Facing the Boston Celtics, you fear the 3-point shot.
That is "Joe Mazulla ball," for better or worse. Even if that is a bit of a misnomer and a bit of a stereotype from the unwatching eye.
The Celtics this season are not shooting threes at nearly the rate they did for the last two years. Boston is trying to turn a new leaf with this personnel, attacking the paint and playing a higher-pressure style.
Through three quarters, it was the Magic seemingly firing from three to excess and winning the game from beyond the arc.
It helped them erase a 15-point deficit in the second half and get within three points to end the third quarter. For all the frustrations the Magic imposed on themselves throughout the game, they still had their shot.
With Jayson Tatum out of the game to start the fourth quarter, Boston finally lived up to its reputation.
The three-point shot won them the game and held the Magic off in a 107-98 victory at the Kia Center.
Threes from Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luka Garza finally broke the seal as the Celtics went 4-for-9 from three in a game where they otherwise shot 27.3 percent from deep. A possession-saving fade-away three from Paul George to give the Celtics a seven-point lead sealed the game.
Orlando had run out of gas offensively. Jayson Tatum put the finishing touches with a 32-point, 17-free-throw-attempt night with two big mid-range jumpers to keep the Magic at arm's length.
Orlando, as game as the team was, could not fight back one more time. It did not have the shots to finish after cooling off considerably from a hot-shooting first quarter.
Close, but no cigar.
Tristan da Silva and Anthony Black both led the Magic with 23 points. Da Silva finished 5-for-8 from three. Black became the Magic's main attacker with 10-for-11 shooting from the foul line.
But the Magic continue to struggle to put all the pieces together in yet another defeat.
Franz is still the key
It is unfair to put so much pressure on star players. But they have the ball in their hands. It is their show. They always need to have their fingerprints on the game. And they always need to finish.
The frustrating thing about the Orlando Magic's start is not that Franz Wagner is not putting his imprint on the game. He had a career-high 12 assists and continues to pour in a career-high in that category. The Magic are using him well as a passer and creator in an offense more willing to shoot from three.
But the diference in the Magic's two wins were Wagner's scoring. The difference when the Magic won with Wagner as the main player the last two years was his scoring. And that is the part that is missing.
Wagner made only 5 of 20 shots for 14 points. The Celtics showed him bodies in every lane and sat on his spin move. He could not really find much space to breathe.
He rightly identified that this was a game to pass the ball better. But the Magic still needed him to take over.
In the fourth quarter, Wagner could not get there. He went 2-for-8 in the fourth quarter as he tried to get the Magic to the finish line as he did in New York last week.
It is certainly not for lack of trying.
But comparing Franz Wagner to Jayson Tatum, who also struggled to 8-for-19 shooting and 15-for-17 from teh foul line with seven assists and four turnovers, Tatum made the big shots to close the game.
That is the burden of the star. The Magic are getting a lot from Wagner. And they need more.
This is who Tristan is now
The Orlando Magic likely would have been dead in the water in the third quarter, turning it over another five times in the period and falling behind by as much as 15 points. The Magic looked completely flummoxed and got beat to every hustle play.
They found a spark. And that spark appears to be a permanent addition to the team.
Tristan da Silva is now a bona fide volume bench shooter. And someone who can shot the Magic back into games with his quick release. He does not need much space to be considered open.
Da Silva scored nine of his team-high 23 points and made three 3-pointers in the third quarter -- finishing 5-for-9 from three -- to help the Magic get back into the game and trail by three entering the fourth quarter.
Da Silva entered the game shooting 47.1 percent on 6.8 3-point attempts per game. He is not the highest volume shooter, that still goes to Desmond Bane. But da Silva has been a welcome booster rocket to this team.
The Magic are embracing a 3-point identity becuase da Silva has biven them anotehr major option from the outside.
The possession battle
The pace in the NBA is so fast now and defense at such a disadvantage, much of the NBA can be reduced down to: "Who got the most shots?"
You cannot score if you do not get the opportunity, right? And getting more chances equals more points. the logic is almost unassailable.
It is obviously a little more complicated than that. But much of the Magic's struggles to start the season can be reduced to the possession battle. The Magic are giving away possessions through turnovers and offensive rebounds.
They have settled near the bottom of the league in the early season in both turnover rate and defensive rebound rate. They give away a lot of these extra possessions.
That is how the Boston Celtics took the lead into the second quarter and maintained it for much of the first half. Orlando had eight of its 18 turnovers in the first quarter. The Celtics scored 21 points off those miscues.
Boston added 14 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points, including eight for 13 points in the first half.
So it did not matter that the Magic shot well from deep or eventually found their defense in the second half. That kept the Magic in the game.
There are hints the Magic could still be a very good team.
But they have to win the possession battle. It gives them more of a margin for error and does not put so much pressure on their offense to produce at such an insane efficiency.
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