Those are the anecdotes that suggested things were different. The Magic were playing with more pace in the halfcourt, making quick decisions and moving it together.<\/p>\n
The numbers back up that something was different about this team.<\/p>\n
In the first half, the Magic scored 64 points and had a 125.5 offensive rating. They tallied 18 assists on 21 field goal makes in the opening half. They made 10 of 23 3-pointers, an absurd number of attempts for this team, but mostly nothing anyone could complain about with the quality of their looks. <\/p>\n
The Magic were impressive offensively throughout the night.<\/p>\n
Their 122 points came with a 123.2 offensive rating. They made 20 of 45 (44.4 percent) from three, both a lot for the attempts and for the makes for this team. They recorded 35 assists on 41 field goals. Orlando shot 28 free throws and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds for 15 second-chance points.<\/p>\n
For a Magic team that struggles to score, it was impressive the ease that the Magic got good looks and that they made them. Particularly when the starters were in — all five starters were a positive plus\/minus with Desmond Bane, Jase Richardson and Wendell Carter at +11 in the first half, a sign of the team’s strong starting group.<\/p>\n
Those all point to something different. If only for one game.<\/p>\n
Is this truly a new leaf for the Magic?<\/p>\n
Inside-Out<\/p>\n
Ultimately, what looked the most different was not merely the speed at which the Orlando Magic played. It was how quickly the ball moved inside-out. It was how the Magic generated open 3-point looks and used their paint pressure to get open shots. It was the unselfishness and intensity to attack.<\/p>\n
This was not a slowed-down, pick-and-roll, isolation offense. This was a fast-paced and moving offense.<\/p>\n
That is the only way the team could put up the points it did.<\/p>\n
Orlando shot 46.6 percent for the game. The team made 20 of 45 threes. Nearly half the team’s field goals and more than half of its attempts in this game were from deep. The Magic took 45 3-point attempts just three times last year.<\/p>\n
Observation would suggest that many of these shots were good or decent looks<\/a>. This was not a team chucking. And the Magic built their 18-point first-half lead because these shots were going in.<\/p>\n “If we do a good job with our passing on time and on target,” Sean Sweeney said after Wednesday’s win. “If we do a good job with our shot prep and we take the right shots, we feel pretty good about the shots we’re going to take. And we’ll make a few of them like we did tonight.”<\/p>\n Sweeney spoke endlessly during training camp about the team’s spacing principles. This may not be the best shooting team in the world, but they will put players in positions to make shots. That at least gives them a fighting chance.<\/p>\n It is not likely sustainable for this team to succeed taking so many threes. The team will crash down to Earth.<\/p>\n Then again, most of those shots came off great passing. The Magic moved quickly, attacking and kicking out until they got the look they wanted and wore down the defense.<\/p>\n This is what a modern offense looks like that stretches a team apart with its spacing and shooting.<\/p>\n The pass factor<\/p>\n It was not merely that the Orlando Magic took a lot of threes. Almost every shot the Magic took was generated by an assist.<\/p>\n Orlando had 35 assists on 41 field goal makes. There were surely more potential assists and even some free throw assists not counted.<\/p>\n The Magic had only three games of 35 or more assists last year and 20 of 30 or more assists. If that level of passing and intention are part of the equation, the Magic will be a difficult to team to handle.<\/p>\n
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