That was a bowling shoe ugly game and an even worse performance from the Orlando Magic. Their series with the Detroit Pistons was predicted to be the toughest watch of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. After an overachieving Game 1, on the entertainment scale, Game 2 saw Franz Wagner and company bullied off the floor, writes Emmet Ryan.
The Orlando Magic don’t need to entertain to advance in the NBA Playoffs but they certainly need to execute better. Franz Wagner’s woes epitomised the problems they faced in the Game 2 defeat to the Detroit Pistons.
On the upside, they bring the series back to Orlando tied at 1-1 and have stolen home court for now. That benefit won’t matter much if they can’t find a way to stay elevated throughout this series.
Just plain bullied
The early going for Franz Wagner on D was far from pretty. He was routinely forced out of position, most notably by Jalen Duren, and struggled to adapt. This wasn’t even full on bully ball. It was the odd bump and knock that’s the norm in the regular season, never mind the NBA Playoffs.
It’s not like Franz was alone with these issues. Defensively, the Orlando Magic were a touch off the pace throughout. It was only truly exploited by the Detroit Pistons in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Those were, of course, the minutes where the Pistons effectively ended the game as a contest.
Wagner’s second stint on the floor showed improvement on the defensive end and he picked up 4 steals in the game. Unfortunately that’s the outlier. In those crucial minutes at the start of the second half, he looked like a passenger on D. Part of this is health, sure, but there was also an element of focus in play too.
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It really was the shooting
Considering his final tally of 12 points from almost 32 minutes, it’s no shock that Franz Wagner finished with a weak 36.4 per cent shooting. What was a surprise was how much shooting was the core error, both in execution and decision making.
Rewatching the tape this morning, I expected an excellent defensive performance from the Detroit Pistons and sloppy creation by the Orlando Magic. The Pistons sort of hit the first of those but the Magic were actually creating good looks while the game was competitive. It really was the shooting that hurt them above all else.
The worst example came with 9.01 left in the first half. Wendell Carter Jr had the ball at the top of the key. He was guarded and quickly passed to Anthony Black on the left elbow. Black draws in Caris LeVert and passes to Jamal Cain for an open look in the corner. That was great movement. Then Cain opted to attack the already crowded rim. His first step beat Javonte Green but he focused so much on that, he coughed up the ball meekly.
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All too familiar
Injuries played a big role in the Orlando Magic ending up in the play-in. The lack of consistency that came with those naturally compounded that problem. Yet they found a way to make the NBA Playoffs and there’s no room for excuses at this stage of the season.
That includes the battered body of Franz Wagner and all the other guys carrying knocks. This is a winnable series. It may not be all that watchable for the neutral but that doesn’t matter. The locked-in nature of the Game 1 win over the Detroit Pistons needs to be the norm every night.
That lack of focus and ease of being outfought when it came to intensity just won’t cut it. The postseason is a marathon of sprints. I fully expect Orlando to bounce back with aggression in Game 3 but the question is whether they can maintain that through Game 4, Game 5, and whatever else is needed.
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