The Orlando Magic have seen this loss before. They have seen these issues before. And they lost again as the Orlando Magic repeated history again.
There were certain things that were not supposed to happen anymore.
Not with this team. Not after three years of losing and building up for draft picks. Not after supposedly turning the corner and being firmly (and still firmly) in the playoff discussion.
Missing shots late in a game? Sure, that is growth. It happens. A turnover in a tight spot? Same. Team needs experience and eventually they will grow and learn.
Celebrating after hitting what seemed to be a game-clinching shot? That lesson was learned back in October after Russell Westbrook drained a shot from near half court and the Oklahoma City Thunder won in double overtime.
The inbounds turnovers and not knowing time and situation, that was all supposed to be gone. Youth is no longer an excuse. Execution is all that matters. Wins are all that matters.
And even when those things happen, the Magic are supposed to be mature and ready enough to keep their focus, bounce back and still give themselves a chance to win. Heck, even win those games.
They have done it before in the face of mistakes. Everyone knows how resilient and strong this team can be when things are clicking. And they have clicked before — the continuing frustrating part of this losing streak.
Orlando has a lot of learning to go. The team makes the same mistakes without taking that step forward. And more than anything that is the concerning and alarming thing for the Magic as they look further into the future.
So there the Magic were again, fighting and clawing their way back into the game, showing the grit and determination that was missing pretty much the rest of this month. They used a 7-0 run to take a four-point lead with 17 seconds left. The Magic had dug out a steal against Marc Gasol to find Harris alone at the basket.
Then the tightness began.
It felt as if the Magic had the game won at that moment and the Grizzlies came right at them. They got the ball to Jeff Green, who drove the lane and dunked it on the flat-footed Magic.
That is fine, because free throws seal the game. They just had to get it in after calling a timeout to advance the ball.
Scott Skiles said he reminded his team of two things: First, they had an extra timeout if they could not get it in. Second, they had a foul to give if they had to play defense with a one-possession lead.
None of it mattered as the players forgot and failed to execute.
A player did not cut when he was supposed to, throwing off the timing of the play and leading to a mad dash to show to the ball. The Grizzlies were easily able to pressure the Magic into a rush and forced pass. Elfrid Payton could not get it into Tobias Harris cleanly and the Grizzlies came away with the ball and the chance to send it overtime.
Orlando had succumbed to the pressure again. Just like it did Friday. There were still moments where the Magic had a chance to win, but the confidence was certainly lacking. Orlando missed several open opportunities in overtime, scoring only two points as Memphis literally stole the game.
The Magic appear to be climbing out of their malaise. They kept up the ball movement. They buckled down for some good defense in the second half after struggling through the first half, especially keeping track of players off the ball.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. But not wins.
Not until the Magic begin truly learning these lessons. Time and time again, the Magic are presented with these situations and each time they seem to make the same mistakes.
On a team that demands accountability, where the coaching staff pulls guys for those repeated mistakes to make sure they do not happen again, this is a problem. It certainly is a short term one as the losses are piling up and the team is not making that measurable progress everyone is so desperate for. The confidence is waning in these situations.
And the more confidence wanes late in games, the more the team tightens up and the more likely it is to make these same mistakes again.
It is hard to say what more Skiles and the coaching staff could do. They gave the team the play and the opportunity. All the tools and knowledge were there.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time this specific problem has emerged. Skiles has noted on several occasions throughout the season the team has struggled coming out of timeouts and implementing adjustments his coaching staff has put in.
It takes only one player out of sync to throw off a play or throw off a defense. Failing to make adjustments costs wins and costs games.
Failing to make adjustments and failing to learn lessons is what keeps the team from taking that step forward. In fact, that is the opposite of growth, that is stagnation.
January has been bad for the Magic. They have just one win this month and plenty of disappointment in between. They are slowly fading away from the Eastern Conference playoff picture. At some point they will pull out of this and begin winning again — even if by sheer dumb luck.
For the long term though, seeing this lack of growth is extremely concerning. At some point the Magic need to stop getting in their own way and start finishing these games.
It looked like they had done that earlier in the season. Yet, here the Magic are again, lamenting a poor inbounds, a lack of focus and a lack of awareness to the situation.
Next: Orlando Magic lose heartbreaker to Memphis Grizzlies in overtime
And, more importantly, another loss.