2025-2026 Regular Season Game 5: Orlando Magic (1-3) at Detroit Pistons (2-2) - 7pm ET

[Kent]

Hey remember when we won the first game against the Knicks in '03 then proceeded to lose 19 straight?

This year's team is a lot better than that one.

<insert "Hang In There" kitten-hanging-off-a-branch poster>

[SHAQ32]

AB in his last 10 games - 9 assists. Till now it was mostly bater with eriq, but he starts to look like someone that cant be taken off the rotation without any regrets.

Cole had 9 assists alone last night.

[JT3000]

Tbh I think the players spent the entire summer sniffing their own farts.

Well they sure as hell didn't spend it training.

[Driguez]

I think they change coach before they make a trade, at least I hope they do. I like the guy but he's ran his course.

[eyriq]

I kind of don't want to panic.

We won 47 games with 22 year olds who are now on the verge of their prime years and won 41 games crippled last season.

Add Bane and experience should be the recipe for success.

[Optimus_Steel]

Tbh I think the players spent the entire summer sniffing their own farts.

Basically everyone in the NBA media and on NBA social media pretty much predicted from the moment the Bane trade was made that the Magic were going to just be this awesome team that would win 50+ and make a real playoff run and I think they bought into it mentally.

I do think that is one of the issues. You buy your own hype without putting in the work then you are not ready and get punched in the face. Jalen putting a weird And1 mix tape dribbling exhibition in the first quarter was completely out of place. But that is just one of the numerous issues.

[FFBlitzace]

I like Mosley and I think he has done a good job over his years as our coach. But this might be where you reach the end of the road with a ra-ra coach and need a coach that can actually coach basketball and be a hardass and not just be a fluff talker.

I might be guilty of just wanting to scapegoat the guy. I really don't know. But I'm starting to feel that way.

[Idiosyncratic]

I actually think pepe kind of explains this best. Our bench dominated the Ingles year when we looked really good. Our starters were young so they were credited as super up and coming because of that, but we've just never actually been that good. Franz was our +/- leader that year and the next 4 highest were bench players. Suggs who we apparently can't function without his energy was just +45 for that year ( and +3 last year).

Franz has been like the one really good piece and no one else has proven anything. And even he has looked slow this year. We just probably aren't that good and went all in with a core that isn't that good. IDK I'm feeling very negative.

[doct3r dr3]

Magic shot chart:




Pistons shot chart:






FGA in the paint:

ORL: 23-44 FG - 52.3% - 46 points
DET: 32-57 FG - 56.1% - 64 points

The story of the game is that the Pistons shot 10 more FG attempts due to grabbing 6 more rebounds and committing 4 fewer TOs, and they used these attempts to score in the paint, which they did at a better clip than the Magic.

[Knightro]

I kind of don't want to panic.

We won 47 games with 22 year olds who are now on the verge of their prime years and won 41 games crippled last season.

Add Bane and experience should be the recipe for success.

I still think they're going to give Mosley at least 20 games and then re-evaluate where they are.

Going from dead last 30th to 8th in pace is one offseason with essentially the same players is a massive adjustment and one they haven't appropriately handled yet.

The way I see it, we'll pretty much know by the 20 game mark that they've either figured it out, or they'll have completely dropped the pace thing and have gone back to old slow everything way down and defend and rebound like hell style.

One way or another, we should have our answers by the end of November.

[pepe1991]

One huge mistake was signing Tyus. We could've kept Cojo and Harris for less than what he makes.

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mistake? likely. Huge? Hell no. This team has much larger issues that those two wouldn't have fixed.

We're missing guard defense now, and it isn't going to get better.

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They are paying over $70 million dollars a year for two starting guards+ used 6# pick on alleged guard.

Blaming some vet minimum guy or expecting to other vet min guys to save them is silly.

KCP played defense but couldn't score. Bane was their all in move.

Moral of a story: don't give superstar haul for not superstar players.

[thelead]

But I feel like people were saying last year we needed Suggs back to be a ball handler since Paolo/Franz made the pace too slow and that we need to play Black at PG since only a few people thought he was a wing.

So what though?

Turns out people may have just been wrong and it was a "be careful what you wish for" scenario all along.

I guess, it's just frustrating so see how loudly a lot of these things fans were calling for have been implemented (a pure PG like Tyus, higher pace, playing AB on ball more), and then everyone throw it at the feet of one person like it isn't a multitude of things going on. I get the optics and reality of how things work out, it's just frustrating lol.

