DETROIT -- Last Wednesday's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers was a come-to-Jesus moment for the Orlando Magic.
Their previous loss to the Boston Celtics completely deflated a five-game win streak and a late push up the standings to avoid the Play-In. The loss to the Sixers featured some good things from the team, but it was ultimately a defeat that had the Magic in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
With their backs against the wall and facing elimination before they could even make the Playoffs, Jalen Suggs said the team had a large group meeting. Everyone spoke up and the team made the decision how it needed to play.
The results speak for themselves after a blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets to punch their ticket to the Playoffs and a Game 1 win over the top-seeded Detroit Pistons on Sunday. The team took a hard look at itself in the mirror and committed to finding its groove and its best basketball at long last.
Orlando has always played its best when it focuses on itself. And that has not changed even after a rousing Game 1 victory.
"We've got to have that conversation, get details and understand this is the way and this is how we are going to win games," Suggs said after practice on Tuesday. "That's what we can build off of and start to expand where we can start getting detailed and start to put in little wrinkles with our foundation. I think we really bought into that after the Sixers game, and we did that in Game 1."
The Magic have needed that introspection to get through an often frustrating up-and-down season.
That is how they battled through Game 1. They made in-game adjustments together and got on the same page.
Communication is key
Everything starts with that basic conversation. The Orlando Magic needed to get themselves together to discuss the big picture issues to get the team back on the right foot. It was about the team coming together.
That is what happened throughout Game 1 on Sunday.
The Orlando Magic brought the energy early to stake the lead, but the Detroit Pistons made pushes throughout the game to retake it. Each time, the Magic did not crack.
Orlando's 13-point first-quarter lead was brought down to two points with a minute to play in the first quarter, only for the Magic to score the final six points and go up by eight. After trailing by four at the half, the Magic opened the third quarter with an 8-1 run.
Even after a 13-2 run to tie the game, the Magic answered with a 14-3 run to go back up by double digits. The Pistons got it to within as little as four twice after that, but the Magic responded each time with big shots to re-extend the lead.
That does not come without some measure of resilience and maturity. It comes from a team that was together and figuring things out.
"It says a lot about this group, it says a lot about our coaches that they have done a great job in the midst of everything that they've kept these guys believing, knowing how good we can be when we are all together," coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Tuesday. "But just knowing that you've got to lift up the guy next ot you at any given time. I think that says a lot about the resiliency of our guys, but it says a lot about our coaches who have done a tremendous job keeping our guys together and keeping them prepared."
There were several times when the team would come together after timeouts as the Magic hit important parts of the game.
Even after backbreaking runs, Mosley was on the sideline giving signals to the team to slow down and calm down. Paolo Banchero would often take command and give that reminder, too.
Ultimately, the Magic's coaches can relay instructions to the team, but it is on the team to execute them. It is the team's responsibility to make sure everyone is where they need to be.
"We saw what we felt out there, and we voiced it every timeout," Wendell Carter said after practice Tuesday. "We figured out what was working, what wasn't working, what to rely on and what not to rely on. We probably did our best job of the season of adjusting. When they went on their run, not getting too high, not getting too low, figuring out how to regain momentum. Especially on the road.
Staying in sync
After a season where everything seemed out of sync, the Orlando Magic looked like they were on the same page.
That is a big reason they withstood the Detroit Pistons to stay in complete control throughout the game.
But everyone is bracing for a different kind of focus and intensity from the Pistons on Wednesday in Game 2. They are preparing for a far more focused team that is looking to be physical after the Magic won that battle on Sunday.
To beat that, the Magic will need to stick together as they did in Game 1. They will need to stay on the same page and solve problems in real time on their own when coaches cannot stop the game.
"The physicality of the game and physicality of the series is going to be a big thing," Jamahl Mosley said after practice Tuesday. "I think dialing into the game plan, the intentionality of what we were trying to do and accomplish was there. The chemistry and togetherness of our group. The communication that they had with one another, the things that they saw and the poise that they possessed through every run in that game."
One of the ways the Magic can beat that pressure is by trusting each other. That is what Jalen Suggs, Wendell Carter and Tristan da Silva did on a critical fourth-quarter three that made it a seven-point game.
Orlando needs to trust its principles and standards to get a second win. Everything starts with themselves.
Everyone knows what the other team will try to do. There will be a few adjustments and maybe changes to the scheme. It is about doing what you do best.
"I think standing on the pillars -- that's playing hard, that's being detail-oriented, making sure we finish possessions and being physical," Suggs said after practice Tuesday. "All the defense and all the adjustments, you'll see that in real time. We'll talk about it in real time. As long as we're standing on our pillars, then we can get detailed as we start to matchup."
But the Magic already have an idea of what can work against them. It is staying on the same page that will lead to the next victory.
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