2025-2026 Regular Season Game 2: Atlanta Hawks (0-1) at Orlando Magic (1-0) - 7pm ET

[Knightro]

He was also bad all preseason.

No NBA team should or does make sweeping decisions on their rotations based on preseason.

[SOUL]

Like don't get me wrong this game pissed me the **** off but should the Clippers fire Lue for losing to like 40 to the Jazz on opening night? lol, and this was entirely self inflicted. Hit free throws and reduce turnovers and you actually win fairly easily.

Most teams aren't "free wins" in the league anymore besides the 3 terribly bad ones, not until late in the season anyway.

[RookieStar]

Also... as expected when i mwntioned what will happen if Bane goes for 1-5 in 3pt fg. Lol

Cmon guys. 2nd game of rhe season. We got a looooong way to go.

[FFBlitzace]

I'm a Paolo fan, but the guy could literally have Earl Boykins on his back and it wouldn't mean jack. He has no back-to-the-basket game whatsoever.

[dsg2021]

Nah an NBA coach needs to earn his paycheck in the final 2 minutes the other 46 minutes the players largely coach themselves out there. Suggs could've played another minute and it would've made a difference. Instead he sat at the scorers table watching Jones do nothing. That's on Mosley.

And he's not playing the best players, he knows it and deep down inside you all know it. Richardson plays winning basketball.. he can make things happen in all facets of the game. But instead we have to watch this rookie/hierarchy/politics/salary crap. Booooo Guaranteed he'll be a better NBA player than Black and Jones if he isn't already. There I said it.

Straight facts. This the kind of game where NYK gets 1 more Win than ORL by the end of the season, and now ORL is in the ECF against NYK without homecourt advantage.

[PrimeThyme]

You would think people thought we'd go 82-0 then. Some people wanted Mose fired when we were improving by 13 wins every year and our front office decided not to make any sort of trades at all.

I mean, do you follow professional sports and how these things go, or are you just blindly hoping he doesn't get fired if we fall short of expectations this year?

Job security does not exist for a coach like Mosley. Thibs just got fired for losing in 6 games in the conference finals. Mosleys fate will be no different this year if we once again end up in the bottom 1/3 of the league offensively.

Nobody is suggesting it happens by game 10 but this roster is loaded and the excuses (some valid some not) do not exist for a team with these salaries/players and we've not exactly gotten off to a roaring start by any means.

[Optimus_Steel]

Of the 87 regular season and playoff games the Magic played last year, zero were played faster than the pace in game 1 against Miami and only 9 were faster than tonight against Atlanta.

The commitment to playing with consistent pace is very real. But there are some downsides - heavier legs, increased turnovers, worse defense on a possession to possession basis - that are going to come and have already come with that while this group adjusts to this very new normal.

I had a feeling during the Miami game thats its going to take quite a while for them to get used to playing faster every game. Its quite a drastic change. They will be lumps along the way. This is one, which we a absolutely gave away with mistakes, is one and there will be more. Despite that this team was up most of the night and it was a tie game in last minute, so certainly not the end of the world. First month is essentially an extended preseason.

[RichCollab]

It’s the second game. We are trying to completely change our offense.

We are thinking to much and wearing out.

Tonight was a disaster for sure.

I want to see what the next couple of games have in store.

[SOUL]

I'm a Paolo fan, but the guy could literally have Earl Boykins on his back and it wouldn't mean jack. He has no back-to-the-basket game whatsoever.

It's weird because he has smaller feet for his size (which is good for footwork) but has Vuc-like tree trunk legs which feel like he's just stuck in the ground at times. It would require him playing more angry and intentional instead of going up with more finesse.

[SHAQ32]

Of the 87 regular season and playoff games the Magic played last year, zero were played faster than the pace in game 1 against Miami and only 9 were faster than tonight against Atlanta.

The commitment to playing with consistent pace is very real. But there are some downsides - heavier legs, increased turnovers, worse defense on a possession to possession basis - that are going to come and have already come with that while this group adjusts to this very new normal.

