featurednews

Josh Cohen

ORLANDO – The Magic firmly believe they can be elite in most, if not all, defensive categories this season.

With Steve Clifford, a defensive tactician, at the helm and with long, athletic and feisty players spread across the roster, Orlando should excel on that side of the floor.

The way the Magic pressured the ball in Monday’s preseason contest, the way they forced the Heat into 23 turnovers, the way they closed out on the perimeter, the way they covered pick-and-rolls and the way they patrolled the lane was all very encouraging.

Miami shot 41.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range, stats that should enthuse Clifford and his coaching staff. The Heat’s turnovers were, by and large, triggered by the Magic’s staunch defense.

Perhaps what will please Clifford the most is that his team didn’t let a poor shooting night hinder them on the other end. They stuck to their defensive principles, even when they fell behind by 19 in the third quarter.

Although this was just an exhibition game, Orlando’s defense down the stretch was strikingly good. Miami settled for a pair of contested 3-point shots on its final two possessions, both misses and both taken with the shot clock about to expire.

All night, the Magic crowded the lane and made it difficult for the Heat to attack the basket. For the most part, they did an excellent job rotating when Miami swung the ball around the arc, too. Transition defense must improve, though, as the Heat tallied 22 fast break points.

Orlando should rank high in steals this season, largely because nearly all of its core players have really good instincts and anticipation.

Getting Jonathan Isaac, arguably the team’s most versatile defender, and Terrence Ross back in the lineup should make the Magic even better defensively. They both could potentially return as soon as Wednesday when Orlando hosts Memphis.

film-room-magics-stifling-defense

Film Room: Magic's Stifling Defense

MIAMI – Steve Clifford and Erik Spoelstra have a friendship that dates back 19 years, to a time when both were pro scouts and aspiring NBA coaches, and they still enjoy each other’s company today.

However, if Spoelstra – head coach of the Miami Heat – had his way, he and his counterpart from the Orlando Magic wouldn’t be spending so much time together this NBA season.

``I consider Steve one of the friends that I have in the league, going back to when we scouted together,’’ Spoelstra said. ``I’m glad that he got another (coaching) opportunity, but I would have preferred if he went West.’’

Clifford and Spoelstra, Southeast Division rivals once again, squared off on Monday night in Miami and they matched wits against once all the way to the end of a tense finish. Their teams were far from their best – fitting of the game’s preseason designation – but the Heat overcame a night of sloppiness, got an officiating break at the end and clawed their way to a 90-89 defeat of the Magic.

Orlando (1-2 in the preseason) took an 89-88 lead with 1:47 to play when Aaron Gordon drilled a 3-pointer. However, Miami’s Rodney McGruder (19 points) scored seconds later to give the Heat (1-3) a lead they would not surrender.

Orlando had the ball with 1.3 seconds remaining and Clifford drew up an in-bounds play designed for the high-flying Gordon. However, prior to the in-bounds play referee Gediminas Petraitis refused to hand the ball to Nikola Vucevic after blowing his whistle. Orlando tipped its hand with its play following the whistle, and re-ran the same look following the referee snafu. Ultimately, Vucevic’s pass was off the mark because of the defense of Miami center Bam Adebayo and the Magic fell for a second time in three preseason games.

``We started the play when he blew the whistle, but I didn’t have the ball, so (the Heat) kind of knew the play that we were going to run,’’ Vucevic said. ``We still had a solid look that we wanted to run and maybe I could have done a better job getting the ball to A.G., but Bam Adebayo did a good job of pushing out Aaron a little bit. But, it happens and it gives us a chance to work on some special stuff that we want to do (at the end of close games).’’

Vucevic played well against the Heat yet again, giving the Magic 22 points and 14 rebounds. Reserve point guard Jerian Grant (17 points) gave the Magic some much-needed offense on a night when Evan Fournier (two of 12, four points), Gordon (five of 17, 12 points), D.J. Augustin (one of six, six points) and Jonathon Simmons (two of 11, four points) struggled with their shots.

Once down as much as 19 points early in the third quarter, Orlando roared back into it and re-took the lead with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter. A Khem Birch layup that was set up by a Mohamed Bamba assist improbably put the Magic into the lead.

Bamba, the No. 6 pick in last June’s NBA Draft, finished with seven points, four rebounds and three assists. He came into the game having made all four of his 3-point shots in the first two preseason games, but he missed all three of his attempts on Monday. Orlando shot just 37.8 percent from the floor and made only seven of 26 3-point shots.

