The Orlando Magic’s down month has seen inconsistent play and lackluster performances across the board. Sunday, they used sheer hustle to win.
It was written on the Orlando Magic’s whiteboard for all to see after the game. It was repeated in timeouts and before the game.
Hustle.
A simple word and a simple concept that has often escaped the Orlando Magic. A necessary attribute and factor for the Magic to win games.
Where this hustle would come from — or where it had gone in the first place — remains a mystery for the Magic. Perhaps it has not completely turned itself around. One game does not make a trend.
Perhaps the embarrassment of Friday night’s loss in Boston and the chance to play the same opponent inspired the team to come out with a renewed focus and energy.
Perhaps the team was just tired of losing.
If there was one difference in the Orlando Magic’s 119-114 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday, it was not a better offense or a better defense. Both units had their stretches of trouble throughout the game. It was just the effort and energy the team put into the game.
“We’re a hustle team,” Evan Fournier said. “And when we play hard that way and together, that’s basically how we win games.
“When we come out kind of soft with no energy, we lose by 15. We’ve got to keep that in mind.”
The Magic had some of that energy early on, but it did not really coalesce until the second half.
It was there where the Magic were scrapping for loose balls, playing through mistakes and making big second effort and energy plays that have been missing for much of January.
A play like Mario Hezonja running down Avery Bradley even to try to block a runout layup — he blocked it, but could not prevent it from going in the basket — was not happening for much of the month.
A play like Aaron Gordon chasing down an Avery Bradley 3-point shot late in the game and swatting it into the bench would not have happened. Nor would the tip-dunk that followed.
Not in this house! 🚫 pic.twitter.com/pCEVVxBGgV
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) February 1, 2016
There was an effort and energy with the Magic that had been missing for so long. It was not that the Magic were not trying before, it was those extra effort plays that made the game, covering up for mistakes or recovering after them.
“I think we really got back to our foundation and that’s being disciplined on defense and being deliberate with our movements and our coverages,” Gordon said. “It’s a testament to how hard this team has been working and we need to continue to work.”
The Magic were hardly flawless in this game. They gave up 114 points after all and 16-for-46 shooting from beyond the arc. Boston still posted a 111.8 offensive rating.
Orlando is not back anywhere near the level it was at in December.
For a long stretch though in the fourth quarter, the Magic were that team again. A 15-2 run turned a two-point deficit into a double-digit lead. Orlando obviously buckled down in this moment while continuing the ball movement. They ran off the misses and scrapped for every possession.
“We are a hustle team,” coach Scott Skiles said. “We’ve got to be flying around. Even if we make mistakes, we have to stay in plays. Like a lot of teams in the league, we don’t have one guy who can bail us out of situations. We have to be flying around all the time. We had a long stretch there from the mid-third quarter to the end of the game where we were playing really hard.”
Even when mistakes were made throughout the game, it felt like the Magic still had that fight. On 13 offensive rebounds, the Celtics managed just 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting. On 15 turnovers, Orlando only gave up 16 points.
There was no quit in this team. There was always the next-effort play to make up for mistakes — from the spectacular in Gordon’s block to the mundane like challenging the putback and going after the next rebound.
The Magic fell behind in those moments when they did not do these things, as they have all month long.
On the offensive end, the Magic had 19 second hcance points on 12 offensive rebounds and scored 16 points off 11 Celtics turnovers. They were converting on their own hustle and earning the win despite their own troubles on each end.
“We just knew that is the way we had to do it to win games,” Nikola Vucevic said. “They’re a really good team, they play really well. They beat us really bad at home two days ago. We wanted to respond and play with more aggressiveness and make extra effort. Tonight we really competed, which was good to see after a really tough stretch.”
It is not a hard formula, no matter how hard it is to quantify. Hustle wins games. It is about want and desperation some times. It helps make up for mistakes in execution.
The Magic are far from out of the woods when it comes to this losing stretch. The schedule stiffens up to start February and the team still struggled defensively most of the night. It will not be able to outscore opponents on most nights.
With the kind of effort the team put in though Sunday, the Magic gave themselves a chance. That is all they can ask for.
That was all that was asked for at those crucial moments — seen as a reminder on the white board again as the media entered the locker room.
Hustle matters.
Next: Orlando Magic hang on despite Boston Celtics' shooting barrage
“Energy, hustle, it’s on the board there,” Mario Hezonja said. “We’re a young team. We’ve got to outplay our enemies with our energy. That was the key.”