Magic most to blame for 3-1 meltdown, Game 7 no-show vs. Pistons

It was always going to be difficult for the Orlando Magic to bounce back from their historic Game 6 meltdown at home against the Detroit Pistons. That was their chance to seal the series and they blew it, and in Game 7, they barely stood a chance.

In a role reversal, it was the Pistons that took a huge lead into the halftime interval on Sunday, 60-49, but they were able to hold onto it to take a 116-94 win and advance to the next round — sending the Magic home rather heartbroken.

At this point, the Magic have no one to blame but themselves. Shooting 4-37 from the field in a closeout game at home is just unbecoming of an NBA team, and they simply rolled over on the road as they saw their dreams of making it to the second round slip away with every Cade Cunningham or Tobias Harris dagger that tickles the twine.

It’s not all bad for the Magic. They had gone up 3-1 in the series for a reason. That was not a fluke or a coincidence. They earned that series lead. But series leads don’t matter until one team wins four of seven games, and the Magic now have a long summer ahead of them thinking about what could have been.

This offseason could very well bring further changes for the Magic, who now have to look in the mirror and see which of themselves are most to blame for choking away a 3-1 lead against the Pistons.

It truly might be time for Jamahl Mosley to go

Mosley is an easy scapegoat for the Magic after their playoff choke job. But he has been on the hot seat for a while now, and this could very well be the final nail in the coffin as far as his Orlando coaching stint goes.

It may not have been Mosley who missed 33 of 37 field-goal attempts in Game 6. It also wasn’t him who made just five of 18 field goal attempts in third quarter of Game 7, which allowed the Pistons to build an even bigger cushion.

But the Magic’s lethargy coming out of the second half has to be an indictment of what is being said in the locker room during the intermission. Moreover, there is a clear cluelessness in the team whenever the Pistons go on huge runs, and the responsibility to rally the team, find the right combinations, and adjust accordingly falls on the coach.

The Magic excelled when they brought the Pistons down to the mud. But whenever the Pistons find their offensive groove, the Magic are left in the dust, as Detroit is able to set their halfcourt defense, rendering the entire Orlando offense hapless.

Mosley’s offensive system lacks imagination and relies on Paolo Banchero being able to feast on mismatches and making enough buckets/setting up enough teammates to generate buckets.

Mosley’s hard work as the Magic’s head coach should not be invalidated by the team’s 3-1 choke job this season. He played an instrumental part in developing the team’s youngsters, and he instilled a solid defensive mentality in each and every one of his players.

But the Magic grew worse on defense this year and their offense did not take as big of a jump as the team would have hoped after bringing Desmond Bane in. A new man at the helm might be able to squeeze more from this roster that is clearly not lacking in talent.

Magic feel the effects of Franz Wagner’s absence

No rational Magic fan would ever blame Banchero for choking away the 3-1 lead, although he did not help matters at all with the way he performed in the second half of Game 6. He went 1-11 in the second half of that pivotal Game 6 loss, although he did show up in Game 7 to the tune of 38 points. Too little too late on that front, however.

But an underrated aspect of the Magic’s choke job has been the absence of Franz Wagner. Wagner missed the final three games of the series, and Orlando missed his secondary shot creation as well as his ability to knife into the paint with cuts and drives.

Without Wagner, the Magic had to rely more than ever on their perimeter players to pop off. But that has never been the strength of this squad, even with Bane on the roster. The Pistons were simply able to wall off the paint, forcing Orlando into tough shots over and over again. It’s easy to think that if Wagner were healthy, the Magic’s offense would have been much looser and much more able to keep up with the Pistons.

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