Orlando Magic can beat anybody if they choose to have their breakthrough
The Orlando Magic showed they are capable of competing with the best in the league. But their own mistakes cost them and put them in a hole.
Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford was animated in his postgame press conference after his teamโs 96-87 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
His team had tied the game in the fourth quarter before making critical mistakes on the glass and in their defensive rotations that cost them the game. The Lakers stretched the lead back out thanks to key shots after the Magic broke at least some of their defensive rules.
That does not even mention the teamโs nine-point first quarter and the seven offensive rebounds the Magic gave up in the first 12 minutes. Orlando trailed by 24 points nearly a quarter-and-a-half into the game.
Clifford pulled no punches in assessing his team. There was again no moral victory against the best team in the Western Conference. The team had its chances to win and gave it up in the first quarter by digging themselves a hole and then in the fourth quarter by failing to execute.
They all lead back to the same problem: The Magic are not sticking to what they need to and knows can work. When they do snap to attention and play the way they are designed to play, they have proven they can compete with anyone (at least for the regular season).
This might be the central struggle for the team this season as they aim to match their playoff appearance from last year.
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Cliffordโs passion and frustration about his teamโs effort show how much he believes in this team and how much he believes this team can accomplish.
For the last two games, the Magic broke even and had a chance against the two best teams in the league. Orlando can be pesky and determined. The Magicโs defense is difficult to break when it is focused on the gameplan.
It is that last sentence that has been a problem for the team. This team is good enough to compete with anybody. But they cannot expect to do so without a focused effort on their end.
The Magic got off to horrendously poor starts, especially offensively, in both those games. And that dug a hole that ultimately proved too deep to climb out of.
For a team trying to make the playoffs and compete against these teams โ which they will have to if they do make that field โ this is a problem.
The Magic have been able to get away with their inconsistent efforts โ it always seems like they have one quarter where the ball does not go through the basket โ against poor teams. Orlando, to its credit, has feasted on teams with records below .500, going 10-3 in those games.
But, of course, that means the team is now 1-10 against teams with records better than .500.ย And it is the same issues over and over again.
The issues that plagued the team against the Lakers specifically.
The Magicโs offense started off slow, unable to generate quality shots or shot opportunities. That poor offense fed the opponentโs fast break. And without the ball going into the basket it puts the defense in a major bind.
But the struggles the last two games were more than just missed shots. It was a general lack of energy and attention to detail that cost them.
All the offensive rebounds the Magic gave up early against the Lakers killed any defensive effort they gave. Orlando still gives up too much dribble penetration where their backline does a superb job helping, but no one crashes the weakside to secure the board.
To be sure, missing Nikola Vucevic on this front hurts most. He is by far the teamโs best rebounder. His return will benefit everybody when he makes his way back. Nikola Vucevic fills in a lot of the gaps on the glass, defensive and offensively this team has missed these last 10 games โ even as the Magic have found their footing elsewhere.
His imminent return is a welcome sign to balancing and steadying this Magic team to make a push and keep building some wins โ even these important wins against other competitive teams.
But ultimately these are all things the Magic can control. As Clifford noted, the effort is there. The question for the Magic is not about effort. It is about attention to detail. It is all things the Magic can control.
Rebounding is something the team can control. Ball movement and passing on the attack is something they can control. Getting back on defense and picking their moments to attack the offensive glass are things they can control.
And when they can control things, they can beat any team.
The Magic outscored the Lakers 78-70 through the final three quarters โ holding a +8.4 net rating (109.9 offensive rating/101.4 defensive rating). That is still impressive potential against one of the best teams in the league, even for 36 minutes.
But it is just 36 minutes. And it was those first 12 minutes and the lack of attention to detail in the fourth quarter that doomed the team ultimately. That last little bit that was missing.
Players are still searching for that last bit. They know they need it.
Jonathan Isaac took personal responsibility for the teamโs difficult defensive start. Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon both spoke about the need to start off better too. Everyone can identify the problems.
But, again, all this is within their control. These players are good enough to do something about it and make good on these promises to be better. And so far, they have fallen short.
When they do snap to attention and play with urgency, they were good enough to stand toe-to-toe with the Lakers. Perhaps they did ease off the throttle after taking a big lead, but the Magic still rallied to give themselves a chance to win.
There was still that chance. In the end, another chance the Magic let slip through their fingers.
It is obvious even before the team stepped on the floor that this team will not have many easy games. They are good enough to beat anybody but not good enough to play poorly and do so. Every game, like last year, will take attention to detail.
The margin for error against poorer teams might be wider. This team has more poise and confidence thanks to last yearโs playoff appearance. But the bigger picture remains the same.
Orlando can indeed beat anybody. They just have to choose to play with the precision and execution it takes to do so.
Their coach knows this and that is why he continues to demand better from his team as they still aim to reach their potential.