Orlando Magic aim to get back to looking like themselves in preseason finale

The Orlando Magic have not looked like the team they know they can be. In their preseason finale, they hope to look more prepared for the regular season.

There have been two Orlando Magic teams in the preseason.

The first was a seemingly unified group that tore its way through opponents. They swarmed on defense and turned those opportunities into transition buckets. Their offense had movement and the ball zipped around the perimeter.

The second has seemingly struggled to find its footing. Without Nikola Vucevic in the lineup, and nursing various injuries, the team faltered offensively. They never quite found their rhythm. Their weaknesses defensively got exposed as they struggled to reign in fast breaks and turnovers.

As good as the Magic looked in the first three preseason games, they have looked more than off in the last two. And coach Steve Clifford would probably comment that things were not so perfect in the first three games either, especially offensively.

With just one more preseason game left before things start to count, the Magic are aiming to build some momentum for themselves and get back on track. The directive from the coach is to look more like the team they know they are and can be this season.

"“I want us to look more like the Magic,” Clifford said at the team’s shootaround Thursday. “I want us to look like a spirit, purposeful, energetic team. Which we haven’t here for the last two games and a lot of the game in Atlanta.”"

That element has been missing for the majority of the last two games – a 100-75 defeat to the Boston Celtics and a 126-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The margins of those defeats are less important than how those losses came about.

Orlando Magic

In both games, the Celtics and 76ers raced out to big leads and seemed to bury the Magic from the tip. In both games, the Magic struggled with turnovers – 21 turnovers against the Boston Celtics and 18 against the Philadelphia 76ers (plus 18 in the team’s previous win over the Atlanta Hawks).

These are not characteristics of a Magic team. They prided themselves on protecting the ball and securing the glass – something else the Magic have struggled with throughout the preseason.

With Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross expected to return to the lineup Thursday for full minutes and Evan Fournier likely to play at least limited minutes, the Magic want to put more of their pieces together with just six days before their regular season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"“We’ve had our ups and downs,” Terrence Ross said after the team’s shootaround Thursday. “But we’re in a good place. I think we’re still figuring some things out and getting some things tight. But this will be a good team to end the preseason with.”"

The Miami Heat will indeed prove to be a difficult test to close the preseason. Both teams seem likely to play their players and give the game a bit of a dress rehearsal feel.

The Heat have a reputation around the league as a tough-nosed defensive team that does not give up much easy. They are a disciplined group who will not make a ton of mistakes. Miami has gone undefeated in the preseason so far with some impressive shooting performances from rookie Tyler Herro.

The focus for the Magic remains on themselves. They know they have to do what they must to get themselves ready for the regular season.

Nobody has overreacted to anything in the preseason so far. The team has looked strong in points and looked rough in others. Some of that is credited to the injuries and some to the rotations and lineups Clifford has used. Orlando is not playing these games as a regular season game.

The team knows it still has work to do no matter what progress it has made.

"“I think we’re at a pretty good point,” Markelle Fultz said after shootaround Thursday. “I think we learned a lot. I think we have seen the potential of how good we can be. We know what we need to work on. I think it’s all about getting ready for the regular season after the game tonight and working as hard as we can.”"

The team’s defense has certainly stood out. And that has fed a new fast-breaking offense that has given the Magic’s offense a new dimension.

But the team still has to execute more effectively. Consistency has been the struggle throughout the preseason. But that part is normal.

A lot of the problems the team has had can easily be brushed aside. At least until they cannot if they linger into the regular season.

Everyone recognizes just how good this team can be if they put in the work.

"“I think we can be as good as we want to be,” Markelle Fultz said. “The work that we’re going to put in, what we’re going to learn from our mistakes, the way we’re going to execute the game plan is all on us. I think we have a chance to be really good and as good as we want to be.”"

That might be part of the point of making the final preseason game look better. As a last chance to get out and play before the games count, the Magic need to start looking like they are rounding into form after two setbacks.