Orlando Magic: 4 keys to a better second road trip
By Luke Duffy
4. Don’t give up on a game
Two things that made the Magic so good to start the season was their ability to start the game at a ferocious pace, and not give up no matter how much they were down by.
While they still have the sixth-fastest pace in the league (102.9), the team’s never say die attitude is wilting.
Twice in recent games we have seen them throw in the towel earlier than they should have, firstly in their 125-107 loss at the Denver Nuggets.
Playing at altitude is hard there’s no question, and the Nuggets are a solid team who may make the playoffs in a tough Western Conference. But watching that game, after about six minutes it was pretty obvious the Magic weren’t going to win that one. That same tenacity just wasn’t there.
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More worryingly, it was even worse in the 125-85 hammering that the Utah Jazz put on them just over a week later — and the Magic were at home for that one too.
The belief, the sense of urgency and the blistering start to both the first and second halves were essentially non-existent.
Compare those games to the 110-100 loss to the Golden State Warriors that was sandwiched in between. They lost to the better team on the night, but they gave themselves a great chance of winning. You could only be proud watching their performance in that one.
On this next road trip, the Magic need to play more like they did against the Warriors and less like against the Nuggets and Jazz. Fail to do so and things will turn ugly.