis-communication while trying to switch on a pick and roll instead of fighting through screens and having pride in stopping your man.
It has been a long slog. The Magic have largely played hard. But there is a limp to the end now after the heartbreaking home loss to the Raptors on Friday and a disappointing overall effort in the loss to the Knicks.
Coach James Borrego came out of that game lamenting his team’s early defensive effort and mindset. He must have been fuming with the way Heat guards paraded into the lane and got shots at the rim. Miami scored 66 points in the paint and 42 in the first half. The Magic had just 39 points in the first half.
If the Heat were not getting the shot from their guard, they could dump it down to Hassan Whiteside or count on the offensive rebound. Miami had 11 offensive rebounds for 12 points in the game. The Magic were caught completely out of position.
The Magic did not turn the ball over much in Monday’s game. But they also failed to take advantage of their opportunities.
Orlando hit 17 of 28 free throws, with Victor Oladipo uncharacteristically missing four free throws. It was about the only thing Oladipo did wrong the entire game.
The rest of his teammates? Until the fourth quarter, it was hard to count on anyone other than Tobias Harris.
Nikola Vucevic scored only three points and grabbed four rebounds in 19 minutes, making just one of seven shots. He was a non-factor, as he got torn apart by Hassan Whiteside on both ends of the floor. His lack of athleticism was apparent.
Whether he was tired, worn out or anything else is something only he would know.
James Borrego was desperate to find any combination that could work. Because early on in the game, his team was consistently and constantly beat to loose balls and just a step slow. Not to mention the way the Heat got into the paint.
The Magic, as Brian Hill so bluntly put it in Fox Sports’ post game, are not a good enough team to coast through a half and still get a win. Yet, that seemed to be exactly what the Magic tried to do.
The scary part is (ignoring the fact the Heat might have coasted through the fourth quarter until Dwyane Wade took over to put the game away), the Magic seem to be good enough to give themselves a chance.
This is very much a team with talent. Everyone can see that.
They just have rarely put it all together for 48 minutes for very long. That has been the constant struggle for the Magic.
There are schematic issues for sure that can be solved with a new coach. But the team also has to look inward and apply the lessons that have been repeatedly hammered into this team from losses throughout the season. A fight and effort need to be there to get to consistency.
Isn’t that ultimately what this season was supposed to be about? Reaching consistency and figuring out who this team is?
The Magic are 81 games into this 82-game trek and they are still no closer to figuring out how they need to play to be successful or what kind of team they are. This is still a collection of individuals and not quite a team. Not even close.
The team never came together for much sustained play. Harris had eight points in the first quarter, Oladipo trailed with five. Oladipo and Harris flipped production in the second before Oladipo 15 of the Magic’s 27 points in the third quarter. Harris finished things off in the fourth with eight points.
What made that fourth quarter difference was Maurice Harkless gave support with eight points and Elfrid Payton added six. All while Oladipo failed to make a shot in the fourth quarter, succumbing to an entire game and an entire second half trying to carry his team and will them back into the game. It took that spunky lineup of Payton, Oladipo, Harris, Harkless and Channing Frye to pull the Magic really back into the game.
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There was no support for the Magic at the end. It was just a collection of individuals trying to do things on their own. Often failing, but somebody had to score.
The Magic have never quite been able to muster solid team basketball for very long. The offensive sets are often basic, resulting in isolation plays or simple pick and rolls (the team spreading the floor without any knock-down shooters).
That continues to come to a head as the season comes to a close. The Magic are facing the end of their season. They see the finish line. As any human would, they just want it to end. It is easy to skate by.
As the team reflects what they have or have not accomplished this season, the Magic will have to look into the mirror and figure out what kind of team they want to be. It is really all about them and what they can bring and the effort they put out.
The new coach will figure out how to make those pieces fit together.
The individuals on the team have to figure themselves out first and be the best they can be together.