Orlando Magic: 3 things we don’t want to see in the bubble
By Luke Duffy
2. Slow start/inconsistencies
If there is one thing that has plagued the Magic for years, no matter how much they have shown improvements, it is a mix between starting games slow, and going through baffling periods of inconsistency. If both come together as they have before, then the organization could be in trouble before they even get going.
Even more worrying is the fact that these slow starts and games where they play well below their best have more often than not come against opponents they should be beating. They can go through periods of heading out West for six-game road trips, going 3-3 and looking like a settled roster that is certain to make the playoffs.
They will then follow this up with a strange loss to the likes of the New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers, amongst others, oftentimes coming when they are playing at home as well. While 82 games are plenty of time to absorb a poor loss and every team has them, there simply won’t be enough time down in the bubble for this to be the case.
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The Orlando Magic are just as likely to beat the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers (both of whom they will play), as they are to drop two games to the desperately shorthanded Nets. This is simply not an option if they are to catch the Nets for the seventh seed to at least have them avoid the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.
The inconsistencies that sweep across the players need to be kept at bay as well. Although the Magic can border on being an elite defensive team, as they have been since coach Clifford took over, they will then turn in strange performances where they let lesser opponents hang large shorelines on them.
The only positive is that although they are not a great outfit offensively, they are just as likely to have a hot shooting night as they are a poor defensive night. But really after nearly two years of being under the guidance of Clifford, these erratic performances and not knowing what you will get each night need to stop. Failure to control this in the bubble would be catastrophic for them.