Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors.
By John DentonApril 15, 2016
ORLANDO – Much the way he would late in the season when he would step in front of an opposing guard to limit penetration, Elfrid Payton anticipated the direction of the conversation and completely cut off the question being asked.
Queried about whether it would be difficult to watch the playoffs because they involve several teams that the Orlando Magic whipped throughout an up-and-down season, Payton finished the question with some strong words of his own.
``Several teams (in the playoffs) that we’re better than? No question,’’ Payton said. ``No question about it.’’
Orlando made a 10-win improvement from 2014-15 (25-57) to this past season (35-47) for just the fourth double-digit improvement in victories in the 27-year history of the franchise. Still, it wasn’t enough to get the Magic back into the playoffs and for a fourth straight postseason they will be forced to watch rather than play.
Also adding to Orlando’s frustration: It was just 8-15 in games decided by five points or less and 6-10 in games decided by three or fewer. Many of those excruciating outcomes came against teams that the Magic were battling for playoff spots.
So when the postseason begins on Saturday, many players said they will stay away from the TV coverage because it’s simply too painful to watch, while others noted that they will use not being in the playoffs as motivation throughout the summer. For the record, Orlando beat playoff qualifiers Atlanta (twice), Boston (twice), Miami, Toronto, Charlotte, Indiana, Houston, Portland, Dallas and Memphis. Also, to twist the knife even more, the Magic suffered heart-breaking losses to Oklahoma City (twice), Golden State, San Antonio, the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston, Charlotte, Toronto and Atlanta.
``I’m going to cool off on the playoffs for a while and I’m not about to watch it until the Western Conference Finals or the Finals,’’ predicted Magic forward Aaron Gordon said.
What makes this offseason different is that the Magic had full-blown expectations that they would be a part of the postseason. Upon being hired by the Magic in late May and again before training camp in late September, head coach Scott Skiles stressed that he believed that Orlando had the talent to be a ``winning team.’’ Skiles correctly pointed out that it would take a winning record to get into the playoffs and he fully believed that the Magic’s young players were mature and tough enough to navigate through the long season and come out with enough wins to reach the postseason.
And when Orlando raced to that 19-13 start – complete with victories against playoff teams such as Toronto, Boston, Houston and Charlotte – the Magic had every reason to think that they were well on their way to getting back into the postseason.
Then, 2015 turned to 2016, and the Magic’s feel-good run, first, turned bumpy and then completely flipped over any and all hopes they had of the season being a successful one. A 2-15 swoon – one made even worse by fourth-quarter collapses against Memphis and Charlotte and an uneven performance against Toronto in the London Games – sent the Magic into a tailspin they never could completely right themselves from.
``That’s what I mean about us having a couple of different seasons in one,’’ Skiles said. ``We, as a staff, were getting excited for the guys because we appeared to be taking on a defensive identity and at the same time our offense was starting to come. But then – just kind of poof – and it went away. It’s something I’ll be thinking an awful lot about.’’
Skiles thinks if the Magic had been able to gut out a few of those games – the Jan. 22 OT loss in Memphis where Orlando was up four with 17 seconds to play in regulation stands out most to him as the season’s most difficult loss – then the team could have steadied itself. Instead, that stretch of basketball will haunt the coach and the team well into the offseason.
``We had back-to-back winning months and we’re kind of the Eastern Conference team of the month in December,’’ remembered Skiles, who won the East’s Coach of the Month in December. ``Sometimes young guys can get lured into thinking, `Hey, we’ve really got it going’ and it’s really positive when it really isn’t that positive. Then, you lose a couple, (Payton) got injured and our rotation got a little funny, we lost a few and it kind of snowballed. Youth is some of that, but we can’t put it all on that.’’
In his fourth season with the Magic, center Nikola Vucevic fully believed that Orlando was on the right path early in the season. In the first 32 games, the Magic ranked in the NBA’s top five in defensive field goal percentage allowed and the offense was rolling largely because Vucevic had one of his finest months ever as a NBA player. In December, he joined Shaquille O’Neal as only the second Magic player to average at least 18 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in a month. But, then, January happened to rob Vucevic of the playoff appearance he’s hoped for since coming to Orlando in July of 2012.
``We can’t be happy with our season and we’re all just so disappointed with our season,’’ said Vucevic, Orlando’s leading scorer and rebounder each of the past two seasons. ``I guess we’re getting closer, but we’re not there yet, so there’s still work to be done and pieces to be added.’’
When talking about pieces to be added, that’s where GM Rob Hennigan comes into play. Realizing that the Magic’s swoon likely ended any chance of reaching the playoffs, Hennigan traded away veterans Tobias Harris and Channing Frye in February. Those moves could mean big things for the Magic this season now that they have major salary cap room with which to pursue multiple difference-makers in free agency.
Hennigan is hopeful of adding the kind of tough-minded and experienced veterans who can help to steady the Magic when they hit adversity like they did in January and February.
``With the way that we’re positioned, we do need to improve the team and we have lots of ways to do that,’’ Hennigan said. ``We feel like we need to add experience to the team. As the season played out, we’ve been able to pinpoint that we do need some of that experience to help stabilize us. Part of our strategy as we move into the summer is to pinpoint Plan As, Plan Bs and contingencies – all in the vain of trying to bring more experience to the team. We feel with the nucleus that we have and with a few veteran pieces we’ll be well-positioned for the postseason (next year).’’
As for the postseason that starts on Saturday, many of the Magic’s players vowed they won’t watch much of the television coverage because far too many painful ``what ifs’’ pop into their heads. What if the team had continued to defend like it did early in the season? What if the 10-win December had carried over into January and February? What if the team had played all season like it had during defeats of playoff teams Atlanta (twice), Boston (twice), Miami, Toronto, Charlotte, Indiana, Houston, Portland, Dallas and Memphis?
``It’s really frustrating, but if we could go back and change the past we would,’’ said standout guard Victor Oladipo, who missed time throughout the season because of two concussions. ``Unfortunately, we can’t (change what’s happened). We just know now that we’ve got to get better this summer. It’s going to be a big summer for everybody individually and collectively. If we don’t do that it’s never going to turn around. So it’s about all of us getting better.’’