Orlando Magic veterans deliver poise team needs to finish

The Orlando Magic’s veterans delivered a ton of poise as the team’s lead dwindled. That will help the team learn how to finish games.

The week for the Orlando Magic was an instructive one for the team and its growth. One full of fits and starts but generally positive direction for the team. And most importantly, three wins in four games.

After suffering a devastating, lethargic defeat to the LA Clippers a week ago, the Orlando Magic responded with a strong and inspiring performance on the road against the San Antonio Spurs. The next night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic seemed engaged and inspired again, taking two big leads and then pulling out a win late despite facing impossible odds.

Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons, the Orlando Magic again had their moments but could not pull together enough plays in the end. That drew a stronger public rebuke from their coach trying to raise the team’s expectations.

And then there was Friday’s game. A team that seemed on its way to a romp over the struggling Washington Wizards was playing and responding well. They saw their lead drop down again and they would have to scrap and fight for a win.

That is exactly what they did. The vibe may have been that the team should have won more comfortably, but a win is a win. And this win came thanks to the poise from their veterans. A group that is easy to look past with everyone’s desire to head toward the future and see the young guys play.

The Magic are not at that point where they will eschew veteran presence and sacrifice wins for the sake of development. The Magic’s key young players are getting plenty of time at the moment. And the team is hoping never to abandon their desire to pick up wins and compete for the bigger picture in the NBA.

Undoubtedly the team would not have survived and gotten this win without the play of its veterans. A group that has had limited winning experience, but far more than anyone else on the roster.

It was D.J. Augustin stepping into a big 3-pointer after John Wall cut the Wizards’ deficit to a single point. It gave the Magic some breathing room. And it clearly energized the team.

He followed that up with a perfect pass through traffic to Terrence Ross streaking toward the rim for an alley-oop lay in. That all but put the game away. The two plays perfectly encapsulated what those two veteran players can provide the Magic.

A steady hand and a calming influence when things seem to be going sideways.

It is fair to criticize them some. D.J. Augustin has had his ups and downs so far this year — his 10.4 points, per game, 4.8 assists per game and 52.7 percent effective field goal percentage are all acceptable stat lines. But he has his struggles making a true impact.

To be clear, the Magic still need their young players playing at a high level to have a chance to win. The Magic got that with Aaron Gordon playing a masterful all-around game and Nikola Vucevic providing steady production. Evan Fournier hit several big shots in the fourth quarter.

But really, it was the team’s defense and the energy they picked up throughout. The veterans provided some offensive stability. That clearly picked up the team’s energy to play better and get the stops they were struggling with throughout that fourth quarter.

Whether anyone within the Magic organization wants to admit it, this is still a team that gets tight when they face these pressure situations. That is part of what happened this week when the Magic lost double-digit leads in all four games before playing tight games — or in the Pistons’ case, losing. It is a weakness the team has to overcome and they can only overcome it through confidence and experience.

Orlando still has a lot to learn about winning close games. Finding some sort of stability and calming presence then is important. And that is what the Magic found in Augustin and Ross down the stretch.

Those plays helped the team pick up the pace and regain its energy when it seemed like momentum was going against them. That is really what the Magic need in most instances. They just need some play to pick up their energy once again and snap them back to focus.

Surely, the Magic have to learn how to keep their attention on both ends up even when shots are not falling. That has been a difficult task for Steve Clifford and the team to this point. One of the many inconsistencies.

Orlando Magic

This week showed just how good this team could be. They played some very inspired ball and had opportunities to burn off a four-game win streak. Some poor bench play kept them from doing that.

But it also showed how fragile it could be. Orlando lost double-digit leads in all four games. They could have just as easily lost all four if not for a miracle comeback against the Cavaliers.

The good news, for now, is the Magic have shown enough poise and desperation to do enough to win. That is all the record books will care about.

Terrence Ross was vital to the win over the Cavaliers helping trap Kyle Korver and get a steal that would tie the game late. Augustin was critical to finishing off the Wizards. The other younger players made their plays too — from Nikola Vucevic’s timely blocks against the Spurs and Wizards to Evan Fournier bursting through cold stretches to finish off the Cavaliers and Wizards.

There is something developing here. It will still take the poise to finish games and execute to make the wins more comfortable. But the team is slowly learning.