The Orlando Magic want to win. That much should be made clear.
The team has a long way to go to get there at a consistent level. That should also be abundantly clear.
Orlando is still learning the finer points of playing at a consistent level in the course of a NBA season let alone a game. The team is still trying to get all their pieces together and keep them together.
Coach Jamahl Mosley is certainly attacking these bigger points head-on. But his goal for the season — and really the stated goal from management even — is a bit harder to define.
They are focused on the individual development and group development of their team. That will be shown in their wins. But it will also come through in their approach every day and every moment.
At this foundational stage, Mosley is not only focused on doing what he can to help the team win, but building the right mindset moment by moment to win.
A game in Milwaukee that turned into a 29-point deficit is not the end even if the result is somehow out of reach. There is still time to cement further the way the team wants to attack and play for the long-term. There is still the chance to set a culture and an identity.
The Orlando Magic are still working to set their identity. Part of that is focusing on each moment rather than the end result and ensuring the team fights even if the deficit is too large to overcome.
Orlando cannot let any moment slip away, even if there were failures or letdowns earlier. Each moment carries a certain importance. The team needs its chance to reset.
They did that in closing the gap in the fourth quarter of a 117-108 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Saturday.
Each moment, the Magic have to be willing to fight and keep playing, gaining whatever experience they can and learning no game is ever over until the final buzzer sounds.
"“Basketball is a game of runs,” R.J. Hampton said after scoring 19 points and dishing out nine assists in Saturday’s loss. “There’s going to be times we’re going to be down by 20 and times we’re going to be up by 20. It doesn’t mean we stop playing. Tonight we showed the will and toughness that we have no matter what team it is to go out and compete no matter what the score is.”"
The Bucks were a powerhouse for an undermanned and tired Magic team. They hit from deep and used their star power in Giannis Antetokounmpo to get to the foul line and get to the rim.
They put a 13-0 run on the Magic to build a double-digit deficit in the first half that set the initial margin. They then used a 13-0 run to kick off the second half to build a 20-point-plus lead.
Orlando stayed in the game and had the deficit to 12 at halftime thanks to some timely 3-point shooting. But this one was well decided early. The Magic could not sustain anything.
Like so many of the team’s fourth quarters this season, the final 12 minutes seemed academic. The Bucks sat their starters and the Magic did so too.
But Orlando caught a spark. Hampton ran the team well and made pinpoint passes and hit shots from the outside. Anchored by Robin Lopez in the paint, the team suddenly became difficult to score on.
Orlando went on a 28-9 run to cut the deficit to five with 17.4 seconds to play. Orlando stuck with its deep reserve unit, feeding off the sudden energy coming especially from R.J. Hampton, Robin Lopez and Mychal Mulder.
Things got so tight, Mike Budenholzer had to go back to his starters to hold the Magic off. That nearly was not enough as Orlando kept pushing for the lead. Antetokounmpo made enough timely plays and time ran out on this chance at a comeback.
The lesson remained clear. The same lesson the Magic have tried to implement through any of their blowout losses: Keep the fight up and keep grinding, hoping for the opportunity to come back and win.
Orlando has to continue to keep a level head and get through the ups and downs of the game.
"“We’re all aware we have a lot of work to be done,” Lopez said after Saturday’s loss. “I like the energy that we have. We’re all together on the court. I think we have a wonderful symbiotic relationship with the coaching staff. We’re getting better about not hanging our heads when stuff goes wrong. I think you’ve seen that the past few games even though that has not necessarily led to wins, which is the next step.”"
This, of course, feels a bit hollow.
They do keep score after all. And ultimately wins are going to matter at some point. Nobody wants to lose. And certainly, nobody wants to be trailing by 30 points. That is some line of demarcation that says something about the losing team.
The Magic have a lot of work to do.
Their inconsistent on offense, especially with Cole Anthony out of the game (he sat out with a sprained ankle), made it impossible to slow down the Bucks playing with such high-level stars even as that team comes together and recovers from injury absences.
Of late too, the Magic have had a bout of fouling that have put their opponents on the line more often.
Orlando has been in this situation far too often where they are searching for some positive takeaway out of a blowout loss. They did so in losses to the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards when they made the final margin look far more respectable than the game actually was.
No one should view any of this as a victory. But playing hard to the buzzer and still trying to compete no matter the score is an important guidepost for the team.
"“Our guys are going to continue to understand the effort and energy it takes to play against the champions,” Mosley said after Saturday’s loss. “Their intensity and their level of play, we have to match that. Our guys did a really good job on the back end down the stretch, continuing to play hard and put the pressure on. It comes down to defending without fouling, showing hands and showing crowds early.”"
Orlando still needs to solve its problem of staying in and winning games. Something the team did a lot better job of in back-to-back road games against the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets this week.
These are important building blocks for the team to get to. And it feels like Mosley has them knocking on the door.
Saturday was a setback on that road. But they can find some positive in how the team fought to the end, even with deep bench players in.
Knowing they can fight and play hard no matter the score will create opportunities for them to come back. Just as they nearly did Saturday night.
This will help create the kind of hard-working culture the team is trying to build. If Orlando is willing to fight and keep trying at any moment of the game, the team will be able to win once it is executing at a higher level.
That is one of the key lessons the Magic want to build this season. It is perhaps the most consistent thing the team is doing. They just have to direct it toward executing and winning more consistently.