2024-2025 Regular Season Game 50: Orlando Magic (24-25) at Utah Jazz (10-36) - 5pm

[drsd]

I love this team BUT this "make or miss league" BS excuse is not going well for me

We need to attack the paint and stop launching so many 3s

This is basketball, not a 3pt contest, because 90% of the league is over using 3PT, you dont have to be fool enough to do like them

I m sick of this 3PT orgy era

And-1

Given the current roster, there is no way the Mgic should launch 40+ 3PAs. PnRs leading to lay-up; that's the ONLY play this team should run!

[Furinkazan]

This team is once again unwatchable

[Jiwol]

I love this team BUT this "make or miss league" BS excuse is not going well for me

We need to attack the paint and stop launching so many 3s

This is basketball, not a 3pt contest, because 90% of the league is over using 3PT, you dont have to be fool enough to do like them

I m sick of this 3PT orgy era

Your best post ever.

The thing is our coaching staff sucks balls. Mose is a great motivator but has little clue how to run plays and gives his players too long of a leash.

Another story is our lethargic front office.

It's very hard to root for this team right now. I honestly just scrolled through the game on LP anticipating the beatdown - and I got exactly that. How low have we fallen...

[jezzerinho]

I love this team BUT this "make or miss league" BS excuse is not going well for me

We need to attack the paint and stop launching so many 3s

This is basketball, not a 3pt contest, because 90% of the league is over using 3PT, you dont have to be fool enough to do like them

I m sick of this 3PT orgy era

Your best post ever.

The thing is our coaching staff sucks balls. Mose is a great motivator but has little clue how to run plays and gives his players too long of a leash.

Another story is our lethargic front office.

It's very hard to root for this team right now. I honestly just scrolled through the game on LP anticipating the beatdown - and I got exactly that. How low have we fallen...

Hard to not come to the conclusion there is a coaching problem on offense. The roster is unbalanced, but even with what we have the results should be much better.

[Fortune Teller]

An actual PG would go a long way towards fixing shot selection, distribution, pace of play, pick and roll efficiency, etc.

[I Rasharted]

This team desperately needs the all star break.

[SOUL]

Hard to not come to the conclusion there is a coaching problem on offense. The roster is unbalanced, but even with what we have the results should be much better.

This is just fan speak that every fanbase does. The guy helping improve our roster every single year to the tune of 12 wins every season, to a 50 win pace this year before the last few weeks while dealing with injuries didn't just forget how to coach. Neither did Finch, Malone, Budenholzer, Kerr, Spoelstra, Snyder, etc. All of these teams were several games under .500 at different points during the season, some with completely healthy rosters and superstars playing. Billups didn't just realize how to coach either lol.

90% of what people attribute to coaching is from players playing well or playing bad. Our roster is filled with guys who enjoy shooting threes but can't do it well, but also do not play that well inside outside of a select few. We can theorize all these plays to run but when teams play zone and clog the inside but also leave you wide open from three, basketball becomes a very simple game. Make shots.

What I'm disappointed in is the drop in defense, which I do think Mose is more directly responsible for, as it has never looked bad here the last 3 years as it has lately. The guys need to find themselves quickly.

[Bergmaniac]

I love this team BUT this "make or miss league" BS excuse is not going well for me

We need to attack the paint and stop launching so many 3s

This is basketball, not a 3pt contest, because 90% of the league is over using 3PT, you dont have to be fool enough to do like them

I m sick of this 3PT orgy era

And-1

Given the current roster, there is no way the Mgic should launch 40+ 3PAs. PnRs leading to lay-up; that's the ONLY play this team should run!

And what happens when the other team packs the paint to prevent layups, as every opposing coach would do against a team breaking records for shooting incompetence? "Just make a layup over 3 defenders at once"?

[SOUL]

And what happens when the other team packs the paint to prevent layup, as every opposing coach would do against a team breaking records fro shooting incompetence? "Just make a layup over 3 defenders at once"?

People aren't thinking that far ahead lol. We shot 35 free throws tonight, A lot of Franz, but he's literally one of the only people on our team competent at driving to the basket. Paolo's lift is shot. Cole is probably the next closest one which is sad. Goga is solid down there but is entirely reliant on others.

[richi_v25]

I didn't get to watch the game nor the few before bc I'm working nights but HahahaHa Gary "Street clothes" Harris, like really 16 and got nothing done, he's truly a scrubiest of scrubs yet my boy Mac can't get 3 minutes?

