In the ever-churning content machine that is the NBA, everyone had a take on every team's opening game. Everyone had a reason to overreact to what they saw in the first game.
For the Orlando Magic, the loss caused a lot of fans to hit the alarm button.
It could have been the loss to a key division rival, especially one that swept the season series last year. With how tight the standings are expected to be, each loss to a competitor in the Eastern Conference may have double the value and importance.
It could have been the poor finish. Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit two dagger three-pointers in the final two minutes that the Magic could not fully answer. Orlando missed several opportunities to seize the lead throughout the fourth quarter.
It could have been losing at home with such a road-heavy start. After Friday's game, the Magic will play seven of the next nine on the road to open the season. And those two home games are against the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards -- see: nothing is easy this year.
It could have been the collapse of the defense. Giving up a 44-point second quarter was not in the books. Nor was giving up a 118.9 defensive rating. While the Magic showed signs of their progress, this remained a major step back and a concern as the team moves forward.
This is the part where you get told to relax. It is just one game.
As disappointing and crucial as losses are, they are inevitable in an 82-game season. The question is now about how the team responds and corrects what they struggled with in the opener.
"You don't want to overreact, whether it is great or bad," Nikola Vucevic said after shootaround on Friday. "It's just game one. There are 81 left. You have to understand it is a process and continue to work on it day by day. Face the things that you are not doing well and continue to improve on the things that you are. It's a long process. It's a long season. There are a lot of ups and downs. You have to fight the adversity, you have to fight the good moments, and you have to try to stay at the mid level."
That old NBA adage of never getting too high or too low still rings true.
Orlando is certainly not panciking after the first game. There were things to build on as much as there was to correct. And one game doe snot make a pattern.
The question is how do the Magic respond appropriately to that defeat? How do they build on what worked and correct what did not?
A lot to correct
There was a lot to correct after the Orlando Magic's 132-125 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
The Magic's defense was a mess, fouling too much and giving up 60 points in the paint. This team cannot succeed without a strong and reliable defense.
There was a feeling that the Magic were not as dialed in as they needed to be. Or at least, not as much as they needed.
"Definitely just trying to get back to our principles," Jase Richardson said after shootaround on Friday. "There was some time in the game that we went away from our principles that we have been working on. We just got to stay disciplined with that. It's the first time running a new system in a real game. We have to make sure we are sticking to our habits, listen to what our coaches are telling us, and try to respond the correct way coming into this next game."
But even on that front, the Magic's defense was more than solid in the second half, giving up 60 points on a 111.1 defensive rating. That will be enough to win many games.
Orlando rallied after its disastrous second quarter to take the lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Magic played iwth a lot of force and lived at the foul line in the third quarter especially, taking 20 of their 39 free throw attempts in the third quarter.
Orlando was happy with its resolve. That showed a good piece of the team's character. Desmond Bane noted that it was a moment the team might have fractured last year.
That is all a moral victory. They know they have to rack up wins even as they struggle and learn their coach's new system.
But there is a long way to go. Everyone expected a hiccup or two. It is not a reason to panic.
It is just one game, after all.
Building a foundation
The message throughout the preseason was about building the team's foundation and habits. That was what coach Sean Sweeney talked about throughout training camp. The team was trying to make its systems second nature and a habit.
That is clearly something the team is doing. The players know they strayed at times from that in the game on Wednesday. Snapping that back to attention is part of what this team is still learning.
They know they will have good days and bad days. Wednesday's game certainly saw a bit of both.
"Just continue to build that foundation and continue to build what we want to do, and take it day by day," Nikola Vucevic said after shootaround Friday. "Some days it's going to look great. Then tomorrow we have another one on Sunday and start from zero. That's kind of how the NBA is. You can never get too high or too low. Obviously, everyone wants to start off well and get a win to start the season and feel great. In the long run, it doesn't mean too much."
The NBA's beauty and curse is that there is always another game.
The Orlando Magic host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at the Kia Center. They are seeing a team that took 50 3-pointers in a win over the Miami Heat. They are expecting and bracing for a team that will defend them hard on the perimeter and look to get out and take early threes.
But every team is still trying to figure out its identity. Orlando is still establishing who it is.
One game did not change that or change the process. And the team is hoping that it can stay even-keeled and continue to progress while picking up wins in the process.
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