By John Denton
Dec. 7, 2016
ORLANDO – Already an impressive 3-1 on their most extensive road trip yet, Frank Vogel had his Orlando Magic trying to conquer their next big challenge on Tuesday night even though the squad was still road weary and far from home.
To most, it seemed as if Orlando’s nine-night, five-game road trip was coming to an end on Tuesday in Washington, where the Magic rolled to a 124-116 defeat of the Wizards. To Vogel, Tuesday’s game was just the beginning of a new ``segment,’’ and a daunting one at that what with the Magic starting a stretch of four games in five nights.
The practice of playing a pair of back-to-backs sandwiched around a singular off day has been greatly reduced by the NBA because of concerns over player safety and quality of play. This stint of four games in five nights for the Magic – at Washington on Tuesday, home versus Boston on Wednesday, at Charlotte on Friday and back home on Saturday to host Denver – is thankfully the only such stretch of the season, said veterans Evan Fournier and Jeff Green.
``When you have four games in five nights, I can guarantee you the last game we’re going to be very tired,’’ Fournier said. ``It’s a mental game. You can’t let the fatigue get in, and you still have to do your job and be focused on the defensive end to give us a chance to win the game.’’
Added Green: ``It’s something you can’t be prepared for, especially when you go into games with great competition, which we are. We’ll be ready. But we’ve just got to mentally be prepared. Physically, at the end of the day, it’s just basketball; we’ve got to find ways to win. But mentally it can take a toll, so we’ve just got to figure out a way.’’
Vogel wants his Magic to approach each of the four games with a singular focus and to be strong enough mentally to fight against whatever fatigue might be setting in. Also, he feels the Magic’s stellar depth could come in particularly handy in the next few days to keep the players fresh.
``Doing it this way is just the different way of looking at the schedule,’’ Vogel said, looking at Tuesday’s win in Washington as the start of the rugged four-games-in-five-nights stretch. ``We have a tough challenge in front of us and we can’t be pleased with what is behind us. So I just want our guys to focus on that task ahead.’’
COACHING CAMERADERIE: As fellow basketball coaches, it’s only natural that there was a mutual admiration between Orlando’s Vogel and Boston’s Brad Stevens. Actually the two of them have a strong friendship that bloomed beyond basketball.
When the two of them lived in Indianapolis simultaneously – Vogel as an assistant coach (2007-11) and later the head coach (2011-16) of the NBA’s Pacers, and Stevens as the assistant coach (2001-07) and later head coach (2007-13) at Butler University – they developed a close friendship. And it started in a way that most might not expect.
``I got to know him, and the first time that we really spent time together was on a playground,’’ Stevens said. ``Our little kids were playing on the swing sets. We lived in the same general area of Indianapolis, so I just like Frank. He’s a good guy and a good coach and I’m happy for he and his family to be here (in Orlando). And, obviously, he’s doing a great job.’’
The friendship between Vogel and Stevens bloomed from the playground and Stevens would often bring his staff to watch the Pacers practice during training camp. And when the NBA endured a seven-week lockout in 2012, Vogel regularly attended practices and games at Butler to watch Stevens work with players.
``Obviously, you watch (the Magic) because you’re getting ready for (Wednesday’s) game and I was paying attention to the whole road trip because it started with the San Antonio game, which was a great win to kick that road trip off,’’ Stevens said of the Magic. ``But I also watch these guys a little more closely because I really enjoy Frank. … It’s fun to watch his teams play, how they defend and how tough they are and how they get better. He’s really good.’’
CHANGE CAN BE GOOD: When Vogel made major changes to his starting lineup six games again, the initial results weren’t too flattering as the Magic fell flat against Milwaukee in the first game with Bismack Biyombo, D.J. Augustin and Aaron Gordon in the starting lineup.
Since that night, however, Orlando has been much better on both ends of the floor because of the better balance offensively and defensively among the starters and the second unit. In five games prior to Wednesday since Vogel’s lineup change, the Magic have averaged 103.2 points while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor – numbers that are greatly improved over the complete season averages (94.6 ppg. and 42.6 percent).
More so than demoting center Nikola Vucevic, point guard Elfrid Payton and veteran forward Jeff Green, Vogel moved that trio into reserve roles to bring more firepower off the bench. And it’s worked wonders for all three having them face second-line players even Vogel said he considers them all to be ``starters.’’
Vucevic struggled mightily at the beginning of the season as a starter, averaging just 11.8 points on 43.7 percent shooting in 16 games. In six games off the bench, he’s averaged 14.1 points on 46.1 percent shooting.
Payton had trouble finding much consistency as a starter, averaging 10.7 points on 41.8 percent shooting in 16 games. In six games off the bench, he’s averaged the same 10.7 points, but he’s now connecting on 53 percent of his shots following Tuesday’s career-best 25-point night.
``I’m just doing as much as I can with what I’m given,’’ Payton said, referring to his playing time off the bench. ``God gave me this (talent) and I want just try and continue to use what He gave me.’’
As for Green, he’s spent his entire career toggling back and forth between starting games and playing off the bench. For the Magic, at least, he’s been much better as a reserve (11.1 points, 42.9 percent shooting, 13 games) than he has been as a starter (5.9 points per game, 28.8 percent shooting, eight games).
``It’s going to be fluid all year and it’s not set that this is what the roles are going to be for these guys all year,’’ Vogel said. ``We have a few guys in that (reserve) unit that are starters. For now, they are accepting roles and it’s helping to contribute to Ws. We’ll see how it plays out, but they’ve all been great.’’
MEEKS ANYTHING BUT MEEK: The Magic’s biggest acquisitions of the past summer, undoubtedly, were the trade for Serge Ibaka and the free-agent signing of Bismack Biyombo. But the trade for Jodie Meeks – a deal that mostly flew under the radar last June – could prove to be a pivotal one for the Magic because of the shooting skill that the guard provides.
Knowing that his team desperately needed to upgrade its shooting from 3-point range, Magic GM Rob Hennigan acquired Meeks on June 29 in a trade with the Detroit Pistons. The deal was seen as something of a risk at the time after Meeks missed 79 of 82 games last season with a fractured bone in the outside of his right foot. That injury returned not long after the trade, resulting in Meeks needing a third surgical procedure in a year and one that knocked him out of the all the preseason and the first 19 games of the regular season.
Since he’s returned on Friday in Philadelphia, Meeks has shown how he can help the Magic with his dead-eye aim from 3-point range. He made two of three 3-point shots in his first game back against the 76ers and he drilled four of five shots from beyond the 3-point arc on Tuesday in Washington.
Through the first three games, Meeks is proving to be instant offense off the Magic bench, averaging 11.7 points in just 16.3 minutes a game. More than half of his shots (11 of 21) have come from 3-point range and he’s made six of those for a 54.5 percent accuracy rate from behind the line. Also, he’s drilled all nine of his free throws, earning him the nickname of, ``professional shooter,’’ from Vogel.
``I’m excited about (Meeks’ shooting) and hopefully he can keep giving us that lift,’’ said Vogel of Meeks, who is a career 37.4 percent shooter from 3-point range.
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