The Orlando Magic came out swinging in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons, and coach Jamahl Mosley wanted to make something clear afterward.
After the Orlando Magic’s Game 1 112-101 upset win over the Detroit Pistons, coach Jamahl Mosley sent a message imbued with confidence.
“Well, this is a new season,” Mosley said. “We've talked about this a lot with these guys. Whatever story you told yourself during the regular season, that story is done. And now it's the playoffs, so it's an entirely new season.
“And how we come together, how we play with poise, how we defend at a high level, how we communicate with each other, that's all part of this story right now. And that's all it is.”
Less than a week ago, the Magic were left with one chance to punch their ticket to the playoffs after losing to the Philadelphia 76ers, 109-97 in their first play-in game. A season that was largely underwhelming was on the ropes, but the Magic kept it alive by crushing the Charlotte Hornets on Friday to move on to a first-round playoff series against the Pistons, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando showed what it was capable of on Friday. On Sunday, the Magic showed that they were finally living up to the preseason expectations.
“The competitive spirit that these guys showed to start the game,” Mosley said. “Being able to battle through runs; but just down the stretch, being able to have a level of poise, knowing when things weren't always going to go our way.
“They went on their runs, and our guys did a very good job of coming together, communicating the things that they saw, both offensively and defensively,” Mosley added. “That's a big portion of it for me, is when we communicate at this high level, and understand exactly what everybody's trying to accomplish on both sides of the ball, I think this team can be pretty good.”
The win marked Mosley’s first on the road in the playoffs as the head coach of the Magic. Additionally, Orlando prevented Detroit from ever taking a lead, marking the first time in the play-by-play era that a top seed has never led in its playoff opener.
Paolo Banchero led the way in scoring for the Magic with 23 points and Franz Wagner added 19, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter. Orlando also received complimentary performances from Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr., which Mosley applauded.
“I think there's just such a high level of communication amongst the group, no matter what's happening,” Mosley said. “Whether a shot's made, whether a shot's missed, whether a turnover happens, there's such a high level of communication about what needs to be done, how we can approach it.
“Whether it's going in or not, that's what these guys continue to do, support. They support one another. They're pulling together no matter what's happening. They talk about getting stops.”
With a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven series, Mosley and the Magic will do what needs to be done to get ready for Game 2 on Wednesday.
“Enjoy the moment for this night, 24 hours,” he said. “And then get back to work, because you got to find a way to make it even better on Wednesday, because it's going to be harder.”
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