Franz Wagner did not think the Detroit Pistons did very much differently to open the third quarter in Game 2.
The Pistons certainly pride themselves on their physicality on defense. They set the tone early in Game 2 with seven blocks in the first quarter as the Magic tried to establish their presence in the paint.
Despite all of that, Detroit could not get separation from Orlando. The Magic stayed in the game despite their shooting struggles.
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff challenged his team at halftime to play to their standard and be more intense. They brought it out in that decisive 30-3 run that broke the game open and sent the Magic back home with a 1-1 series tie. The Magic felt it.
The challenge now is how Orlando adjusts knowing this pressure is coming, and how they respond to it. Or better yet, how do they exceed it in Game 3?
"I don't think it was schematic, I think it was just more great energy and more effort than what we brought to the game," Franz Wagner said after practice Friday. "They were really physical on defense, and that got us out of rhythm a little bit."
The Magic exited the game feeling that they only lost because of those eight horrible minutes. They stood toe-to-toe with the Pistons and did a lot of things well on defense.
That will be the question and tension ahead of Game 3. Like the response the Magic were preparing for in Game 2, the Magic need to be ready to face this pressure again in Game 3.
Dealing with the pressure
Orlando Magic players almost universally said the Detroit Pistons simply sped them up and got them into mistakes and into bad spots during that third-quarter run.
The Magic could not get a shot to go in to relieve the pressure. The team started pressing to try to crack the defense. And mistakes compounded from there.
In the third quarter, Orlando made only five of 17 shots (29.4 percent) and turned it over seven times for nine points. The Pistons made shots in response with eight fast-break points and 16 points in the paint on 8-for-10 shooting.
Detroit created its best offensive spurt of the series by getting stops and converting that into quick offense before Orlando could set its defense. Orlando did not adjust to the pressure Detroit was bringing and how quickly the team changed its aggression.
"I think a lot of it was their ball pressure turned up," coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Friday. "They got into some switching, taking away the paint and leaving strong side shooters. Our ability to adjust to that will be very necessary going into this game."
How do you adjust to that? Mosley said it comes down to using the pressure against them.
The team needs to make the simple plays and reads, and trust where everyone should be. Several players said the team got disorganized in the third quarter, allowing the Pistons to pounce on potential mistakes and uncertainty.
Against pressure defenses, a team has to stay calm. The pressure is meant to get them in a panic and hurried into mistakes.
"You want to play with pace and combat some of that aggression with playing with pace in the halfcourt," Mosley said after practice Friday. "But it is also understanding where your reads are. That's why we talk about the spacing on the floor being so important, and where guys are going to be, and how we can make certain passes. You can play a little bit faster with the pace, but not being out of control."
Pace has been the theme throughout the season. And the Magic need to play fast but under control. When there is indecision, that is when the pressure can get to them.
It will take a team effort to break the Pistons' pressure.
Exceed the intensity
The game is not just about the Detroit Pistons' pressure, though. It will also be about how the Orlando Magic answer that bell.
The Magic were as disappointed in their defense during that third-quarter run as they were with their offense, even though they held the Pistons to fewer than 100 points and worse than a point per possession in the game. Through three quarters, even with that 38-point quarter, the Magic had given up only 84 points and 113.5 points per 100 possessions (not a great number, but not disastrous either).
The Magic's defense has shown up in two games this series.
But Orlando knows it does not need to match Detroit's physicality, the team needs to beat it to win Game 3.
"You've got to exceed what they are doing," Jamahl Mosley said after practice Friday. "You can't just match it. You have to exceed how they come out, the physicality, the toughness, the togetherness. You've got to exceed it, especially being at home."
This series was always going to be about physicality. Everybody knew that would be the key to the series. The team that hit hardest and stood taller was going to win.
That is what the Pistons did in holding the Magic to 17-for-40 shooting in the paint during Game 2.
Orlando stayed in the game with 11 offensive rebounds and still forced 23 turnovers for 19 points. The Magic felt they left points on the board because the Pistons were able to recover and get stops, even with the Magic matching that physicality.
That is what dropped off in that critical third quarter.
Wendell Carter said he felt the team did well defensively outside of that third quarter. The Magic have an overall defensive rating of 101.0 points per 100 possessions. That will be more than enough to win most games. That defense has been consistent in both games.
And that is why the Magic are still confident they are in the fight still.
"Be more physical than them, like we've been doing," Carter said after practice Friday. "We kind of lost it in the third, which is unacceptable, especially in a playoff game. We've given ourselves a chance, tied 1-1 with two home games to make a statement here. I think guys understood what the problem was in that third quarter that derailed us. To come back, you've got to be the more physical team."
Physicality will be the focus again. The Magic are not merely looking to match what the Pistons did in the third quarter. They want to exceed it to retake the series lead.
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