Clifford has long to-do list with season opener looming

Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford has a long list of tasks to focus on before the team’s season opener Wednesday against the Miami Heat.

The Magic wrapped up preseason games Friday, posting a 2-3 record. While Clifford saw some progress, Orlando struggled with fundamentals during a 100-81 loss to the defensively sound San Antonio Spurs Friday.

“We’re going to be like most NBA teams,” Clifford said after Sunday’s practice. “It’s going to be pace of play, ball movement and insideout. We’ve been doing a really good job with that, for the most part. The other night was non-existent, especially when we broke the line. So we did a lot of stuff like that today, and we have two more days to make it better.”

The Magic were only able to beat one NBA team during the preseason, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 102-86.

The other preseason victory came against Brazilian team Flamengo, with the Magic winning 119-82 on Oct. 5.

Clifford expects his team to get on track once the regular season tips off.

“I think so far, again like most NBA teams, when we get our defense set and we’re physical rebounding, our defense has been pretty good,” Clifford said. “When the ball is hitting the paint before we shoot and we have a good energy level and we’re playing with good pace, we play good offense.

“You play those first few games every year, especially with us being new. It’s always a little bit of a crapshoot early. I like the five exhibition games, but it definitely changes the beginning of the year and especially for a team like us where we’re new.”

Clifford said as of Sunday, he expects everyone on the roster to be available for Wednesday’s opener against the Heat.

While talking to reporters after Sunday’s training session, Magic forward Evan Fournier pointed at Clifford, who was on the other side of the court talking one-on-one with Nikola Vucevic.

Fournier did not know what the two were talking about, but he used the moment to describe Clifford as a coach who likes to interact with his players in an honest way.

“You can have a real conversation,” Fournier said. “He’s not, ‘OK, Evan, I want you to do this and do that.’ It’s [more like,] ‘What’s going on, what do you think and I’ll tell you what I think afterward. We can exchange and see how we can work it out because it has to be good for you and it has to be good for me.’ So we can find some common ground.”

“He’s just very forward in everything he says. Very disciplined, very hard.”

Fournier said Clifford is an experienced coach who understands his players, but he didn’t think traditional labels fit him well.

“The term player’s coach, I’m kind of confused by player’s coach,” Fournier said. “I know we say that a lot. Let’s just say he’s a coach who cares about what his players feel and thinks as long as it’s good for the good of the team.”

After struggling offensively during most of the preseason, Fournier recorded a team-high 22 points during Friday’s preseason loss to the Spurs. Fournier said he approached the game as if it were a regularseason contest.

“I wanted to get ready for Miami, play as hard as I could, be aggressive,” Fournier said. “When you do that, it’s kind of like karma. Shots fall in.”