2023-2024 Regular Season Game 80: Orlando Magic (46-33) at Milwaukee Bucks (48-31) - 8pm

[Optimus_Steel]

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Holy crap is that stark.

Goes to show you Franz is way more 1B player to Banchero 1A than B/Robin/whatever you call it player for Magic

You see so many bad takes about trading Franz or afraid to pay him because he’s had a bad 3pt shooting year, it’s clear they fail to see how good he is and how important he is; and still very young.

[JoshuaPotter]

I love how 3/4ths of us are either on the brink of a melt down or currently in meltdown status.

Just win please Orlando. I don't want another 50 page game thread on the same topics every time we lose.

We need a "we suck because..." And a "we rock because..." discussion. Our strengths and weaknesses are pretty obvious at this point.

Yup. Yowzah.

Whoever said that we didn't go through injury or hardship in the regular season needs to take that back right meow.

[JoshuaPotter]

Don’t know if worth watching. Don’t feel like being mad.

It was bad, I listened in.

Didn't get mad though.

[Optimus_Steel]

Second game in a row our defense has been garbage, second game in a row we've started 3 guards.

Coaching needs to be better.

The 3 guard thing is not a good look unless they were really good 3pt shooters and penetrators to offset the defensive side but they can’t.


I think what we are seeing in terms of defensive meltdowns is that when the offense struggles more than their normal struggles it directly affects the defensive focus and intensity. The energy level is sapped, it carries over to defense. With the pressure of the late season has ramped up they just seem unable to overcome that. When don’t have the personnel at the moment to over come that. We don’t have veterans that we can rely on nor the shooting and guard penetration to help offset that. That is an offseason fix situation as well as acquiring more experience situation.

[eyriq]

Second game in a row our defense has been garbage, second game in a row we've started 3 guards.

Coaching needs to be better.

Is Houstan supposed to be a guard? He is 6'8" and never dribbles the ball.

I was just thinking about that after posting.

[eyriq]

Holy crap is that stark.

Goes to show you Franz is way more 1B player to Banchero 1A than B/Robin/whatever you call it player for Magic

Not for anything but it seems if you take anyone off this team, we can’t win. We are way more intertwined than I thought. No Paolo, loss. No Suggs, loss. No, Franz, JI, Harris, loss. No Markelle or WCJ????

Well said. The front office has all the information they need to map out the next phase of this build.

[Rainwater]

There seems to be a disconnect between the fans and expectations.

Magic are absolutely capable of beating tanking Charlotte, crap Portland, and eliminated Houston.
They dropped the ball whether you want to schedule floundering Milwaukee as a loss or not.

You cant simultaneously be high on this team and think "oh well we weren't supposed to be here anyway" after what you've seen this season from these guys assuming you've watched the games.

It makes perfect sense. They choked at the worst possible time when winning mattered and the team looks the worst it has ALL season down the stretch. They've gotten WORSE and haven't been trending upward, which is ideally what you'd like to see against poorer competition.

Not sure why a subsection of the posters make this out like its OK. It would have been fine at the beginning of the season. Not now when the pressure matters.

I just disagree with this assessment. I am high on this team because I see the growth and progression of guys like Paolo, Franz, and Suggs and how they have produced way more than expected. They have an off season with a ton of Cap and assets to improve the team in keys areas. And also this is one of the best seasons the Magic have had in years. This rough patch they are having shouldn’t overshadow the great progress they have made this season. The feelings of fans seem to sway game to game but they refuse to see how successful this season has been as a whole.

While I understand the disappointment with the recent play, this is still a very young squad that is still learning how to win with a whole lot roster flaws. I really can’t judge them too harshly.

I dunno man. I’m high on aspects of this team because of what we saw early in the season.

I’m pessimistic because I don’t trust our FO to actually fix anything based on their track record of never doing anything when it’s glaringly obvious.

The other thing….If this was a season where we shouldn’t be pressed about making noise in the post season, then I’d rather be watching AB and Jett get minutes instead of Fultz. But that isn’t the case. Kind of a confusing thing to signal if they aren’t prioritizing growth over immediate results.

That’s kinda the point here. Maybe I’d be cooler about losing to CHA, every close west coast loss at home, and scrub teams down the stretch if Magic were playing their young prospects the majority of minutes. Instead, the FO tried to squeeze wins out without upgrading the weaknesses in the offseason and deadline while playing guys that have no business being here next season. It’s like they took a gamble and lost big.

It’s not even this game in particular. It’s more about dropping the ball collectively over the past 2-3 weeks. It isn’t expected that the Magic should be beating Milwaukee at home. However, there was no urgency last night when the season is closing in on you and your offense/defense LOOKS bottom 5 against teams like Hornets and Rockets.

This post is understandable especially the take on the front office. I am withholding judgement on the FO until I see what they do this offseason. Their non-movement in the last year could be a plan to act this offseason. If nothing is done, this is when I will be upset.

The recent play I say is a matter of youth and inexperience and hopefully gets better as seasons pass. And I just think that Black and Jett are incredibly raw.

In all I think all this is a learning process.

[JoshuaPotter]

Goes to show you Franz is way more 1B player to Banchero 1A than B/Robin/whatever you call it player for Magic

Not for anything but it seems if you take anyone off this team, we can’t win. We are way more intertwined than I thought. No Paolo, loss. No Suggs, loss. No, Franz, JI, Harris, loss. No Markelle or WCJ????

