Magic run on speed of young starters
A 3-pointer by Miami Heat guard Rodney McGruder clanged off the rim early in the first quarter Saturday night.
What happened next demonstrated exactly how the Orlando Magic want to play.
Terrence Ross collected the defensive rebound. And off the Magic went. Ross sped ahead a few strides and shoveled the basketball to Elfrid Payton at midcourt. Payton continued forward, slowing down slightly as he approached the 3-point arc and Aaron Gordon sprinted into the lane. Payton hurled a bounce pass, Gordon caught it in stride and capped the play with a righthanded dunk. Beginning with Ross’ rebound, the sequence took six seconds from start to finish.
Expect more of that in the months to come. The starting five of Payton, Ross, Evan Fournier, Gordon and Nikola Vucevic is tailor-made to run, and the Magic want to exploit their youth and speed as much as possible. On Saturday, with the starters on the floor, Orlando scored eight of its first 12 points on the break — a positive from its 93-90 win over Miami.
“I think everybody benefits from playing like this,” Payton
said. “Obviously, we’re going to have a few mishaps, a few turnovers here and there playing that fast. But I think it still benefits everybody by getting good shots. Everybody feels comfortable. The ball’s moving really well.”
The strategy takes advantage of their strengths, but it’s also borne of necessity. Payton and Gordon have struggled as outside shooters, and a plodding, halfcourt offense doesn’t suit their games.
Running suits them, just as it did when Miami’s Dion Waiters missed a finger roll attempt almost four minutes into the first quarter. Gordon grabbed the rebound, dribbled just beyond the midcourt stripe and lobbed the ball toward the basket. Ross skied into the air and dunked it.
There are dangers to the plan, of course. If an opponent makes a bunch of shots or protects the basketball effectively, the Magic won’t be able to run. The opening to the third quarter offered a case-in-point. The Heat started the half by making four of their first five shots. The Magic slowed down.
“When they went on their run, we can’t let that impact our pace, which it clearly did,” Magic coach Frank Vogel said.
“We were taking the ball out of the net each time and walking it up, trying to call plays, and that’s not what was working for us early. It’s a tough thing to sustain for four quarters in the ebb and flow of a game, but it’s something that we’re going to continue to emphasize.”
And then there’s this: What if the Magic are too sloppy in transition, committing turnovers and taking contested shots?
“There’s going to be times when we take bad shots, playing fast like that,” Payton said. “But we’ll try to minimize those bad shots. Sometimes teams are going to be hot, like tonight. We can’t let that affect our pace.”
On Oct. 18, just 10 days from now, the Magic will host the Heat at Amway Center in the seasonopener for both teams.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he wasn’t concerned that playing the Magic so close to the start of the regular season would help the Magic prepare for the opener. Spoelstra said he didn’t intend to simplify his playbook Saturday night.
“Opening night, we’re going to be here, so we’re not trying to hide anything,” Spoelstra said. “Our game’s either going to be good enough or it’s not going to be good enough. But we have to try to iron out some things. Particularly because the preseason is short, we don’t have time to just waste a game to try to deceive or hide from the other team.”
In the Magic’s case, there are no secrets.
Their desire to run at every opportunity is known to everyone.
On Saturday, it was obvious, and it will be obvious on Oct. 18, too.