The Orlando Magic are fighting and reaching a new level for their team. But it is clear they need more as the season begins to wind down.
It is the little plays that tell you just how different this Orlando Magic team is from the losing streaks of November and December.
In the first quarter on a free throw, players lazily went through the motions of trying to get the rebound. This is a fairly typical scene. It is rare to see an offensive rebound off a free throw at such an unimportant time. Even Bismack Biyombo turned and left the lane as the ball went up, conceding the possession should the Magic player miss.
Mario Hezonja did not. The Charlotte Hornets were too going through the motions and Mario Hezonja took advantage. He darted in to try to get the rebound, gaining position and grabbing it as he fell out of bounds. But Hezonja knocked it off the Hornets player and saved the possession.
It was a laudable play. The little play that created a new possession for the Magic. And, in what turned out to be a two-point game, that possession could have mattered.
That kind of attitude was present throughout the game. Orlando was constantly digging and trying to fight for possessions. The team was constantly scrambling to cover for each other and make the right play.
It was far from perfect. But it gave the Magic a chance to win at the end of the game.
It gave them a precious one-point lead with 1:20 to play. A lead the team got itself because Mario Hezonja was able to dig out a rebound off a missed Bismack Biyombo free throw. The lead came because Bismack Biyombo himself rebounded a missed Jonathon Simmons 3-pointer and scored on a putback.
The Magic are building the way they want to build. They are developing the ethos they want to play with.
There is only one thing left to do now… the most elusive thing and the thing that has come to define their season.
Kemba Walker calmly buried a 3-pointer to give the Hornets the lead back. The Magic could not answer. And Nicolas Batum added another 3-pointer to make it a five-point deficit and deliver the Hornets a 104-102 victory.
Orlando Magic
The Magic had the fight, like they have had when they have played their best throughout the season. But they did not have enough to get across the finish line, as they have for much of the season.
"“This one is on us,” Hezonja said after his 21-point performance. “We have to close the game. We missed a couple of looks. This one is on me and on us. We had it. We just had to close it.”"
It feels like sometimes the Magic could say that about a lot of their losses. That they could blame themselves for a moment of poor execution or a moment where they lost focus and let go of the rope, as it were.
The loss Wednesday was partially on the Magic. They missed some open shots and opportunities. They had a moment of bad execution when Evan Fournier took an ill-advised shot. But anyone could easily blame one of the five missed 3-pointers Hezonja took, including some off the dribble with a hand in his face.
Ultimately, Orlando lost Wednesday’s game the way teams are supposed to lose games and close games — on execution and shot making. The Magic had the execution, but not the shot making. Walker got free for a moment and beat the Magic with a three. Batum put the sweetener on top.
Orlando is not as concerned, maybe, in wins and losses. The team is still trying to win. But they also have the sense they are not playing with a full deck, as it were. The Magic are a team with a razor-thin margin for error. Their focus is on building habits.
When coach Frank Vogel was asked to summarize his team at the All-Star Break, that feeling was evident.
"“I think we have done an admirable job of dealing with adversity, building a culture of how this team wants to play with effort and enthusiasm and selfless offense,” Vogel said. “I think we’re continuing to put things in place in terms of our on-the-court culture in terms of what we want out team to look like in regards to those things. The win column doesn’t show up because of the injuries we have. How the guys who have played during this stretch has been admirable.”"
Blaming the injuries is definitely a bit of a cop-out for this team. Injuries have played a major factor in the season’s results.
But it is hard to put all the blame there. Vogel has to paint a positive picture. It is both in his nature and maybe part of him portraying a positive message to fans.
He is right in some ways, of course. The last month has seen the Magic enter a bit of a rebirth. The team is playing a lot better and more in the style Vogel always wanted.
They are fighting for loose balls and playing with the pass. Their overall play has been more than respectable. They are playing and competing in games with some elite teams — defeating the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers in this recent run.
The Magic have proven themselves capable. But unable to take that last step.
"“In order to win in the NBA, you’ve got to be able to close games,” D.J. Augustin said. “We just haven’t been able to do that all season. It’s something we need to get down eventually. We have to learn how to do that in order to win period.”"
The lesson at the All-Star Break is the Magic are learning and improving. They have found their footing after a rocky middle of the season. The team got dealt adversity and struggled through it. Now they are building their way back up and building their foundation.
That does not change the reality. The Magic are struggling to win. They are struggling to do anything consistently. A three-game win streak was something to celebrate. But no one is expecting this team — even when Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic and Jonathan Isaac return — to suddenly go on a winning spree.
Those players will help Orlando improve, no doubt. Maybe the Magic do not end with the worst record in this massive race to the bottom. But the team is not going to be too far away.
The post-All-Star-Break games are not going to have much meaning beyond the nebulous search for identity and culture.
"“Coach always preaches we always give it our all,” Marreese Speights said. “Every opportunity you get, you have to go out and compete. Hopefully, after the break, we can get some of these wins together and win some of these close games.”"
The players know they have to continue to fight. That has become expected. Wins remain the elusive next step.
Next: Grades: Charlotte Hornets 104, Orlando Magic 102
And beyond that… it is clear the team needs more than what it has now.