The Osceola Magic held a small lead over the Oklahoma City Blue in the fourth quarter of their season opener.
They had scrambled and clawed their way to a slim lead through an often sloppy opener for both teams. Offense was not super reliable to start things off.
The Magic had to rely on their defense.
That is what coach Ronnie Burrell wanted from his team. Their identity would always center on their grit and their defense. If they were going to build some breathing room and win, it would start on defense.
In a game where neither team could shoot the ball well, easy shots were at a premium. The game turned on a sequence of turnovers and fast-break points.
A pair of Johnell Davis steals and then a J.D. Davison steal and layup expanded the lead from four points to 10 points in the final minutes of the game. They were three of the franchise-record 23 steals and 33 forced turnovers in a 97-89 victory for the Magic over the Blue in their season opener at Silver Spurs Arena on Sunday.
The Magic needed their offense to kick into some gear. But like their parent club, this is the defense they want to anchor their success this season.
"As a team, we want to be one of the hardest-playing teams in the league," Davison said after Sunday's win. "We're going to fight you, we're going to beat you up and we're going to rough you up. For me, I'm going to be the alpha dog and try to lead the way for the team."
As a program builder, this kind of gritty identity is a good start. It is what made the Orlando Magic a playoff team in the last three seasons -- and an element missing early in the season for them.
For Burrell and the Osceola Magic, it will be their backbone as they aim to build on the foundation that had them win the top record in the Eastern Conference during the last two seasons.
This was the step forward the Magic wanted to start their season.
Defense in the G-League
The G-League is not known for its defense. So leaning on defense is not always a winning formula. The Osceola Magic will have to score.
They relied heavily on veterans Malaki Branham (23 points) and J.D. Davison (26 points) to carry them through the rough spots. The Magic were constantly attacking to get to the foul line.
But their defense was always present in the win on Sunday. Even facing a major size disadvantage, the Magic were flying around to cover for each other.
The Blue shot only 40.8 percent overall and 5-for-29 from three. That is in addition to 33 turnovers.
Johnell Davis recorded six steals. J.D. Davison had four.
Ronnie Burrell said his team's defense is a wear-you-down style of defense. The Magic want to get pressure on the ball and hound teams into fatigue. The Blue were running out of players -- their bench taking a bit of a hit with Nikola Topic only playing in the first half.
They wore the Blue down in the fourth quarter. Their defense enabled the Magic to pull away.
Everyone was getting after it on defense on Sunday afternoon.
"It was a perfect start just to prove to them that the toughness that they showed, the communication and team defense that they showed, we didn't score 100 points and we still won the game," Burrell said. "That's how we started out. As we clean up our offense, we can have a better shooting night. That can fluctuate, but our defense I was proud of. The scrappiness of the game is going to happen in G-League basketball, you have to be able to win those games too."
The G-League does not have a formal preseason. Teams dive right into the qualification games for their Tip-Off Tournament before the Winter showcase. The team has no time to lose, and the team must use these games to figure each other out and come together.
The Magic looked like they were playing their first game together for long stretches, shooting 37.9 percent from the floor and 11 for 38 from three.
But this is the kind of program the Magic have been trying to build. They want to be a defense-first outfit.
Even when they are not scoring, they want their defense to lead the way. That is something that always travels. It was the focus that Burrell put in his training camp.
G-League idenity
The offense will come. This is the G-League, after all.
Malaki Branham and J.D. Davison are already two of the best scorers in the league. Both need to improve their shooting to get their NBA shot. But they will provide stability in the hard moments, like the ones they faced in Sunday's debut.
The team knows it will take some growing pains to come together. Another game at Memphis comes on Tuesday in a busy early season schedule. At some point, Orlando Magic two-way players Colin Castleton, Alex Morales and rookie Izaiyah Nelson will join the squad for however long they do.
Those players will further add stability to this team.
But the one thing that seems uncompromising is their defense. That is what the entire organization wants to be about. That is what the Osceola Magic put on display in their opener.
"Our defense made us win the game," Branham said. "We didn't shoot the ball really well. But at the end of the day, we turned them over. We got points off turnovers."
The main club will continue to work to get their defense in order. They are coming off an improved effort in Saturday's overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors. The Orlando Magic are still looking to get their defense right to start the season.
They know that needs to be their backbone. It is easy to see how teams that can lean on their defense can find ways to win. They can fight for ways to win. It always gives them a chance.
Osceola is building its own foundation and on its own reputation and legacy with its new coach. The Magic got off to a strong start on Sunday.
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