AP Photo/John Raoux
Despite starting off hot and jumping out to an 18-4 lead over the Mavericks, the Magic lost this game in the first quarter. Orlando owned the first half of the opening period and it was looking as though they were headed for a morale-boosting blowout of a reasonably superior team. Glen Davis was getting in the paint and the long twos he was taking, while still not ideal, were at least falling.
But about halfway through the first quarter, after Rick Carlisle’s second desperation timeout, Orlando completely fell apart. They coughed up the ball four times in the final half of the quarter, their shots stopped falling, they were unable to stop anything Dallas tried to create on offense, and ultimately blew a 14-point lead in six minutes and ended the quarter trailing 26-24.
From there, the Magic were playing catch-up the rest of the way. They mostly hung around for the final three quarters, occasionally slipping into a double-digit deficit and occasionally cutting Dallas’ lead to a single possession. But after the blown early lead, the Mavericks controlled the game from there on out.
Dallas’ attack was led by their veterans — Shawn Marion, Vince Carter, and Elton Brand. Marion and Brand in particular were monstrously effective on both ends of the floor, as the Mavs overcame a relatively nondescript performance from Dirk Nowitzki to shut down the Magic.
The Magic got solid performances from J.J. Redick, Nikola Vucevic, and Big Baby, and Jameer Nelson and Arron Afflalo hit key shots as the Magic attempted to cut Dallas’ lead. But outside of Redick, they didn’t get much out of their bench, while Dallas’ entire starting lineup scored in double digits in addition to the contributions from Carter and Brand.
I didn’t even notice it while watching the game, but reflecting on it afterwards, Andrew Nicholson’s DNP-CD is a little puzzling given the circumstances. Big Baby and Vucevic played well, so there weren’t a lot of extra frontcourt minutes to go around. But in a game where the Magic needed scoring off the bench, it doesn’t make a lot of sense that Josh McRoberts played 16 minutes and Nicholson stayed in his warm-up suit.
But honestly, the specifics of the final three quarters don’t matter much. The Magic led by 14 halfway through the first quarter and were outscored by four through the last three.
The game was lost with Dallas’ first-quarter run when Orlando got turnover-happy and stopped making shots. If they had made just a few more shots during that stretch and turned the ball over just one fewer time during that quarter, they probably would have pulled away with the win.
MVP (Most Valuable Player)
Glen Davis. Big Baby was the Magic’s most consistent scorer, putting up 24 points on a surprisingly efficient (for him) 10-for-16 shooting from the floor.
X-Factor
Turnovers. The Magic coughed up 14 turnovers that led to 24 Mavericks points and were only able to force 8 from Dallas.
Defining Moment
The Mavs’ first-quarter run erased the Magic’s double-digit lead early in the period and permanently shifted the momentum of the game in their favor.
Jan 22
Maurice Harkless: basketball Play-Doh
Commentary
by Noam Schiller
at 11:06 amPhoto by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images
As the Magic’s impressive start to the season is left further in the past, this year becomes more and more of a trial run. There are a lot of different pieces on Orlando’s roster, many not a part of any reasonable long-term plan, but the only way to find out which ones are part of the future is baptism by fire. By letting the youngsters feel their way out, the braintrust atop the organization can figure out how they compute into the team’s long-term plans.
No one represents this philosophy as much as Moe Harkless. As fellow youngsters such as Nikola Vucevic and Andrew Nicholson show sustainable skills (rebounding and midrange shooting, respectively) that will, at the very least, make them viable NBA players for years to come, Harkless is like basketball Play-Doh. Stretchy, bouncy, and inherently fun, he’s completely lacking in shape and definition.
But while Play-Doh isn’t very effective in its initial, lumpy form, it can be molded into a variety of different shapes. The same can be said about Harkless — the Magic have been getting blown out with him on the court, mostly because the offense tanks when he’s playing. Though it’s worth noting that Orlando has been 3.8 points per 100 possessions better defensively with him on the floor, per NBA.com.
But all of that is basically irrelevant in comparison to what he can be a few years down the road. What is that exactly? Here are a few ideas.
Stay the course – Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Harkless has a lot in common with Mbah a Moute. Both men are a slender, lengthy 6-foot-8 and are quick enough to guard much smaller players. Mbah a Moute has solidified his standing as a four-position defender in this league and the hope is that Harkless can be the same — already, his steals percentage of 2 percent ranks just a sliver under Mbah a Moute’s career-best 2.1 percent mark and he’s blocking more than twice as many shots per 36 minutes as Mbah a Moute ever had.
But though this version of Harkless would make his bread on the defensive end, I like the Mbah a Moute comparison the most offensively. This is where Harkless has shown his youth the most, making only six shots more than 5 feet away from the basket all season. Harkless’ main offensive value is his jaw-dropping athleticism, which leads to plays like this or this.
Harkless can do well to study Mbah a Moute here. The Cameroonian forward has similarly never developed a trustworthy outside shot, but he’s made a living from cutting off the ball and finishing at the rim. Mbah a Moute has averaged more than 1.2 points per possession off cuts since 2009-10, per Synergy. That makes him, if not an offensive asset, workable enough to keep him on the floor for his defense. If Harkless can be as effective as a one man, off-the-ball wrecking crew, he could have a long career.
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