featured-image

Postgame Report: Magic vs. Pistons (3/27/15)

Josh Cohen
Digital News Manager

By John Denton

March 27, 2015

ORLANDO – There was a time in the Orlando Magic’s illustrious history, nearly two decades ago now, when foes feared driving down the lane because of the 350 pounds of imposing muscle and jaw-dropping athleticism that awaited them in the form of a snarling Shaquille O’Neal.

O’Neal, the newest member of the Magic Hall of Fame, was back at the Amway Center on Friday night and seated courtside and he couldn’t have liked what he saw as the Detroit Pistons used cat-quick guard Reggie Jackson and big man Andre Drummond to parade to the rim over and over again.

Jackson notched the second triple-double of his career, Drummond hammered Orlando inside and Tayshaun Prince had a blast-from-the-past type of night as the Magic were mostly defenseless in a disappointing 111-97 loss to the Pistons.

Orlando (22-52) shot 52.4 percent for the game, but it never could make much progress on Stan Van Gundy’s Pistons (28-44) because of an inability to get defensive stops. Jackson got in the lane all night and gashed Orlando for 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Drummond, who pounded the Magic twice earlier this season, was a plus-17 in his 26 minutes on the floor and he finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.

``Our defense was just not there at all tonight,’’ said Magic forward Tobias Harris, who led the offensive effort with 21 points. ``When you shoot that percentage (offensively) you are at least supposed to feel like you are in the game. But I don’t think we had any energy tonight and that was the most discouraging part about it. We shot a good percentage, but we need to pick our defense up. We didn’t buy into doing that.’’

Prince, a longtime Magic killer, was up to his old tricks on Friday as he made 10 of 15 shots and had a throw-back-like game with 23 points. Time and again, Prince made jumpers at the end of the shot clock – much the way that he used to do in 2007 and ’08 in the playoffs against the Magic – that broke Orlando’s spirit.

Detroit hammered Orlando for 46.7 percent shooting, seven 3-pointers, 20 free throws and 46 points in the paint.

``When they kicked it (out of pick-and-roll plays) we just could not contain the ball,’’ Magic interim coach James Borrego said. ``One-on-one containment was not there tonight.’’

The poor defense ruined the honoring of O’Neal, who received a warm ovation from many of the 16,427 fans inside the Amway Center – surely an odd sight for long-time Magic fans who spewed vitriol at the 7-foot-1 center for years after he defected from Orlando to Los Angeles in the summer of 1996.
In keeping with the Shaq theme of the night, the Magic fouled Drummond intentionally in the third quarter to try and take advantage of the big man’s troubles shooting free throws. Even that didn’t work as Drummond made two of his four free throws in the third quarter.

Nikola Vucevic chipped in 20 points and 14 rebounds for a Magic team that shot 52.4 percent from the floor. Victor Oladipo scored 16 points, while rookie point guard Elfrid Payton added 14 points, 13 assists and four rebounds. Orlando turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 23 Pistons points.

``Maybe we’re getting sped up there a little too much and we need to dial it back a little,’’ Payton of the Magic’s turnover issues of late. ``We just need to pay better attention to detail.’’

O’Neal, who starred for the Magic from 1992-96, became the third member of the Magic Hall of Fame on Friday afternoon in a ceremony on the terrace level of the Amway Center. O’Neal, who guided the Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals and the ’96 East Finals, was brought out to center court between the first and second quarters of Friday’s game and the majority of the fans in attendance stood and cheered for the behemoth former all-star center.

O’Neal said candidly that he has thought for years what could have happened in Orlando had he never left the Magic for the Lakers. O’Neal truly believes the core of Penny Hardaway, Nick Anderson, Horace Grant, Dennis Scott and himself could have brought the Magic multiple championships.

``I think about that all of the time, but I try to not live my life on ifs and woulda/shoulda. But do I regret leaving here in ’96? Yes, I do,’’ O’Neal said earlier in the day on Friday. ``Knowing what I know now, I would have stayed.’’

The Magic were without defensive ace Dewayne Dedmon, who missed his fourth game in the past five because of a trouble ankle injury. Dedmon, who was inserted into the starting lineup three weeks ago, felt a pop in his ankle last week in Houston and missed the next three games. He returned on Wednesday and had seven rebounds and a blocked shot in 26 minutes, but pain returned in his ankle and he was held out of Friday’s game.

Still in the midst of their longest homestand of the season, the Magic will get an extended break over the next four days. Orlando, which will host the Black Tie and Tennies Gala for fans on Saturday night at the Amway Center, doesn’t play again until Wednesday when it hosts the San Antonio Spurs.

``I just think that over these next four days we all as individuals have to look ourselves in the mirror,’’ Harris said. ``We have to come in here to work every day and we have to ask ourselves, `What do we want to get out of (the final eight games)?’ Toward the end of the season, personally and as a team, are we trying to get better? I think we all have to really individually look at ourselves and pick ourselves up. When we step on the floor in front of our fans, we have to do a better job.’’

Remarkably, Orlando made nearly 56 percent of its shots in the first three quarters of the game and still trailed 87-76 going into the fourth quarter. The Magic couldn’t make up any ground on the Pistons because of their own offensive gaffes (14 turnovers) and their inability to guard without fouling.

There was a stretch in the third quarter when seven consecutive Detroit baskets came right at point-blank range off drives down the lane. Jackson did most of the damage, registering 17 points, five rebounds and four assists in the third period alone.

Orlando made 14 of its first 24 field goal attempts and shot a scorching 61.5 percent in the first half, but incredibly it still trailed 54-53 at intermission. The Magic gave the ball away too much early on (nine turnovers) and they allowed the Pistons to get off 14 more shot attempts in the first two quarters because they were also whipped on the boards. Detroit turned nine offensive rebounds into nine second-chance points in the first 24 minutes.

Harris said that if the Magic are going to close the season strong and build some much-needed momentum going into the summer they have to play much harder than they did on Friday. That, and not succumbing to the frustration of another disappointing season, is the challenge the rest of the way, Harris said.

``There needs to be a lot of urgency,’’ Harris huffed. ``We have 22 wins and last season we had 23. We have to show improvement. The guys on our team, this group that’s here, we’re here. We’re part of the Orlando Magic and the fans come out to support us. We have to show some urgency out there for ourselves and we have to try to win games. We have to build something.’’

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.