POSTGAME REACTION: Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 1/22/24.
Which obviously they’ve been playing extremely well lately but what what did you see as the reasons they were able to get off to to such a hot start tonight um the way they guarded they you know they hit us early uh we turned it over
Allowing them to get a lot of early easy shots and easy looks uh so they get a comfort level uh we got to do a better job taking care of the basketball and understanding where Shooters are on the floor those those little details of the game that matter but you got to give
Them a ton of credit I mean they’ve been they’re a reason why they were they won seven straight they have they’re in a very good groove right now I asked pregame about the next few days off with the result tonight just how much more important are these couple practices
Coming up U for your team as you move forward very necessary extremely necessary um one make sure we get our rest to get our recovery right so we have healthy bodies and then beside then next to that is getting back uh to knowing what we did you know in the
Miami game uh getting back to that form how how much how much of is the things you you can control that that need to be tightened up like turnovers you know making making free throws kind of staying on the attack it seemed like especially Jared Allen kind of repelled
People from going into the paint for for a good chunk of that first half listen Jared does a great job down there protecting the rim uh they funnel him funnel guys to him so you’re not allowed to get down there make easy PL passes uh they shrink the floor and you know but
Part of it is us also making the right decision at the right time uh moving it right away when you see a crowd coming off of it again they do a great job defensively so you have to give them a ton of credit for the way in which they
Played uh but again there’s part of the game that we’re going to have to continue to look at go back and watch the film and understand where there’s some easy easy plays to be made coach plus 27 in the three-point differential tonight 27o loss how do you game plan
Against teams with players like Sam Merill who’s you know can go off in any night and when you don’t necessarily have someone that can combat that okay can you can you re I’m try I’m trying to figure out what is for a team that isn’t as um you know strong in the
Three-point department when you play other teams how do you game plan against that so you’re saying CU we’re not as strong in the three-point department and they are or yes you’re saying how do we combat that yes I I think you just got to know your personnel understanding who
He is where he is on the floor uh do a better job of getting to his body closing out to his chest making him put the ball on the floor uh and those little things it has nothing to do with our shooting more than it has to do with
Us being able to defend the right way Paulo obviously they’ve been playing extremely well winning their last eight games but what did what did you see as the reason they were able to get off to such a hot start tonight uh yeah you could just tell the
Way they were playing that they are on a win streak um you know we’ve played that team when they’re fully healthy and uh you know a lot of those guys that were playing you know didn’t play the other times and you could just tell they they had a bunch of confidence um
You know guys that you know haven’t shot well against us shot well against us so I think they started off and made some tough shots and then uh was kind of over from there really you know we were down 16 out the gate and never really got back in
It what can your team take away from a loss like this against an Eastern Conference opponent where you know you guys are in the fight for playoffs uh I mean you just take away that you know you got to be better uh you know I think as a team we need to be
More aware of uh when a team like that’s hot coming in you know we need to understand that you know when you look at the uh Personnel uh you can’t read names you got to read you got to watch film and look at what guys have been
Doing you know uh that goes for everybody myself included you know you can’t just for instance I think Merill is a perfect example you know he hasn’t played when we’ve played them any real minutes but he’s been playing since the guys they’ve had been hurt and he came
In and killed us and uh you know as a team we got to be better you know he’s been he’s but he’s been playing well uh for for these this stretch of games they’ve had so we just got to be better and you know um be more locked
In how how much of it how much of it do you look at as as what you guys were were doing and how much you guys can control you know like I think you had I think the team had seven turnovers in in the first quarter you know the Miss free
Throws have been kind of a a gradual problem throughout the year how much how much do you need to focus on on what you guys can control even when you’re facing a team that that’s shooting as well as Cleveland was tonight yeah like you said uh just having those type of turnovers
And free throws and everything that’s all stuff that um you know we can control and we got to be better um and yeah you just the way they were shooting the ball you can’t afford you know I think sometimes we we have moments like that we’re able to get back in the game
And today was not one of those nights that they uh they took advantage of every opportunity how important are these next few days you have a day off a couple practices like what do you want to take out of this these few days off and practices before heading uh to
Memphis uh yeah I think just get rest and get ready to go on this little road trip uh I think that’s the number one thing you know hopefully everyone enjoys their day off tomorrow and comes in the next day locked in just ready to uh be better can you explain how much more
Challenging it is to prepare for an opponent coming on a coming off of a back toback versus not coming off a back to back uh it’s hard but it’s the NBA you got to do it um everyone has to do it and uh it’s not an excuse especially
When you’re at home doing it you know it’s it’s not too crazy I mean I didn’t feel um bad or tired coming into the game um so uh yeah I wouldn’t say it was that much of a difference preparing just just as as this looking
Kind of at the at the big picture as this team kind of kind of grows and and develops what what do you feel this team has to kind of learn from from moments like this or or how how do you kind of get through kind of the the grind of
This middle part middle part of the Season as as you guys are maybe feeling some of the pressure of of the playoff Chase or or or this part of the year yeah I think it’s just that time of the year like you said where it really
Starts to feel like a grind uh that All-Star break approaches past the halfway point you know you’ve been playing a lot of basketball but I think for our our team specifically um I think we just got to find some more consistency you know like when we do
Start off rough like what can we what can we lean on you know I think as a team we think it’s our defense um and it has been our defense but when a team shooting like that uh you know you got to be able to find it on the other end
Too so I think just working through it and um like I said trying to find consistency on both ends um you know I think offensively we just get loose at times and don’t really have a plan so um hopefully we can change it
The Orlando Magic fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. Hear from head coach Jamahl Mosley and Paolo Banchero on the defeat. š