``They have Hassan (Whiteside) in the middle and he’s a tremendous shot-blocker,’’ Gordon said of the reason Orlando struggled offensively. ``We’ve got to do a better job of getting him off his feet and driving the ball and playing inside-out (basketball).’’

Goran Dragic scored 16 points for the Heat.

The next time that the Magic and Heat see one another they will be opening the regular season on Oct. 17 at the Amway Center. It’s the third straight season that the Orlando and Miami will open the regular season at the Amway Center. The Heat won that game two years ago, while the Magic captured the victory last year.

``They’re a good team and a playoff team last year, so we know that if we can play with them we’ll be in good position this season,’’ said Grant, whom the Magic acquired in the offseason in a trade with the Chicago Bulls.

Orlando will close out the preseason by hosting the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. The Magic are hopeful that Jonathan Isaac (ankle sprain), Terrence Ross (sore foot) and Timofey Mozgov (dislocated finger) – all of whom missed Monday’s game – will be able to play on Wednesday to get live game reps prior to the start of the regular season.

Clifford is hoping to see the same kind of fight in those games that he saw in Monday’s second half.

``(The deficit) was 10 and we came out flat and they jumped us, but our defense got us back into the game,’’ Clifford said. ``I thought our defense was really good, holding them to 17 (points) in the fourth. So, that was really good.’’

Clifford and Spoelstra worked their way up the ranks in the NBA, serving as scouts and assistant coaches before getting their shots as head coaches. Clifford worked with the Knicks, Rockets, Magic and Lakers before becoming a head coach in 2013 with the Hornets. Meanwhile, Spoelstra got his start with the Heat in 1995 as a video coordinator, but he quickly worked his way up to an assistant coaching job. When legendary coach Pat Riley moved up solely to the front office, Spoelstra got the nod as head coach and he proceeded to win two titles while LeBron James and Chris Bosh played with Dwyane Wade.

Clifford, who faced the Heat four times a season in his five years as a Magic assistant and while in Charlotte as head coach, said there are some hallmarks to all of Spoelstra’s teams.

``The biggest thing is (Spoelstra’s teams) don’t give possessions away, they know how they want to play and they stay with it,’’ Clifford raved about the Heat. ``I told the (Magic) guys that to me, as much as any other team, they’re not going to beat themselves many nights. You’re going to have to beat them and you’re going to have to execute and (the Heat) are going to play with great intensity and purpose.’’

Down 10 at the half, Orlando saw the deficit swell to as much as 19 when it missed its first seven shots of the third period. The Magic did storm back to within 65-62 when Gordon heated up, but a poor finish to the period left them down 73-68 by the start of the fourth.

Orlando got off to a fine enough start and led 22-20 after a period. However, the Magic’s ball-handling and shooting disappeared in a dreadful second quarter, leaving them in a 52-42 hole by halftime.

The Magic made just eight of 22 shots and turned the ball over eight times in the second quarter alone. Jarell Martin, an offseason acquisition from Memphis, turned the ball over three times in the second quarter and four times total in the first half.

Grant, who was acquired in the three-team trade with Charlotte and Chicago in July, feels the Magic can build off their strong finish to the night.

``(That showed) that we’re going to be a really good team this year,’’ said Grant, the nephew of Magic legend Horace Grant. ``We’ve got a lot of pieces and I feel like between the starters and the bench, we don’t lose much. Teams are going to have to come and play us for 48 minutes. We want teams to realize when they play the Magic it’s going to be a tough game for 48 minutes.’’

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.

postgame-report-magic-at-heat-2

Postgame Report: Magic at Heat

MIAMI – The Orlando Magic collectively have their fingers crossed that promising forward Jonathan Isaac will continue inching closer good health and be back in action by the team’s next game on Wednesday.

Isaac, who saw his rookie season limited to just 27 games because of a series of ankle injuries, sprained his right ankle just nine minutes into last week’s exhibition opener. Isaac, who recently turned 21 years old, missed preseason games on Friday and Monday (partly out of precaution), but the feeling is that he is close to a return.

Magic coach Steve Clifford said that Isaac went through all the team’s drills and scrimmaging on Sunday and again on Monday morning. The hope now is that he will practice on Tuesday and be available to play on Wednesday night when the Magic host the Memphis Grizzlies.