Well said. The front office has all the information they need to map out the next phase of this build.

Don't look at the Isaac record....

[drsd]

Is Houstan supposed to be a guard? He is 6'8" and never dribbles the ball.

Houstan is close to setting a league record for 3-point attempts per FG attempted.

[eyriq]

Two coaching decisions that make me sick:

1. Starting/playing Fultz over AB
2. Going small vs going big

Shifting Paolo to the 3, WCJ to the 4, and starting Goga is the way.

[RichCollab]

Mass panic ensues….

[OrlChamps2030]

I know we joke up how “up and down” Magic fans are but wow you have guys who days ago were talking about securing the 2 seed and now people are saying they hope we lose the play-in?

[JF5]

I know we joke up how “up and down” Magic fans are but wow you have guys who days ago were talking about securing the 2 seed and now people are saying they hope we lose the play-in?

I think the last few months has sort of shown the mindset of some Magic fans.

1. They were upset they didn't make a move during the deadline because they felt that "they could make a run in the playoffs" for some reason.

2. They're a good team... But a young team that can get their asses handed to them by veteran and/or well coached teams.

3. Not being rational enough to realize that a young team being in this position for the first time, just might struggle against other veteran teams fighting for the same spot.

This team is 46-34... They've gone over expectations that pretty much all of us believed they'd initially have. Still fighting for a playoff spot without having to deal with a play-in scenario and have somewhat the upperhand. All of this right now is gravy.

Frustrating that theyre not winning games to help themselves? Of course! But they're a young team essentially in a playoff scenario where all these games late matter. They don't know how to deal with that and it shows. They have to figure it out and experience this now in order for them to know what it takes to win once they start competing.

This is one of those things that have irked me about fans here getting so angry/overreacting about one of the youngest teams in the league struggling to win key games against teams that have have coaches/rosters that know how to win. It's a process.

93-94 Magic Magic with Baby Shaq and Penny got swept in the first round. What makes you think with an similar but inferior young duo in The 23-24 Paolo and Franz Magic shouldn't be immune to inexperience and growing pains? It's just not rational nor possible.

[eyriq]

Mosley has decided who his best players are and builds rotations accordingly. His preference for Harris, Fultz, and Cole is a really sore topic.

Paolo
Franz
----------
Suggs
WCJ
----------
Harris
Cole
Fultz
----------
Moe
Ingles
Isaac
----------
Houstan
----------
Black

[ibraheim718]

Playing Fultz over Black might be his worst decision yet.

[eyriq]

Playing Fultz over Black might be his worst decision yet.

Not getting Suggs above 30 mpg is also a fail IMO

[ibraheim718]

Playing Fultz over Black might be his worst decision yet.

Not getting Suggs above 30 mpg is also a fail IMO

I get he does it to try and conserve his energy but how about talking to the kid and telling him to not go all out until the 4th quarter so he can play him more minutes? Teaching him that in quarters 1-3 you don't want to go all out in this league. But just watching the game last night and watching Black it befuddles me that he thinks Fultz has more of an impact on the game than Black. With Black in the game the team runs more, period. And Black impacts the game defensively and is willing to shoot the 3. Makes me think it's on purpose. The directive from above could be that there are no expectations this year and just continue to develop the younger players slowly.

[OrlChamps2030]

I know we joke up how “up and down” Magic fans are but wow you have guys who days ago were talking about securing the 2 seed and now people are saying they hope we lose the play-in?

1. They were upset they didn't make a move during the deadline because they felt that "they could make a run in the playoffs" for some reason.

I think it’s valid to be frustrated about that. A veteran guard may not have helped this team “make a run in the playoffs” (im not sure if anyone was saying that tbh), but a veteran guard is looking like the difference between the 2seed/home court and the play-in.

[Furinkazan]

every fkn time I choose to to watch ends up as a fkn disaster...

recod in games I wached this season must be like 2-30

[JF5]

I know we joke up how “up and down” Magic fans are but wow you have guys who days ago were talking about securing the 2 seed and now people are saying they hope we lose the play-in?

1. They were upset they didn't make a move during the deadline because they felt that "they could make a run in the playoffs" for some reason.

I think it’s valid to be frustrated about that. A veteran guard may not have helped this team “make a run in the playoffs” (im not sure if anyone was saying that tbh), but a veteran guard is looking like the difference between the 2seed/home court and the play-in.

I somewhat agree... but the thing about that is at this point of their development's you want the ball into Paolo and Franz hands. In order for them to get those game reps in critical or crucial situations so they'll be prepared for it later.

It might not look pretty at times and there will be turnovers. But this is the best way for them to learn and strengthen their ball handling/decision making for at least for the next 2-3 seasons.

I compare it to Boston where they put it in Tatum and Browns hands for the last 4-5 seasons. Realized they maxed out as ball handlers/playmakers and decided to trade for Jrue recently. They handled that perfectly.

I feel with Paolo and Franz there is clearly another level of playmaking they can unlock. But at this point it would just hinder them getting a ball dominate PG. Given that they're this young and winning already. I would want to give them more latitude for growth overall.

Just surround them with shooters in the upcoming seasons first then go from there.