I think you're just remember those that argued that angle. There were many that wanted to replace Fultz with a true PG so that Suggs go back to playing off ball where he shot 40% from deep. That said, Suggs did play a lot with Harris that year and I don't have the lineup numbers.

[eyriq]

I actually think pepe kind of explains this best. Our bench dominated the Ingles year when we looked really good. Our starters were young so they were credited as super up and coming because of that, but we've just never actually been that good. Franz was our +/- leader that year and the next 4 highest were bench players. Suggs who we apparently can't function without his energy was just +45 for that year ( and +3 last year).

Franz has been like the one really good piece and no one else has proven anything. And even he has looked slow this year. We just probably aren't that good and went all in with a core that isn't that good. IDK I'm feeling very negative.

You're convinced by an argument that attributes our success to Joe Ingles? You are better than this.

[thelead]

Meanwhile, the Pacers are missing half their team and still playing teams really tough despite being winless. Why? Carlisle.

This is ridiculous now lol. I'm not even defending Mose for this season because I haven't been a fan of some of these changes but our literal entire calling card the last few years was being an underdog team that despite being one of the youngest teams had a top defense and would compete against anyone.Capped off with an above average showing in the playoffs against a seasoned Cavs team as well as competing decently last year until the injuries became too much to bear.

Half of you guys attribute WAAAAAAY too much to a head coach if you're going to say none of that applied to Mosely the last few years and he's terrible because of this start and then speak glowingly about Carlisle.

Spoelstra wouldn't have even survived criticism here because he's had one season in the last NINE years of over 50 wins, one with 46, the rest 44 and under. He'd be crucified lol. And those rosters while not amazing weren't ass.

I promise I knew you would white knight for Mose while I was typing that post

[thelead]

Our center rotation is a major problem right now. Could you imagine how frustrated Giannis would be if WCJ was the center he had to play next to?

[Idiosyncratic]

I actually think pepe kind of explains this best. Our bench dominated the Ingles year when we looked really good. Our starters were young so they were credited as super up and coming because of that, but we've just never actually been that good. Franz was our +/- leader that year and the next 4 highest were bench players. Suggs who we apparently can't function without his energy was just +45 for that year ( and +3 last year).

Franz has been like the one really good piece and no one else has proven anything. And even he has looked slow this year. We just probably aren't that good and went all in with a core that isn't that good. IDK I'm feeling very negative.

You're convinced by an argument that attributes our success to Joe Ingles? You are better than this.

Not Ingles himself. But the bench carried us in 23/24, that is a fact. The young core got too much credit for that season. Franz has always been the one starter rating out highly. Then we went in on a non superstar player knowing that, just because the East is weak and maybe we can hope West team is hurt in finals if we get there? I was trying to cope with Bane trade, but it just doesn't feel that great.

And I still think we can be fine this year, but just thinking bigger picture, not sure we are better off.

[thelead]

anyone have stats for the Suggs/Bane pairing and the AB/Bane pairing? Just wondering

[Ducklett]

My 1-9 prediction is one game closer.

Bane trade will go down as top 5 worse of all time when Mem get our lotto pick this year.

Yes, I am being dramatic, but our team is worse than I have ever seen.

[thelead]

I actually think pepe kind of explains this best. Our bench dominated the Ingles year when we looked really good. Our starters were young so they were credited as super up and coming because of that, but we've just never actually been that good. Franz was our +/- leader that year and the next 4 highest were bench players. Suggs who we apparently can't function without his energy was just +45 for that year ( and +3 last year).

Franz has been like the one really good piece and no one else has proven anything. And even he has looked slow this year. We just probably aren't that good and went all in with a core that isn't that good. IDK I'm feeling very negative.

You're convinced by an argument that attributes our success to Joe Ingles? You are better than this.

Not Ingles himself. But the bench carried us in 23/24, that is a fact. The young core got too much credit for that season. Franz has always been the one starter rating out highly. Then we went in on a non superstar player knowing that, just because the East is weak and maybe we can hope West team is hurt in finals if we get there? I was trying to cope with Bane trade, but it just doesn't feel that great.

And I still think we can be fine this year, but just thinking bigger picture, not sure we are better off.

That version of Jonathan Isaac was DPOY special. SO sad that it wasn't even an injury that finally did him in. He got his bag and quit on us.

[Knightro]

Bane is 27 years old in the prime of his basketball career and has been a really good top 40-45 NBA player for the last four years on teams that won 56, 51 and 48 games in the West.

He didn't forget how to play basketball in the last six months.

The failures of Bane thus far fall very much at the feet of this staff not understanding how to actually utilize him (or anyone else) offensively in ways that maximize anyone's skillset.