2023-2024 General Game Thread

[orlandoholic 135]

Great game! Felled like a playoff game. Players clearly weren’t used to playing through contact.. The refs overall were once again bad, but at least it went both ways! 

- JI is a beast. Way too many people gave up in him! I’m not going to let it slide that most wanted him out due to injuries, political views or whatever. Those shouldn’t hop on the train ever again. Or admit that they were wrong. 

I wonder what the requirements are for DPY? He clearly is the best defensive player in the NBA! IMO even ever! Nobody wants to play against him. 

KAT was most definitely in tears after the game. He was held to one bucket against JI. It was hilarious to see him whine all night. 

- Paolo is amazing. The difference in character was on display between KAT and Banchero today. KAT wanted to show out, after being nominated an All Star, Banchero played the right way. True winner. He didn’t force it. Just played a great game. 

- Gobert has really impressed. He’s a force and what i respect most is that he has become a great FT shooter. It was crazy that Gobert was allowed to camp in the paint though, he should have been called for multiple defensive 3 seconds.

- Fultz still has the ability to get to the rim. Opponents are catching up to the fact that Fuktz ain’t even shooting midrange shots anymore. They were able to comfortably let Gobert guard Fultz and camp out in the paint. 

That’s a huge liability for us!! We definitely need that trade and get a starting PG. Fultz needs to move to the bench unit and lead that team. He needs the ball in his hands. 

Fultz-Cole-Ingles-JI-M.Wagner would be a great bench unit!

[JJZFL 621]

3 hours ago, CTMagicUK said:

…..The playoffs is more like this and he can't just be whining about no calls while his 4 team mates are trying to play defense. I liked that the refs let them play on both ends, thought the officiating was pretty even and they let both teams play physical. I prefer that to watching teams shoot 35 FTs each…..

Totally agree with this.  Flow of the game was so much better without stopping every 30 seconds to shoot free throws.  

[Luke_FfS 249]

5 hours ago, Jay Magic said:

WE ARE GONNA WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP THIS SEASON

Here we go again! LOLOL

Great, great win.

That said, we're still playing with fire. It's a few games that we give up almost 40 in the first quarter alone, and that's not the mindset we can have as a defensive minded team. Sometimes you recover and still win, sometimes not.

[Jay Magic 1,251]

4 minutes ago, Luke_FfS said:

Here we go again! LOLOL

Great, great win.

That said, we're still playing with fire. It's a few games that we give up almost 40 in the first quarter alone, and that's not the mindset we can have as a defensive minded team. Sometimes you recover and still win, sometimes not.

let me cook brother 

J.I HEALTHY CHANGES THE TRAJECTORY BEYOND COMPREHENSION 

[CTMagicUK 1,488]

I'm not at the point where I think Jonathan Isaac is the best defensive player ever. 

But I am at the point where I'm thinking "can we lock him up to a cheap extension this summer in case he continues to be healthy and awesome next year". Like 3 years 45 mil descending salary with some injury non guarantees (last year totally non guaranteed)? Would he do that? Would we? 

[MagicMan1979 107]

4 hours ago, CTMagicUK said:

The defense was unreal. JI and Suggs and Markelle and WCJ as usual but Franz Wagner is the most underrated defensive player on this team by far. His ability to navigate screening actions and get back in front of the ball handler is insane. Thought he was the most important Magic player in this game the way he played on defense. 

When Jalen Suggs hits multiple 3s the Magic have always got a chance, not even because of the shooting but for the close outs it forces the defense to make. 

Wendell Carter Jr is an absolute beast, no way we trade that man.

Really disliked this Paolo game. Thought his defense was awful in the first half. He played the type of defense where he's trying to not get called out in practice without giving any actual effort. Y'know where he's technically in the right spots to help so his coaches can't complain but then he doesn't actually do anything to stop the ball. He also did far too much complaining about fouls. The playoffs is more like this and he can't just be whining about no calls while his 4 team mates are trying to play defense. I liked that the refs let them play on both ends, thought the officiating was pretty even and they let both teams play physical. I prefer that to watching teams shoot 35 FTs each. 

You cannot convince me that Cole Anthony is better than Anthony Black. You just can't. Yes technically Cole is a better scorer but given the choice of: 

A) someone who passes the ball to our best players and spots up whilst playing solid at worst, spectacular at best, defense.

B) Someone who takes possessions with the ball in his hands that consistently lead to contested pull ups and off balance floaters and who, it feels like, turns the ball over over-dribbling at least once per game. And is a worse defensive player than A.

I'll take A 100 times out of 100.

I was never a Cole guy but was liking him more at the start of the season. He has really fallen off or regressed to his usual selfish nature. He is just not efficient at all and is down to 32% from three.  It’s too bad he doesn’t have much value and has that poison pill contract.  I’d like to have a starting PG that can shoot and have Fultz run the second unit.  He’s a way better player than Cole despite his lack of shooting. 

