Magic 'Laid an Egg' vs. Pacers, Says Cole Anthony
After winning eight of nine games and peaking at fourth in the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic lost two games in a row, falling to the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.
Both the Pacers and Knicks are possible playoff opponents for the Mgaic, so dropping those games did not bode well for Orlando's hopes of a deep playoff run.
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Despite being up by three points at halftime, the Magic collapsed against the Pacers in the second half. Orlando was outscored 64-47 in the second half.
Cole Anthony played the entire fourth quarter and added a team-high 11 points in the frame, but his single assist and inefficient shooting did more to hurt the Magic than help.
"We laid an egg in that second half," he said after the game. "I thought we had a pretty solid first quarter – even halfway through the second quarter. We started getting stagnant. It started turning into – I mean, I’m guilty of it myself but just hero ball, you know. It’s coming from a good place."
The Magic built their success this season on distributing the ball, taking smart shots, and playing hard-nosed defense. Anthony fell into old habits, "hero ball," late in the game, and it came up costly for the Magic.
In what has been one of the NBA's great Cinderella stories this season, the Magic need to continue their bruising playstyle into the postseason if it wants to hold up when it matters. Players taking matters into their own hands is counterintuitive to the culture Jamahl Mosley is building in Orlando.
Moving forward, expect the Magic to play a more cohesive brand of basketball down the stretch, unless the team is destined for an early exit.
