Frank Vogel
6-game losing streak has coach serving as amateur psychologist
strives to keep the Magic’s morale up as they hope to end a six-game losing streak when they face the Celtics tonight.
— Frank Vogel took the course Introduction to Psychology as a pre-med student at Juniata College. He recalls receiving a D in that class.
“Don’t ask me about clinical psychology,” Vogel said. “But human psychology I would get an A in. Managing a group, managing the psyche of a team? I’m better at that than studying clinical psychology in college.”
For the Orlando Magic’s sake these days, Vogel had better be a good amateur psychologist. Coaching any college or professional team requires a deft touch even during the best of times, but the last two weeks have been especially challenging because the Magic have lost their last six games.
Vogel must keep his players on an even keel, maintain their confiMINNEAPOLIS dence and work through any of their frustrations.
A six-game losing streak probably would raise concerns for any NBA team, but it could be especially dangerous for the Magic. The franchise has endured five consecutive losing and morale-sapping seasons, and the team’s longest-tenured players — Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier, Elfrid Payton and Nikola Vucevic — wouldn’t be human if the phrase “here we go again” doesn’t
creep into their minds. Indeed, there have been too many occasions in recent years that the Magic have looked soft, including a 125-85 loss at home this past Saturday to the Utah Jazz.
“We’ve just got to find a way to get a ‘W,’ get this streak over and bounce back,” swingman Evan Fournier said after the Magic lost Wednesday to the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-118. “But right now, it’s like a spiral. Just losing, everything is bad. You wake up in the morning, you feel [awful]. Anytime you watch a film session, everybody’s down. It’s just an awful feeling. I can’t wait to get a ‘W,’ man.”
Vogel tries to insulate his players from doubt and attempts to address their frustrations.
“It’s a big part of the job and in particular in times like this,” Vogel said. “We’re doing the right thing, keeping our guys confident, keeping ’em moving in the right direction and keeping ’em understanding that winning’s hard in this league, especially when you haven’t done it as a group.”
Boosting his players likely will be even more difficult in the days ahead.
Three more games loom on this road trip, all against teams with winning records: the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers.
After that, the Magic will host the Oklahoma City Thunder and the defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors. A road backto-back will follow against the New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets.
The Magic gave themselves a bit of cushion by starting their season 8-4. But the losing streak already has dropped them under .500. With so many difficult games on the horizon, it’s no wonder Vogel is monitoring his team’s psyche.
Vogel might be ideal for the role, despite his Introduction to Psychology grade. Always eager to make joke, Vogel casts a perpetually sunny disposition. He’s
shown his teams clips from the Rocky movies to inspire his players.
“He just wants to stay positive, stay optimistic,” Gordon said. “He just reassures us and makes sure we know we’re a good team and we have a lot of talent, a lot of potential. We’re looking to only get better. The NBA, it’s a league of streaks.
“He always just keeps it light. This is a game of joy and of happiness. So when a team is happy and joyful, that’s when they play at their best.”
Vogel is in his eighth season as an NBA head coach, and he knows that players can lose faith quickly. In the blowout loss to Utah, the Magic looked awful. During a narrow loss to the Pacers on Monday, the Magic looked tight throughout the second half, as if they were trying too hard to make perfect plays.
“Obviously, he knows when to get on us and fuss at us,” point guard Elfrid Payton said. “But he’s been very encouraging, very positive. He knows what this team can do. He knows the talent we have in here. It’s all about putting it back together.
“He talks to us. He’s shown us clips from movies. He has a lot of different ways to try to keep us engaged and continue to motivate us.”
Vogel’s Pacers teams finished with a losing record just once during his six-season tenure, and the only losing season occurred when All-Star Paul George missed most of the games while he recovered from a broken leg.
Vogel’s task with the Magic probably is more difficult than anything he ever faced in Indiana.
“We’re not in a hopeless situation,” Vogel said.
“We’ve come a long way in a short period of time with the way we started the season. There’s still going to be growing pains along the way. We’re still a young team. We were a 29-win team last year. It’s an 82-game marathon. We’ve got to push through highs and lows.”
Spoken like an expert in human psychology.