Orlando Magic get reminder to play to their standard

The Orlando Magic got back on track with a nervy win over the Dallas Mavericks. But that is not the point. The point is they didn’t play to their standard.

Whenever Steve Clifford takes to the podium to say something before any reporter can ask a question, it is usually to make a pointed statement about and to his team.

These are reminders to a team of what is to come and how they need to play if they are to play past the regular season.

The result of an individual game is not as important as the way the team plays that individual game and what that means moving forward.

For Clifford throughout this season, the team was always going to make a Playoff push. And from day one, he would hold the team to that standard. No matter how long it took for the Orlando Magic to buy in and play at that increased level to make even the outside look of a Playoff push.

Now that the team is in the midst of that Playoff push — when the result is all that is supposed to matter to keep pace — he is keeping that standard and demanding the Magic do more than simply win.

Now is when Clifford wants to make sure that message sinks in even further. There is no room to slip and no room for error.

Getting away with one is simply not going to get the job done. It all counts the same — learning lessons while winning is the goal — but that process is not something the team can count on.

Yes, the Orlando Magic defeated the Dallas Mavericks 111-106. For most of the game, the team led by double digits and it felt like a comfortable win.

Comfortable breeds sloppiness. And for a team that has struggled to bring the right approach consistency, a win is progress. But hardly where they want to be. It will not help them where they eventually want to go and for the games ahead. Not if they play like this.

There is always a bigger goal to play for. There has always been a bigger goal to play for.

Clifford said after the game almost any time the Magic would have played the Mavericks, the Mavericks’ offense would have been good enough to hand the Magic another loss. Orlando simply survived because Dallas missed a lot of open looks. The defense was not nearly up to par and the Magic had abnormally strong shooting.

There might have been some melodrama to the analysis, but it was not completely off base.

The Magic started the game with the intensity they needed, holding the Mavericks to 19 first-quarter points. Orlando staked a double-digit lead early and never really let go.

Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon both had highlight reel-worthy blocks that sparked fast breaks. The Magic’s offense was on fire, but also opportunistic to get out in transition. Orlando was surprisingly lethal and efficient. Through three quarters, Dallas sported a 98.6 offensive rating. Orlando’s defense had some long stretches of effectiveness.

But there were plenty of cracks throughout.

The Mavericks got open shots and into the lane for much of the night, scoring 56 points in the paint and 20 fast-break points. Orlando was sloppy offensively, turning the ball over 16 times for 20 Dallas points.

Truly, if it were not for the Magic’s strong shooting — 52.2 percent through three quarters including 13 of 24 from beyond the arc — they would have been in a much tighter game. And at that point who knows what would have happened.

The Magic had their issues handling pressure even in this game. The Mavericks just were not potent enough on this day to make it all the way back.

The Magic were good . . . enough.

They staked their lead and responded to any serious threat to it. When the Mavericks came out of the halftime locker room to cut the lead in half, a quick timeout snapped the Magic back to attention enough to extend the lead back out.

But Aaron Gordon was right after the game in saying it is when the team is up big that it has to make that final push to extend the lead. Maintaining it is not enough.

This has been a problem for the team throughout the season of course. The Magic still struggle to put teams away. And eventually (if it has not already) will hurt the team.

Orlando Magic

Good enough to win is clearly not enough. It has never been enough. Especially in games like this. Clifford always expected more from his team and his players. He has always seen this team capable of more than anyone could believe.

When they finally started believing him they turned the corner. They started playing better.

But now it seems the team has found some comfort. The team’s urgency has decreased and the team is not playing with the same intensity that helped them stake a spot for Playoff consideration.

Clifford senses that and is still trying to pull his team back to where they need to be. He has always had that vision for what the team can accomplish. And with it so close, he is not letting them rest in their success (albeit limited success).

The task is not done. Not anywhere close. And slipping or resting on success without doing it the right way is not going to get the Magic where they want to be.

And Clifford has to hold his line now more than ever. The team has seen its intensity and focus slip in the last few weeks. The Magic know that cannot happen.

So winning is the most important things this time of year. Results are ultimately how the Magic are judged and ultimately what will determine whether they achieve their goal.

But there is also a standard to play to. The Magic know the process is greater than the results and will yield the results they ultimately want.

And that is the part the Magic are still trying to reach consistently. That is still the struggle for this young team.

Once again, the Magic got that reminder from their coach that the standard matters far more. And this team is falling short.