The Orlando Magic have lost to two of the worst teams in the league in less than a week. It is clear their path to victory is still a tight one to walk.
Coach Steve Clifford repeated a tired line he has put out after many of the team’s losses this year. He has had to face the media after the team gave up big leads before (sometimes dismissing the act of giving up a big lead) and delivered the same message.
For the Orlando Magic to win games, they have to do certain things. The team knows these things. They know the formula to win. The issue as always is doing it consistently.
That inconsistency was on full display in Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks. In the first quarter, the team raced ahead to a 16-point lead and seemed poised to cruise to victory. They let the Knicks back in and recovered to build a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter.
But then Orlando struggled to get stops. The team pressed offensively and could never turn the tide back. The ball got stagnant and the team fell into the traps of turnovers and missed shots. The Magic shot 5 for 25 from the floor in the fourth quarter as they became desperate for a make.
That one shot the team needed never came. The tide never got turned back and the Eastern Conference’s worst team dealt a big blow to a Magic team desperate to stay in the Playoff race and get above the red line.
No matter where the Magic are or how well they are playing, their margin for error remains very small.
For this Magic team, it was always a narrow path for victory. The team did not have much room for lapses or mistakes. And the first half of their season was spent trying to discover that path. It took a long time for the team to find its footing.
It was not really until the last month — and really the last few weeks — Orlando started playing consistently the way it has to win. They found a style that fit them and they executed it brilliantly and with devastating effect.
Confidence was surging as they did all the things they needed at their best. Now, it seems inconsistency has returned and the Magic are left questioning how to bring it back. Flashes of brilliance get mixed with moments of frustration. And a moment is enough to leave the Magic struggling.
What the team has to do
Orlando has to rebound effectively, limiting teams to one possession. When the Magic were struggling against the Knicks, it was because they struggled to lock down the glass as they typically do.
Their strong play defensively gave way as the team could not get that final stop.
That was always what was missing in the game against the Knicks and in several games where the Magic lost large leads. They missed that one shot they needed to turn the tide. Orlando got plenty of good looks and none of them would go down for them.
The Magic offense is still very precarious. Despite how much better it is playing, it still relies heavily on ball movement. When it devolves into isolation play or teams find a way to blow it up with switches, the team struggles to generate much of anything. The Magic are still one of the worst teams at getting to the foul line. Points are hard to come by.
These are all things the team knew about long before. The path for the team to win is still a narrow one. The difference between winning and losing is a small one for this team. Very small. And deviations from that norm can lead to terrible results.
Losses like the one Tuesday night. The Magic did not do the things they needed to win. And very quickly things went off the rails.
Still the same challenges
No matter how much Orlando has improved and played well. The reality is the team is still facing the same challenges from earlier in the year.
They lack a go-to scorer and consistent dribble penetrator. As teams lock down defensively, the Magic have to adjust quickly to generate offense.
They are still reliant heavily on their defense. They have made great strides there and have risen into the league’s top 10. But when they let go of that rope and teams are able to score — especially in transition — the team finds itself in the same rut.
Without an easy way to generate points — whether that is dumping the ball into Nikola Vucevic or trying to get to the foul line — the team can easily get stuck and get caught in a cycle where they are scrambling.
Defense is at the center of everything the team does. When that piece is shaky, the whole thing can collapse quickly. And the Magic are still learning how to reel themselves back in.
As many strides as they have made and as well as they have played, all this is still true.
The team still face a precarious situation every night. Some nights might grant them more leeway than others. But even against a team like the Knicks, a little slip up can have harmful effects. The Magic still need their sharpest focus and attention to win any basketball game.
They have said it often, there is no walking into a game and expecting to win. It still takes an energetic and focused effort on both ends. Doing all the things the team has to do to win — rebounding, defending and moving the ball. And it has to be for a 48-minute effort.
That is the part that still eludes the team. Tuesday served as a stark reminder that this path is far from easy. The opportunity is still there. As bad as Tuesday’s loss seems, it is far from fatal.
But the Magic know they walk a narrow path to victory every night and it is easy to slip up.