[Soul Bro 1,421]

7 hours ago, Jay Magic said:

Too many fickle fans on here...

But its all love... 

WHEN WE ARE FULL STRENGTH NOBODY AND I MEAN NOBODY WANTS TO SEE US IN THE PLAYOFFS...

I'M CALLING IT NOW..

WE ARE GONNA WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP THIS SEASON

YES THIS SEASON!!!!!!!

Hahaha!!! Love it

[ball junkie 277]

In regards to the Gobert guarding Fultz comment …I thought to myself if Gobert is on Fultz why can’t our bigs post up …and well, Fawzan demonstrates it nicely for me …GO MAGIC !

[orlandoholic 135]

6 minutes ago, ball junkie said:

In regards to the Gobert guarding Fultz comment …I thought to myself if Gobert is on Fultz why can’t our bigs post up …and well, Fawzan demonstrates it nicely for me …GO MAGIC !

In this matchup, we actually did use mismatches „sometimes“.. Ideally you want to keep defenses honest with good shooting. 

Fultz is a liability in the starting lineup. And i’m a big fan of him!! But he’s a playmaker that can get anywhere he wants on the floor. Even without a shot. But playing in the starting unit makes him play off ball for the majority and that makes him a big liability. 

i don’t want him out. But he needs to adjust to a new role. Leader of the second unit. 
 

 

[ball junkie 277]

3 minutes ago, orlandoholic said:

In this matchup, we actually did use mismatches „sometimes“.. Ideally you want to keep defenses honest with good shooting. 

Fultz is a liability in the starting lineup. And i’m a big fan of him!! But he’s a playmaker that can get anywhere he wants on the floor. Even without a shot. But playing in the starting unit makes him play off ball for the majority and that makes him a big liability. 

i don’t want him out. But he needs to adjust to a new role. Leader of the second unit. 
 

 

Big liability …come on bro …have you seen the numbers for the starting unit ? …The starting unit brought the team back last night against a very good team on a roll at home …I’ll repeat for the hundredth time …nobody knows what this team can do fully healthy …let it play out instead of all this trade stuff …I do think getting a shooter would help …I also think since JI is on a minutes restriction he won’t start …and as we saw last night it’s better for him to finish games when we need him …probably against the better teams or if we’re in a close game …see how we do in the playoffs and we’ll all know what needs to happen to the roster then …GO MAGIC !

[orlandoholic 135]

16 minutes ago, ball junkie said:

Big liability …come on bro …have you seen the numbers for the starting unit ? …The starting unit brought the team back last night against a very good team on a roll at home …I’ll repeat for the hundredth time …nobody knows what this team can do fully healthy …let it play out instead of all this trade stuff …I do think getting a shooter would help …I also think since JI is on a minutes restriction he won’t start …and as we saw last night it’s better for him to finish games when we need him …probably against the better teams or if we’re in a close game …see how we do in the playoffs and we’ll all know what needs to happen to the roster then …GO MAGIC !

the starting unit sans Fultz brought the team back.. 

I’m not hating on Fultz. If you read my comment right, you hear that i love the player, the personality. 

But it’s a fact that the Wolves discovered that Fultz can’t shoot outside the paint and therefore they successfully schemed Gobert to guard Fultz. The Wolves had a big lead. 

Mosley actually made adjustments and therefore Fultz didn’t close out the game. 

Those are facts! The Wolves coach would have never schemed Gobert to guard Simons, Murray or Tyus Jones (who are all seen like good fits for us)

Playing Fultz off ball in the starting unit is a big liability! I stand by those words. And i say it again. I love the player and i would extend him on a good deal for sure!

[MagicMan1979 107]

23 minutes ago, ball junkie said:

Big liability …come on bro …have you seen the numbers for the starting unit ? …The starting unit brought the team back last night against a very good team on a roll at home …I’ll repeat for the hundredth time …nobody knows what this team can do fully healthy …let it play out instead of all this trade stuff …I do think getting a shooter would help …I also think since JI is on a minutes restriction he won’t start …and as we saw last night it’s better for him to finish games when we need him …probably against the better teams or if we’re in a close game …see how we do in the playoffs and we’ll all know what needs to happen to the roster then …GO MAGIC !

Everyone always pushes teams to play like everyone else and subscribe to an orthodoxy. Everyone was probably waiting for the Magic to return to Markelle Fultz and a more traditional lineup to close the game. Perhaps they would have if the Magic were behind and needed to pick up points.

But that lineup had its struggles, too. It allowed Gobert to roam the paint and hunt blocks because of Fultz's hesitancy to shoot from the perimeter -- he still had 10 points because of his willingness to drive and attack and his talent finishing around shot-blockers.

https://orlandomagicdaily.com/posts/orlando-magic-finally-unleashing-their-big-identity

 

Our Death Line Up won us the game for sure.  But Fultz was a big contributor last night.  No one hates Fultz to be clear.