ORLANDO - Regardless of how the rest of this series plays out, one thing is clear; the Magic have an identity and it’s likely not going to change any time soon.
The goal coming into this season was to build good defensive habits. We all knew the Magic had the right coach and player personnel to at some point become one of the better defensive teams in the league. We just weren’t sure how long it would take before we’d see results.
As the season matured, so did the Magic, particularly when it came to their improvement on defense. They won 22 of their final 31 games, which vaulted them into the postseason. The main reason they had so much success down the stretch was because of their grit and tenacity on the defensive side of the floor.
Even though they fell short in Game 3, the Magic hung tough largely because of what got them here in the first place.
Aaron Gordon’s individual defense on Kawhi Leonard, who finished with 16 points on 5-of-19 shooting from the field, was terrific. Jonathan Isaac, particularly in the first quarter when he recorded two blocks, caused havoc nearly every time down the floor.
The Raptors scored only seven fast break points, 11 fewer than their regular season average, and attempted just 10 free throws, 12 fewer than their average.
Orlando's defense wasn't perfect, though. Pascal Siakam gave the Magic fits all night, as the frontrunner for the Most Improved Player Award scored a playoff career-high 30 points. Toronto also shot 39 percent from beyond the arc, although it only took 28 attempts from deep, largely because of the Magic's ability to run the Raps' shooters off the 3-point line.
"It was a good defensive scheme, we executed pretty well on that end but there are things we missed defensively all over the floor (and) that was the main reason why we didn't win," said Gordon, who posted 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Making only 36 percent of their own shots – 29 percent from 3-point distance – also prevented the Magic from preserving the home-court advantage they initially stole away from the Raptors after winning Game 1 in Toronto. Aside from brief stretches early in the third quarter and toward the end of the fourth, the Magic struggled to maintain any kind of offensive rhythm.
To give themselves a chance at evening up this best-of-seven series, the Magic are going to have to play with the same defensive intensity and focus in Game 4. At some point shots will start to drop, but it will only matter if they continue to stick to their defensive principles.