Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle knew the Orlando Magic would not play their starters. He also sat his starters, calling it "the right thing to do," after the team clinched homecourt with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
But he warned that the Magic were still a dangerous team. Jamahl Mosley, one of his former assistants with the Dallas Mavericks, still teaches aggressive and active defense. They still had rim protectors that would make scoring tough. The team that played cleaner and harder would win.
After a sometimes sloppy first quarter, the Magic made sure they reminded everyone they are a defensive juggernaut. And like when the team was the darling of the league in December, it did not matter who was in or out of the lineup, the Magic were going to outwork you.
The pressure started early in the second quarter when Trevelin Queen and Anthony Black started unleashing a full-court press. On one possession, Queen skied to deflect a pass and it fell directly to Black for a layup. Orlando's defense pressured and harassed throughout the second quarter, building a lead that was insurmountable for an undermanned team.
The lead kept growing, the defense giving the offense energy. The team made shots and moved the ball.
Yes, this was against a Pacers team also sitting their starters. But the measure of a team is what carries over, no matter who is on the floor. That is what builds a team's identity.
The Pacers are not going to panic that they did not play well in a 129-115 Magic win. Indiana will host a Game 1 in the playoffs, after all.
For a Magic team that has struggled at times to find its identity amid the rash of injuries they faced, a game like this is confirmation of who they are. It was a throwback to their successful days earlier in the season.
And heading into their own postseason journey, it was a sign they are still fighting. Or at least their bench is still bought in and believes.
Enough to get the Magic to 41 wins and guarantee consecutive seasons at .500 or better for the first time since Dwight Howard's final two seasons in 2011 and 2012.
"I think it was our mindset coming in from the jump," Trevelin Queen said after Friday's win. "We knew we had the opportunity to have more minutes today resting our starting five. I think we all took advantage of it today. We came in with confidence, we played together and played with poise. End of the day, we came out on top. It's a testament to all the work we've been puting in to stay ready. We all came in with the right mindset. I think that helped us out a lot."
What's left to prove
The Orlando Magic sat all of their starters and played Cory Joseph in limited minutes. This was not a game that would be indicative of their status in the postseason or their overall potential. This is a team with nothing to gain from its final two games, they are focused on saving their key players from potential injury in these games.
The Atlanta Hawks' win over the Philadelphia 76ers also locked the Hawks into eighth place. The Orlando Magic will host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday to play the Boston Celtics in the playoffs.
That part of the team's future is set.
What the Magic had left to prove is who they are as a team. And finding that spirit and dynamic was critical to their success.
This is what defined them at their best moments in November and December. Despite any injuries they had, they played hard and got after teams. They made their opponents' lives miserable with effort as much as talent.
This is what defines the Magic as much as anything. The team's togetherness, intensity, energy and defense are this team's bedrocks. Everything sprouts from that. And that has been the basis of all of the Magic's best moments.
"Just resilience like we've been talking about all year," Anthony Black said after Friday's win. "Just a good job weathering the runs, staying here mentally. We did a good job opening the game from the jump and stayed with it and stayed locked in for 48."
That is what happened for the Magic. It started with the team's defensive energy in that second quarer, spearheaded by Queen's energy.
Queen, playing his final game on his two-way contract, scored a career-high 25 points on 9-for-11 shooting. He added three steals in addition to going 5 for 6 from three. That helped kickstart things for the Magic in a dominant 43-20 quarter.
The defense sparked the offense throughout the quarter as the Magic out worked the Pacers on that end and led to six 3-pointers in nine attempts in the quarter. Indiana turned it over seven times in the second quarter and Orlando added seven second-chance points.
The team moved the ball, making 13 of 32 3-pointers (40.6 percent) and tallying 32 assists on 49 field goals.
These are all the hallmark signs for an Orlando team that is working hard.
Energy defined the Magic
The energy came from everywhere, whether it was Anthony Black (10 of his 21 points and four of his seven assists in the second quarter) or Jett Howard (11 of his 17, including both of his 3-pointers in the second quarter). It was an avalanche from the team.
The kind of energy and intensity that defined this team. When a team is missing so much, being able to sustain that identity is so critical. It was so critical to surviving in November and December and building the cushion that got the team to this point in the season.
"I think this speaks to the character of the group," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Friday's win. "You find out who you are and what you are able to do in the difficult times and the times of adversity. We hit that adversity during that homestand where things didn't look amazing to everybody. To be able to bounce back and play with a sense of joy, urgency, togetherness and defensive focus. And you saw that tonight."
Nobody should make more of this than that. The Indiana Pacers sat their starters, too.
It really did come down to who would play cleaner and outwork the other. The Magic let their 35-point lead shrink to 14 with a sloppy fourth quarter. Suddenly, the tide was turning. There was not enough time—or maybe interest in bringing key players back to try to win the game—to close the deal.
That is how games like this go. Teams click or sink because of the unfamiliarity and energy involved in the game. Teams can catch fire and run away with the victory.
The Magic were the ones to get things to click first and they ran and hid from it. Their bench group took the opportunity and were wildly successful.
That has been deeply embedded in the Magic's success throughout the season. It is something the team seemingly lost when it hit its low point in February and March. That is what it has rediscovered to climb back above .500.
That it could happen again in a game like this was some sign of the team's culture and identity. And heading into the playoffs, that is valuable.