National Basketball Association

One quarter buries the Orlando Magic in frustration again

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Orlando Magic again fell apart in a single quarter, putting them behind the 8-ball again. It is a disturbing pattern for the Magic, even in two games.

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It did not take long for things to get out of hand for the Orlando Magic.

There was no singular moment that caused the Magic to topple. It was a series of moments and frustrations. A rising tidal wave the Magic could not stop from overcoming them. And like a rip current, the more the Magic tried to fight against it, the more it overwhelmed them and carried them deeper into the abyss.

There was no end in sight through the second quarter of Friday’s 108-82 loss to the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Magic would try anything to create some offense and get turned away.

Evan Fournier would drive into the teeth of the defense and flub a layup. Elfrid Payton would get into the paint and get trapped, searching desperately for an outlet and unable to find one. The ball would rotate to D.J. Augustin and he would miss a 3-pointer. Nikola Vucevic was missing flip shots.

It seemed with every miss, confidence drained from the team and frustration grew. The Magic’s body language got worse as they pointed at each other and waited for them to initiate the offense. This was a team far from being on the same page.

And it was effecting everything they did.

As they missed shot after shot, the Pistons took that rebound and got to the other end of the floor quickly. They ran off pick and rolls and ate up the Magic’s indecision. The hit tough shots and their confidence grew.

The Pistons’ 30-9 second quarter was reminiscent of the Miami Heat’s 30-16 third quarter Wednesday night. For the second straight game, the Magic let one bad quarter undo everything positive that came before — and make the rest of the game moot.

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Here, the Magic were not great in the first quarter, but were better. They moved the ball well and were scoring. They strung enough stops together to take a brief lead and at least stay in the game. They trailed by only two points.

It was similar to the first half of Wednesday’s game. There were clear holes that needed to fill and things were not perfect. But the Magic were functioning and beginning to show cohesion.

What causes things to fall apart for two straight games?

In the second quarter Friday, the Magic shot 4 for 22 from the floor and made just 1 of 3 free throws. That is how you get to nine points.

Despite having just three turnovers in the quarter, the Magic gave up seven fast-break points. The Pistons did not even shoot the ball particularly well — at 48.3 percent and 1 for 4 from beyond the arc. What the Pistons did though was parade into the paint — 24 points on 12-for-21 shooting.

The Magic were not able to stem the tide. Even for a little bit. No combinations seemed to work and nothing seemed to inspire the Magic.

It was eerily similar to Wednesday’s game. There the Magic scored 16 points on 5-for-20 shooting. They had three turnovers again but still could not wrestle the Heat under control. Miami scored 20 points in the paint on 10-for-16 shooting.

One game can serve as an anomaly. Two games though establishes a pattern. And this pattern is not particularly good.

Frank Vogel has preached defense. The makeup of this roster would suggest it can be a defensive juggernaut. Yet in both games so far, the defense has let the team down.

Certainly the Magic’s poor ball movement played a role.

Following Wednesday’s game, Nikola Vucevic said his team was playing too selfish trying to force its way out of offensive struggles. In the first half, the FOX Sports Florida broadcast noted Frank Vogel was imploring his team to trust the pass and move the ball. Players were trying to do things too much on their own. It was a line he reiterated after the game.

Those offensive shortcomings seem only to further exacerbate the defensive problems the Magic have. The problems of a team still unsure of who is where and what direction the help should come.

There are mechanics that will prevent a poor offense from being completely together on defense. Enough long rebounds on mid-range jump shots will spark transition opportunities and allow an opposing offense to play against a non-set defense. Enough of those opportunities will put pressure on any defense.

The Magic though want defense to be their anchor and their backbone. The biggest thing the team still has to learn is how to separate their offensive struggles from their defensive effort and execution.

Because when the Magic get stops, that is when they will find easy offense. The Magic — Elfrid Payton in particular — were at their best when they got out in transition. The Magic had 18 fast-break points on 7-for-7 shooting. This is very much the kind of efficiency and opportunity Frank Vogel wants for his offense. And it always started with a stop on defense.

There will come a game when the Magic do get things rolling — even if it is the chance that is a NBA game and professionals making their shots. Confidence can be contagious.

So too is frustration right now for the Magic. It spreads quickly. The faith and belief in the system and each other is not present.

There was not a defining moment in Detroit’s 20-2 run that effectively ended the game Friday. Just like there was not a defining moment in Miami’s third quarter.

There was only the crushing reality of seeing the coming tide and being unable to slow it. Again.

It is a disturbing pattern for the Magic. One symbolic of the growth that still needs to come. And the urgency of this season.

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