Clifford puts emphasis on ball movement, transition defense
Nearly a month into the season, Magic coach Steve Clifford sees a clear framework taking shape for his team.
“I think that we have a pretty definitive idea of how we need to play,” he said before the Magic took on the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night at Amway Center.
That play includes a focus on transition defense and ball movement on offense.
Clifford said likes how his team's halfcourt defense has performed, but the Magic must get better in covering teams in transition, he said.
“When we're totally committed defensively, like most teams, when we get our defense set, our halfcourt defense has been pretty good,” Clifford said. “It's the nights we've struggled with lapses in transition.”
Offensively, the Magic must move the ball, he said. Passive offensive sets or too much dribbling have spelled doom.
“If the ball hits the paint and we're making quick decisions and the ball is moving around, we've scored even against very good defensive teams,” Clifford said. “When the ball sticks and it's not getting into the paint, we really struggle. We don't have break-down guys.
“We [coaches] know. They [players] know. We've talked about it. They know. That's going to be our challenge, to do that more consistently on both ends of the floor.”
Isaac and The Block
They're still talking about “The Block” by Orlando's Jonathan Isaac on Philadelphia's Joel Embiid's attempted dunk in Wednesday's 111-106 Magic victory over the 76ers at Amway Center.
It was the second player this year who has received quite a big deal of fanfare from a blocked shot. For Terrence Ross, the 6-foot-7 guard, it was actually two blocks, in a row, on the same player — 7-foot Hassan Whiteside of Miami — that created an immediate stir. Isaac's block Wednesday, however, came against one of the premier players in the league, and it was quite surprising.
As Ross and Clifford said afterward, there are plenty of players who would have just stepped aside and let Embiid throw it down. But Isaac was ready for the challenge.
“Just a great play and it's not just that he blocked the shot … he got the loose ball and then he started the transition himself with two or three quick dribbles to halfcourt and then it led to an open 3. It's a momentum-changing play,” Clifford said.
“I'm pretty sure that if you took video of all Embiid's drives, with people standing in front of him, you'd find many more where people find a way to not get in the way … many more, I would say.
“Jonathan Isaac coming back … helps us so much. He does so many good things.”
Isaac was asked after practice Friday if he saved the video of the block to his phone:
“I got a picture. I don't have the actual video on my phone, but somebody sent me a picture of it that looks really dope,” Isaac said.
Home for two
Saturday night's game against the Lakers was the first of a back-to-back at Amway Center for the Magic. They are scheduled to face the at 6 p.m. Knicks Sunday
NBA social media, Mexico style
In preparation and promotion of the Magic's twogame December trip to Mexico City for the NBA Global Games 2018 Mexico, where they will face the Chicago Bulls and the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 13 and Dec. 15, NBAMexico has media stars in Orlando this weekend. Gabi Graf, a sports anchor from Venezuela and host of NBA Social Nights, is in town with Mexican comedian Diego Zanassi, the host of Deportología, a TV show focused on sports and entertainment, broadcasted by Fox Sports.
The two media personalities will be posting their thoughts and photos from Saturday night's LakersMagic game via their social-media accounts on Instagram and Twitter. They will also be posting during the NBA Global Games week.
To follow them, Graf's Instagram is @gabi_graf and Twitter is @gabrielagrafs. Zanassi's Instagram and Twitter are the same @zananassi.