Orlando Magic PG Cole Anthony: 'We Deserved to Get Punched in Our Mouth!'
On Saturday, the Orlando Magic had its nine-game win streak stopped by the Brooklyn Nets in blowout fashion, 129-101. The streak included statement wins over the Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and Boston Celtics.
For any team, a nine-game win streak en route to second place in the Conference is a big deal, but for the young Magic, it helped push them over the top into the "elite teams" club. The Magic rests its hat on elite defense and play a gritty style not usually associated with younger teams.
Cole Anthony and Paolo Banchero.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
During the win streak, Cole Anthony averaged 16.9 points, five rebounds, and 4.8 assists. He emerged as a vocal team leader and has emphasized effort and hard work all season.
After the loss to Brooklyn, Anthony did not mince words.
"I think we deserved to get punched in our mouth," he said. "We had on even these last couple of wins, our defense kind of tipped off the scale. And so I think this for us is a great reset, and a great opportunity for us to get back to our standard, which is on defense, that we have not been holding up to."
Anthony is absolutely right. The loss to Brooklyn marked the third game in a row that the Magic gave up 120 points. Before this three-game skid, the Magic allowed 120 points only twice and lost both games.
In short, when the Orlando defense does well, the rest of the team does well. After three straight games of giving up a whopping six points more than the league average, the Magic seems to have realized that their winning ways are not sustainable if its defense continues to be lackluster.
