100. Magic Pacers Final 03.10.24. 97. 38. Final. 111
Orlando Magic fans couldn’t wait for this weekend. Everyone had a pair of games against the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers circled their schedule, knowing these were two of the rare games against direct Eastern Conference playoff competitors to prove their mettle.
If the Magic were serious about fighting for home-court advantage, these were the games the team needed to win. They had to prove, after settling cases against some of the worst teams in the leaguethey could compete with the same intensity and fervor against better teams.
The kind of teams they will have to beat in the Playoffs.
Are the Magic ready for the playoffs and the type of basketball they will have to play in mid-April? They have a month to find out.
Their testing this weekend would suggest they are not ready. That suggests this team isn’t ready to execute when games get tight, when officials let go more, and when composure and balance become paramount.
The Magic failed these playoff tests. This doesn’t end the season or necessarily dampen their quest for the fourth seed — the New York Knicks also lost on Sunday night. But it certainly raises questions about this team’s ability to rise to the occasion.
Their 111-97 loss to the Pacers on Sunday at the Kia Center was nothing short of a disappointment.
“We laid an egg in the second half,” Cole Anthony said after Sunday’s game. “I thought we had a pretty solid first quarter, even halfway through the second quarter. But then we started to get stagnant. We started to turn into heroes. It came from a good place. I don’t think anyone forgets you, it’s “The more I try to make things happen and help the team. We need to get that flow back on the offensive end. Move this stone. “
Orlando took a 15-point lead in the second quarter and looked poised for a big win. The team moved the ball well and defended well.
But something has changed. The Magic started missing shots and the ball was getting stuck in a player’s hands. The Pacers’ pressure defense with the Magic playing without a traditional ball handler broke many of the Magic’s sets.
Soon, those turnovers turned into fast break opportunities for the Pacers. The imbalance led to fouls. And the lead turned into a deficit.
The Pacers took advantage of those advantages and doubled them in the third quarter, outscoring the Magic 39-21 to start putting the game out of reach. Orlando didn’t have the ability to climb out of this hole.
“I think we missed a few,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after Sunday’s loss. “When you miss the ones around the rim, you get guys crashing. They threw about four over the top. Part of that is the leak. You gotta make sure that, one, finish. Two, though you don’t, that’s where those long runs came into play.”
For a second straight game played at playoff intensity, the Magic seemed hampered by the physicality they faced. They struggled to execute their offense. Orlando might be able to argue that it defended well – Indiana scored 112.1 points per 100 possessions, well below its season average.
The offense just couldn’t find a rhythm to support them.
The Magic shot 37.5 percent from the floor and 9 for 36 from three, suggesting how much the team relied on jumpers. They had 18 assists and 13 turnovers for 21 points. Many of their misses – they shot 23 of 42 in the paint – led to putouts as the Pacers snuck behind them for 27 fast break points.
It was a completely undisciplined effort in many ways.
Not just for counterattack points, but also for fouls. The Pacers are generally not a team that gets to the foul line. But the Magic committed 18 fouls and gave up 33 free throw attempts. Orlando’s 29 free throw attempts (and 22 makes) helped somewhat keep the team afloat. But the Magic were clearly frustrated with the fouls committed throughout the game. This destabilized them.
Those free throws – 15 in the second quarter alone – helped keep Indiana in the game and gave the team the confidence to come back. Orlando couldn’t find that flow offensively. And they seemed more and more frustrated as the match progressed.
“It’s probably not the worst thing,” Joe Ingles said after Sunday’s loss. “That’s how teams are going to play us the rest of the season. A few defenses were able to blow stuff up and get us out of it. I still think for a lot of the game we looked good. “
The Magic will learn very quickly that this is what the Playoffs will look like for them. They see for themselves the intensity these matches will bring.
Unfortunately, there are not many opponents left in direct competition on their schedule: the penultimate match on April 12 in Philadelphia against the Philadelphia 76ers now promises to be much more important.
Orlando has proven it will take care of business against teams struggling in the standings. The Magic built their record and built their winning streak at the end of the season on these kinds of games. There’s nothing wrong with that.
But there is still something the team must prove. He still has to win these kinds of matches. And the Magic arguably dropped the ball.
The NBA humiliated the Magic after flying so high. Maybe they needed this lesson.
“We’ve had a few wins and you’re comfortable,” Anthony said after Sunday’s loss. “That’s the best part of this league, once you get comfortable, you can find yourself back on your feet. I think that’s what happened to us the last two games. We have to take it back and put back in place.”
The Magic actually got too comfortable and did not pass this test planned on its schedule. They will have to wait for the opportunity again.
The season is by no means lost, of course. And many of the Magic’s problems — poor backcourt play, poor shooting and immaturity — are problems the team knows well. One match does not make a season.
Following. Magic 3D Quarter MVP 03.10.24. Orlando Magic 3rd quarter MVP: Paolo Banchero found consistency. dark
But these losses certainly seemed significant. And left the Magic with something more to prove.
