Orlando Magic fans are seemingly as frustrated as the team right now.
Every interaction and every moment is under the microscope. Players are already feeling the tension and the pressure.
It sure looks like they are pressing -- something even FanDuel Sports Network analyst Jeff Turner noted in the postgame of Monday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic's fourth straight defeat.
Fans have gotten their own Zapruder films, especially a moment captured by WESH reporter Daren Stoltzfus from Saturday's loss that showed Jamahl Mosley breaking a huddle with his fist in the middle for a team break, and no one else joining him.
Everyone is reading between the lines right now for both text and subtext. Tim McMahon of ESPN was the first national reporter to give legs to a divide between Paolo Banchero and Jamahl Mosley, saying they are not seeing eye to eye on The Hoop Collective podcast.
Moe Wagner went on his podcast and spoke about the team's struggles to find solutions despite lots of internal meetings, including players-only meetings and good chemistry off the court.
Fans are constantly speculating about the team's future, especially the coaching staff and their future with the team. There is growing frustration everywhere around the team from fans, and it is palpable to the players.
The only question left is: How do the Magic get themselves out of this? Will they get themselves out of this?
Ultimately that is a question that only the players on the team can answer. And their answer is not likely going to satisfy many Magic fans frustrated and wanting to burn a lot of things down to get this team back on track.
It always goes back to that time-worn, well-traveled cliche: To trust the process.
"For us, it's really about being into our process and being locked in on the defensive end," Jalen Suggs said after shootaround Wednesday. "Offensively, we're getting good looks, and when it gets stagnant we're catching it early and getting a good possession where we move the ball and move our bodies and really get a great look for our offense. But to be bought in for the full 48 minutes of the game, but being locked into our process, and that will carry us where we want to go."
Everything is easier said than done.
Orlando players have been quick to identify the issues that have plagued the team -- poor on-ball defense, the slow starts, the inconsistent rebounding and the offensive stagnation. The team has been slow to correct those issues or correct them for long enough.
One problem after another
Slow starts were a focus for this team after the trip to Europe and the pair of games against the Memphis Grizzlies. They were slow in the loss ot the Charlotte Hornets. Things were better in the games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, including taking a 10-point lead after the opening quarter in Monday's loss.
That did not sustain either. Eventually, the Orlando Magic lost their flow and their ability to create energy through their pace -- the team had a pace of 100.0 possessions per 48 minutes in the first quarter and 94.2 for the rest of the game.
Orlando is trying to put all the pieces together. Right now, it feels like one thing can knock them off balance.
The biggest challenge is finding the offense.
Orlando has collapsed in a lot of areas. But during this four-game losing streak, the Magic have scored just 104.6 points per 100 possessions. That is not helped by a defense giving up 123.5 points per 100 possessions.
This team is bleeding points and not scoring. It has looked like a team that has ben discouraged by the misses and frustrated that what they are doing is not working.
Trust the process?
There is a startling lack of trust in that process.
The Orlando Magic are shooting 41.8 percent in the last four games and 30.9 percent from three. It is frustrating not to see the ball go through the hoop, and players have said they are frustrated by the lack of shot-making.
In Saturday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic made just 10 of 32 "wide-open" threes, at least some measure that the team is getting quality looks.
Things are even worse than that. Orlando has made only 34 of 101 wide-open threes in the last four games, the second-most of these supposedly quality shots in each team's last four games.
The Magic average 20.0 wide-open threes per game. They are getting 25.3 per game in the last four games!
Even if that is teams leaving them open, that suggest sthe team is doing something right. There is somethign to build on if they can gain some confidence.
"I think we've been generating some good shots," Desmond Bane said after Wednesday's shootaround. "Really trusting getting the ball side to side and getting out with pace to get some easy ones. If the process is right, the shots will fall at some point."
The problem may not necessarily be the process. It may be having enough faith in the process for the results to turn. Nothing has seemingly been easy for the Magic at this point.
Needing a win
All the Orlando Magic need is a win. That is the simple fact.
The team's vibe, mood and confidence would change dramatically from getting just a win. Maybe one win will lead to another and be the momentum this team needs to get the ball rolling.
Orlando is just looking for some confidence to build on. There needs to be some desperation and urgency to get a win just to keep up in the standings.
"We've got to get off this skid," Suggs said after shootaround Wednesday. "That's a part of growth and part of the challenge. When it gets like this, how professional can we be coming out, forgetting the past couple of nights and applying the teaching moments and handling today. At 7:30 to 9:30-10, for 2.5 hours, can we handle business and come home with a win and change the momentum and change the mood of everything that is going on?"
That is the ultimate question. Will the Magic take the words that they have been verbalizing to create a change in mindset to the court? Will they turn the process that they are trying to implement and turn that into results?
Until they answer those questions, the noise is going to keep getting louder.
But the only way out is to fight their way out. Process or not.