Ahead of the start of the Milwaukee Bucks’ first round playoff series, we caught up with an Orlando Magic expert to get the inside track on the opposition.
With all eight first round series now locked in around the NBA, the countdown to the beginning of the postseason is well and truly on.
The playoffs will officially get underway on Monday at Walt Disney World Resort, but for the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic, the wait will continue through to Tuesday before they can get their series underway.
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The Bucks have seen plenty of the Magic this season, facing off against Orlando on four occasions and prevailing as the victors every time.
Still, that doesn’t mean that Bucks fans don’t have plenty left to learn about the Magic, particularly as to how things stand with Steve Clifford’s team since play resumed in the bubble.
In an attempt to get a handle on all things Orlando basketball, Jordan Treske and I caught up with our Magic counterpart, Philip Rossman-Reich, who is the long-time site expert at FanSided’s Orlando Magic Daily (@OMagicDaily), as well being the host of the Locked On Magic podcast.
Philip was kind enough to share his wisdom with us, and answer some key questions about the Magic perspective heading into this series.
So without further ado, let’s get into the conversation.
Milwaukee Bucks: Getting the expert’s view on the Orlando Magic ahead of the playoffs – Bubble observations
Behind The Buck Pass: What, if anything, has stood out from the Magic’s play in the bubble so far that may differ from how they played during the regular season?
Philip Rossman-Reich: Not a lot has stood out from the Magic’s play inside the bubble. The first two games, they played with a ton of energy and seemed to have their offense rolling like they did after the All-Star Break, when they had the top offense in the league. They had the ball moving and attacked quickly in transition.
The injury to Jonathan Isaac sucked a lot of the energy out of the team. It is hard to think otherwise. Then injuries started hitting the roster and the Magic essentially shut things down to get ready for the playoffs. Nobody really knows what this team will look like.
The Magic could recapture that rhythm once they are healthier or they could again be a team that struggles to find energy, create pace and, most importantly, make shots. The bubble has been pretty much a disaster for the team.
Milwaukee Bucks: Getting the expert’s view on the Orlando Magic ahead of the playoffs – Bubble trouble
BTBP: After a positive start, the Magic have gone on a losing skid for most of their time in the bubble so far. Do you expect that to take a toll on the team’s confidence heading into the playoffs?
PRR: I think the team is definitely at a bit of a low. They have not been able to play well and injuries have really hit the roster hard. The team probably will not admit it, but they were as high as they have been all year with Jonathan Isaac back in the lineup, but then crashed hard when he tore his ACL. I do think that has rattled the team some. They have struggled to find energy or replace his defensive playmaking.
The big thing is the Magic’s struggles against teams with winning records. Those four games in the middle of their schedule against the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics should have been a chance to gain confidence against those teams. Instead, they struggled to compete – especially to the end of games. Orlando finished 5-30 against teams with winning records, the worst record of any team within the bubble.
Milwaukee Bucks: Getting the expert’s view on the Orlando Magic ahead of the playoffs – Losing Isaac
BTBP: How much has the Jonathan Isaac injury taken the wind out of the Magic’s sails in terms of making some noise going into the playoffs?
PRR: I do not think the team will admit this, but I think it took a lot of their momentum away. The team seemed genuinely excited for Jonathan Isaac’s return. They seemed excited to see him back on the court and have him there. They know how important he is to the team – especially in this kind of a matchup. The fact that Isaac was playing so well only added to the excitement. It felt like the Magic were whole again.
So to see him go down just three games into his long-awaited return…it hurt. I think it took the joy out of that win over the Kings, maybe the Magic’s best all-around performance all year, and I think the team has been trying to figure out how to recreate their energy since then.
I like to say the Magic have a bunch of good secondary players, but few elite-level players or playmaking players. Isaac is an elite-level defender and a defensive playmaker. He is the exact kind of player the Magic would need for the playoffs.
Milwaukee Bucks: Getting the expert’s view on the Orlando Magic ahead of the playoffs – Guarding Giannis
BTBP: Isaac was an obvious fit when it comes to guarding and challenging Giannis, how do you expect the Magic to adjust to that matchup now that he’ll miss out?
PRR: I think the first step is to try to match Aaron Gordon’s minutes with Giannis Antetokounmpo and trust him to take the primary responsibility. Even if Jonathan Isaac were playing, Aaron Gordon would get his turn on Giannis anyway. Gordon has always tried to get up for the challenge – there was a famous game two years ago where Gordon tried to overshoot in his matchup to keep up with Giannis, so we will see if he has matured in that sense (I think he has, but we will see).
Other than that, the Magic are a team that tries to help and congest space. Like the Bucks, their main goal defensively is to prevent points in the paint and shots at the rim sometimes at the expense of 3-point shooting. So Orlando will probably try to shade another player toward Giannis when Gordon needs help. They tried doing that with Kawhi Leonard last year and I imagine that is something they will try again.
Milwaukee Bucks: Getting the expert’s view on the Orlando Magic ahead of the playoffs – Under the radar players
BTBP: Is there any under the radar Magic player that Bucks fans should be looking out for ahead of the first round?
PRR: I think the biggest wild card for the Magic in this postseason will be Markelle Fultz. He has been working himself back into rhythm and shape after entering the bubble a week late to deal with a family matter. But he has shown flashes of the player that propelled the Magic after the All-Star Break. He is a really strong mid-range shooter and can get to the basket while controlling the team’s pace. Fultz has started to look a little bit like the top overall pick.
No player is probably more important to the Magic’s offense to get it going and get players in the right spot. He really has a big effect. And it seems like with his playmaking he can take his game up a level for the playoffs. It is hard to rely wholly on a player who is essentially a rookie to play big in the postseason. But if anyone could tip the Magic a little closer to favor, it would be him.
Milwaukee Bucks: Getting the expert’s view on the Orlando Magic ahead of the playoffs – Predictions
BTBP: How do you expect the series to play out, and what’s your prediction for the series’ final score?
PRR: This series is going to be tough for the Magic. Jonathan Isaac is about as close to a Giannis-slower (there is no stopping him) as there might be in the league. And without him, the Magic have one less body to throw at him. It is going to be hard to defend him and the three-point line, just as the Bucks proved in every game they played this season – a 4-0 sweep with an average margin of 17.0 points per game.
Could Orlando get a game here? Sure. But I think that would require Terrence Ross going on an irrationally hot streak. It would be nice to see Nikola Vucevic have a good series after he struggled last year against the Toronto Raptors. But we are talking about incremental improvements here for the Magic.
The Bucks with their 5-out offensive style will give the Magic problems and the team has looked very ragged defensively. The team has not lifted its intensity to prepare for the playoffs. That part has been the most concerning through the games inside the campus.
So I think the Bucks maybe sweat one or two games here. But I think ultimately they win the series 4-0. Orlando just does not have the firepower or the playmakers to stand up to the Bucks at this point.