Orlando Magic doing it differently, but always finding a way to win

In an ugly game Wednesday, the Orlando Magic found a way to win. As the successes begin to build the Magic look more real and find a way every night.

99. 211. 101. 38. Final

The Orlando Magic were caught a bit flat-footed again. Their small lead was undone by some inconsistent shooting and turnovers, setting Marc Gasol up to give the Memphis Grizzlies the lead.

The Magic were coming back down to earth. This team was finally having its fall. That moment when the surprise team sees the carriage become a pumpkin and midnight strike.

The start that is too good to be true slowly bounces the team back to reality — in the middle of the Eastern Conference.

Who knows if Orlando will stay anywhere near the top of the Eastern Conference. But it is getting to a point where things are different. Orlando overcame its mistakes and sloppy play to defeat Memphis on Wednesday.

In the final successful play of the evening, the Magic ran Evan Fournier around a double screen to get him the ball at the top of the key. The defenders both went with Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic to defend the 3-point line. Aaron Gordon, sensing Evan Fournier could not see him near the basket, popped out to the 3-point line wide open. Evan Fournier got him the ball and Aaron Gordon drained a go-ahead 3-pointer in front of the Grizzlies bench.

Even with the comedy of errors that came from Terrence Ross at the end, the Magic found a way.

Terrence Ross slipped and Nikola Vucevic was there chasing Mario Chalmers (maybe fouling him) and stopping the go-ahead layup. The Grizzlies did not make the shots in the end. The Magic had that cushion.

Orlando Magic /

Orlando Magic

And so in a game where Orlando turned the ball over 24 times, gave up an early double-digit lead and then gave up another lead in the fourth quarter on the road, Orlando found a way.

The Magic are 6-2 with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Increasingly, with each win and each success, things become a bit more real.

And everyone has to acknowledge just how real this is becoming.

Earlier in the year as the media were trying to figure out this Magic team and quantify it and pick it apart, they asked coach Frank Vogel to comment on various statistics and whether anything could last. He would not entertain the notion. It was still too early in the season. He was not even looking at anything statistical or analytical at this point. He just needed to see how things played out.

But at about the 10-game mark, he would start analyzing some numbers and get a sense of where his team was at. That is when his team’s identity and numbers would begin to set their normal.

The Magic are eight games into the season and rank second in the league in offensive rating (109.9 points per 100 possessions), ninth in defensive rating (100.2 points allowed per 100 possessions) and second in effective field goal percentage (56.3 percent).

The Magic’s hot shooting is not going away. Neither is the seeming star turns from Fournier and Gordon. Everything seems to be working with little signs of slippage. Things are becoming normal.

But what has been most impressive about this Magic team is how they have bounced back from adversity and found new ways to win.

They dominated and held on for a win against the Miami Heat in the opener as they learned how to win. The Orlando Magic recovered from a crushing defeat by laying it on the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road. They got their revenge against the Brooklyn Nets at home, getting a game-winning shot from Gordon as their defense seemed to slip, fighting from behind at home to secure the win. Another wire-to-wire blowout victory over the San Antonio Spurs highlighted the end of last week.

And then came this week — a three-game road trip that would test the Magic with some quality teams.

The Orlando Magic struggled to make shots in Charlotte against the Charlotte Hornets. They fell behind by 16 points and climbed back to within three. Orlando learned its lesson of playing with urgency.

They came out with that urgency against the New Orleans Pelicans, let the lead slip and then buckled down. Orlando dominated New Orleans in that second half, giving up just 35 points and a 74.3 defensive rating. Orlando gave up just 95.3 points per 100 possessions.

And that led to the win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday.

Memphis was willing to run with Orlando on several occasions. But the Grizzlies forced the Magic to buckle down and defend. Orlando forced itself to do that with the turnovers and mistakes it made on offense.

The Magic were far from sharp on that end — making a ton of 3-pointers early to cover up some flaws. That was the case throughout the night, they strung together enough momentum plays to stay alive before turnovers and missteps took over.

But the Magic still won. And that is all that matters.

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The sign of a good team is to win when they get outplayed or makes their own mistakes. They find ways to win on a nightly basis. This team has shown that element.

And quickly, Orlando has found a different way to win. They are overwhelming teams with their offense on one night. They are buckling down with their defense the next.

Orlando can win wire to wire and, now, can grind games out using its defense to score victories.

Opponents are starting to challenge the Magic. They are starting to adjust and find ways to slow this juggernaut down. Orlando is starting to slow down and some of the cracks in the foundation that worry only the coaches in success are starting to show.

Yet, none of it has mattered in the end. The Magic keep winning.

It is still early. Things can change again quickly. Maybe Orlando will see the other shoe drop. They have not had a poor offensive game to this point in the season.

When they struggled to make shots, they found a way to win. When they could not defend, they found a way to win. In a game where a single player tried to beat them, they found a way to win.

On Wednesday, Orlando got in its own way several times. And the Magic found a way to win.

Next: Grades: Orlando Magic 101, Memphis Grizzlies 99

As that mythical 10-game mark draws closer, it is clearer this team is much more real than everyone thought. Orlando simply finds a way to win.