[Bergmaniac]

And what happens when the other team packs the paint to prevent layup, as every opposing coach would do against a team breaking records fro shooting incompetence? "Just make a layup over 3 defenders at once"?

People aren't thinking that far ahead lol. We shot 35 free throws tonight, A lot of Franz, but he's literally one of the only people on our team competent at driving to the basket. Paolo's lift is shot. Cole is probably the next closest one which is sad. Goga is solid down there but is entirely reliant on others.

We actually lead the league in free throw rate, which is really impressive considering how many games our best offensive players have missed. But there is only so much you can do without competent shooting.

[Skybox]

This team desperately needs the all star break.

I’d say (hope) the Trade Deadline would be more significant to healing the wounds

[pepe1991]

Just rewatched game, at least huge portion of it and man, this Banchero thing looks bad.

He looks mentally 100% off . I don't really care about offense, it comes and goes, sometimes you are just off, but his defense is so bad. He pretty much made John Collins look like prime KG. Late on every rotation, lazy in pick&roll, looks mentally out of basketball, his transition defense is him standing with both hands down if he botheres to even run back.

In general, it just feels like something is going on with a team. Maybe something happened in lockerroom, this team and their energy is NOTHING like team we saw last year.

They got punked by 10-36 team. Twice.

Yes, offense sucks, but they got blown up 7 times in past 9 games. Feels like somebody sucked life and joy out of them, that's why i think something happened that probably isn't basketball related. You just don't go from near 50 wins with young team to fringe playoff team in next year with same roster.

[Bergmaniac]

Yeah, I am starting to suspect that something must be going on in the lockerroom, it's not just Paolo, several of our players have had awful body language lately and the effort level has slipped too suddenly to be only a result of tiredness. Yesterday Franz and Cole looked the only ones who cared in the second half, everyone else was going through the motions.

[mattyBoi]

This team needs a shot creator at SG or PG and we need to cut the dead weight. WCJ, Isaac, KCP.

[drsd]

And what happens when the other team packs the paint to prevent layups, as every opposing coach would do against a team breaking records for shooting incompetence? "Just make a layup over 3 defenders at once"?

Sadly, this emphasizes how much the Magic need outside shooters. In conventional PnR, the 3rd player exists as an outlet for this very reason.

Anyhow: WePark, please fix the roster!

[eyriq]

Yeah, I am starting to suspect that something must be going on in the lockerroom, it's not just Paolo, several of our players have had awful body language lately and the effort level has slipped too suddenly to be only a result of tiredness. Yesterday Franz and Cole looked the only ones who cared in the second half, everyone else was going through the motions.

I'm wondering the same. Vibes are not immaculate. You don't just lose your identity like this due to injuries and the resulting discontinuity, do you? Maybe you do.

[Bergmaniac]

I am rewatching with Dante's commentary this time, he is so hilariously bad. He said "Wendell played so well in January" LMAO. We need to find someone better for the away games and being a future Steele replacement.

[GameOver25]

Yeah starting to point to perhaps locker room issues. Kind of feels like a falling out between two or more players. Again this is all speculation. But I could see something like this occurring, especially how they push the "family" narrative and someone said or did something and now feelings/trust is broken.

[OrlandoDream]

If its a locker room and personality issue, whos to say it has to do with players and maybe not coaching staff? Players here are always saying how much they love playing on this team and each other. Not sure what changed over the last couple of weeks to change that. If I was to guess, its a coaching staff issue. I think there are some frustrations amongst Paolo/Franz and how they are surrounded by a group of players that cant shoot and make their games harder. Still, effort was never an issue. We were beating good teams without Paolo and Franz bc everyone was busting their ass hustling, defending, even with crappy offense. Have star players gotten frustrated with this roster and their limitations? If so, weltman needs to make moves ASAP.

Another theory is that this roster has outgrown Mosley. Especially Paolo/Franz. His limitations and lack of exp as a coach is showing. Innability to get anything out of AB, Jett and to some extent TDS. Unable to use our current rosters strength to help Paolo/Franz game by being stubborn with the Suggs at PG, continuing to play Dell over Goga, inconsistent use of Jett when we so desperately need shooting. I think our core players have lost hope and trust on Mosley and his coaching staff. I suspect he will be on the hotseat and be prime candidate for replacement this summer. This coaching job would be one of the best positions in the NBA. Being able to coach budding young stars Paolo/Franz is a great opportunity.