Holy reach, Batman!

It's completely factual though.

The Magic are playing *much* faster through two games than they did at any point in Mosley's tenure here.

And a few of the guys clearly have not fully adjusted to it quite yet.

If they're still having these same problems 10-15 games in, then we'll need to sound the alarms.

Nah.

[eyriq]

AB's lack of growth on offense is concerning.

[Knightro]

Nah.

That's fine. I wouldn't expect too different of a response from you regardless.

[SOUL]

You would think people thought we'd go 82-0 then. Some people wanted Mose fired when we were improving by 13 wins every year and our front office decided not to make any sort of trades at all.

I mean, do you follow professional sports and how these things go, or are you just blindly hoping he doesn't get fired if we fall short of expectations this year?

Job security does not exist for a coach like Mosley. Thibs just got fired for losing in 6 games in the conference finals. Mosleys fate will be no different this year if we once again end up in the bottom 1/3 of the league offensively.

Nobody is suggesting it happens by game 10 but this roster is loaded and the excuses (some valid some not) do not exist for a team with these salaries, contracts, and players and we've not gotten off to a roaring start by any means.

I truly don't know what would've won this game from a coaching perspective outside of hoping your players don't miss free throws, hit open shots, and don't turn the ball over. Jase over Tyus? Sure, I agree. Suggs more? Sure, if he isn't playing tomorrow.

I just find the comments to be eye-rolly because EVERY single franchise's fans make these comments about their coach besides (and even) the ones that just won a championship.

I'm under no illusion that COY/NBA Finals winning coaches get fired all the time, but often those moves do nothing because it's just the easiest thing to do because fans/front offices would rather do anything than expect more from their players.

Paolo plays even a NORMAL game, we go home happy with a win. One or two players hit an open shot late, the game goes differently. Hit even 5-6 of your free throws that you missed, it isn't that close late.

[thelead]

AB's lack of growth on offense is concerning.

so is Paolo's. They both are unreliable shooters in a shooters league

[OrlandoDream]

Suggs is not playing tom. I expect Jase minutes and a bounceback W.

[Knightro]

AB's lack of growth on offense is concerning.

He just doesn't have confident (or highly functional if we're being candid) ball handling and that just really makes anything he wants to do so much more difficult.

[Knightro]

As far as the deep fadeaway three with 10 seconds left, I have to imagine Paolo thought the failed Bane action had burned up almost the entire possession and that there was a lot less/almost no time on the clock.

Either way, a troubling lack of awareness for guy this far into his career.

[OrlandoDream]

AB's lack of growth on offense is concerning.

He just doesn't have confident (or highly functional if we're being candid) ball handling and that just really makes anything he wants to do so much more difficult.

The concerning part of AB is that he is almost exactly the same player today that he was his entire rookie year. He is just not a good fit on this team.

[FFBlitzace]

I'm a Paolo fan, but the guy could literally have Earl Boykins on his back and it wouldn't mean jack. He has no back-to-the-basket game whatsoever.

It's weird because he has smaller feet for his size (which is good for footwork) but has Vuc-like tree trunk legs which feel like he's just stuck in the ground at times. It would require him playing more angry and intentional instead of going up with more finesse.

Sometimes I just want him to do like Aaron Gordon does. AG has never had any kind of post game at all, but when he has a mismatch, he doesn't do any kind of move or anything, he just goes straight into them and then over them. And if he misses, he tips it in over them. It's awkward and ugly but it works.

[VFX]

I mean I know we are somewhat overreacting here after a bad loss… it’s whatever it’s a long season…

However, I just can’t help but see Paolo get paid massively and just look completely terrible these last two games. Is this a trend? Is he that guy?

Not only that, but he doesn’t really fit the blueprint when I’m watching Franz, Suggs, and Bane moving the ball at a much quicker pace.

There’s something there and it doesn’t really look good. We also can’t blame injuries right now considering this is basically the desired starting lineup sans Suggs minutes restrictions.