``He did some of the contact (on Sunday) and he felt good (Monday) morning and he did a lot of the offensive part of this and said he feels good,’’ Clifford said. ``Hopefully by Wednesday he may be able to play.’’

Isaac, the No. 6 pick from 2017, projects as a potential starter at forward for the Magic because of his length, athleticism and basketball smarts.

Isaac stayed in Orlando much of this past offseason so that he could work on adding strength and bulk to his previously rail-thin frame and to work on better protecting his ankles from sprains. He said that the Magic purchased a special machine for the team’s weight room to help him with the strengthening of his ankles and he did plenty of other drills to try and avoid a repeat of last season. In fact, Isaac stressed that the mild ankle sprain he suffered in the opener after accidentally stepping on Philadelphia forward Robert Saric’s foot would have been much worse if his ankles weren’t as strong as they are now.

``We do band work pretty much every day on my ankles and it was super tough working on (strengthening the ankles) this summer,’’ said Isaac, who got in another pre-game workout in Miami on Monday. ``I’m glad about the progress that we’ve made. My ability to roll (his ankle), stepping on somebody’s foot, and be back in action (shows the progress).’’

IWUNDU’S OPPORTUNITY: One man’s misfortune is often another man’s opportunity, and Magic forward Wes Iwundu has taken advantage of the chances to play more while Isaac has been out injured.

Iwundu, a second-round pick in 2017, started Friday’s game versus Flamengo and was back in the starting lineup on Monday in Miami. He had six points, two rebounds and an assist in the opener and contributed three points, a steal, a block and a rebound in 19 minutes on Friday.

``The guy who is playing well – we play well when he’s on the floor – he’s very bright organizationally and in terms of basketball IQ and has made a strong argument as to why he’s ready to play a bigger role is Wes,’’ Clifford noted. ``Not just in the games, but practice, he’s the one (playing well). His numbers haven’t been great, but his play has been. You can always win in this league with guys who give you a chance to execute at both ends of the floor, and that’s what I see in him.’’

Iwundu played in 62 games (with 12 starts) as a rookie, averaging 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 16.5 minutes. The Magic’s defensive metrics were universally better when he was on the floor last season, but it’s his lack of a trustworthy 3-point shot that has prevented him from playing more. Iwundu shot just 42.7 percent from the floor and made only 19.6 of his 3-point shots (nine of 46) as a rookie, but he feels he brings plenty of other things to the floor.

``It’s just about being that smart player out there and a player who doesn’t make too many mistakes,’’ Iwundu said of his projected role. ``I have to be a player who can guard the hottest guy on offense at any time and make energy plays here and there. Do a lot of little things and fill in those corners for the threes.’’

CLOSE FRIENDS: Through the years, Orlando center Nikola Vucevic has regularly bedeviled the Miami Heat by posting some of the best numbers of his career against the Magic’s Sunshine State rivals. Similarly, Heat point guard Goran Dragic has a long history of playing well against Orlando.

Off the court, Vucevic and Dragic aren’t as competitive and they maintain a friendship as close as any in the NBA among rivals. When Orlando was in South Florida last February, Vucevic went to Dragic’s Miami home for a Super Bowl party. Both have also worked at one another’s kids camps back in their respective homelands and they once again dined together on Sunday night in Miami. Vucevic said the host player has to buy the dinners, which works out well for him since the restaurants are usually costlier in Miami than Orlando.

``It dates back to a year or two when I was in the NBA because we have the same agent,’’ Vucevic said of the friendship. ``We met through that and Goran is a great guy.

``Whenever we play against each other, we always try to catch up,’’ Vucevic added. ``Goran even came to my camp this past summer (in Montenegro) and he was the special guest at the camp. The kids really enjoyed it. He has had his own camp for years in Slovenia, but he was great (at Vucevic’s camp) talking to the kids and helping them. He’s a great player and I consider him a great friend.’’

jonathan-isaac-could-be-ready-to-play-wednesday-vs-grizzlies

Jonathan Isaac Could Be Ready to Play Wednesday vs. Grizzlies

none

ticketmaster

We appreciate your understanding and flexibility.

Due to Tropical Storm Nicole, the NBA has announced that the Dallas Mavericks at Orlando Magic game on Wednesday, November 9 will tip-off at 5:30 PM. Amway Center doors open at 4:30 PM.