Mosley reveals how stellar third-quarter execution and on-court communication fuel the Magic's dominant five-game winning streak.
On what he liked about his team's effort and focus after halftime:
"I like the way that we finished the game, finding a way to finish. I think that's very important. Obviously there's always going to be things to clean up, some of the habits, but I think our guys did a great job. Again, 32 assists, us being able to share the basketball — we've talked about that over the last four games. We've been averaging close to 30, 31 assists. And so that's what it's got to be about.
Defensively, some steps back — Terence Shannon got himself going a little bit — but our ability to focus in on the game plan and get the job done at home in front of our fans."
On the first quarter and the turnovers:
"We had moments. I thought we did some good things, but again, it was the turnovers. It's hard to get a gauge of things when you turned it over seven times in that first quarter, and that gives them points. They're downhill, they're in the paint again. Obviously some shots didn't fall, so that led to some leakouts. But if we can continue to take care of the basketball and play the right way, we give ourselves a chance every single night."
On what has been clicking in third quarters during the win streak:
"Their communication to each other and their understanding exactly what we need to do. You talk about when you have a team down, keep them down. It's not time to play with the game. It's time to just continue to dominate. The simple is probably the best version. Whatever is working, stick with that and keep going to it. Their communication on the floor, what they saw, the plays that they needed to run, the defenses we needed to have. They made the adjustment to go to the switching in the second half that allowed us to sit down and guard and keep guys in front. 24 points in the paint in the second half — that's where we can hold our hats to that one."
On the importance of that communication growth at this stage of the season:
"It's huge. It's huge because as we get into the postseason, it's going to be a lot of them on the court communicating to each other, holding themselves to that standard, understanding how they communicate with us, how they communicate with each other. It's big for this entire group."
On what he saw from Franz Wagner tonight:
"Just continuing to find his rhythm. I thought his aggression was great — getting out in transition, pushing the pace, attacking the basket, stepping into a shot with confidence. I think all those pieces are big for us. Obviously he continues to find that rhythm and that's what we're going to need for him as we try to increase his minutes as best as possible with both Fron and AB. They're obviously still getting their legs under them."
On how Franz and AB have grown into games as they stack minutes:
"Each one of them has taken their own separate pieces of time. AB and I talked about it a little bit before the game and then at halftime — just being able to find the rhythm of one or two things just to keep finding that rhythm. It's tough coming back when guys have played so many games together, but he's mentally keeping himself there, understanding exactly what he needs to do to make sure he gets back into a full rhythm. As we continue to integrate him into the rotation with more minutes, that's what we're going to have to keep finding."
On going to Boston for the final regular-season game and what he wants to see:
"The way we've been sharing it — you look at 33 assists tonight. I think that's big. We've been doing a great job of that. Can we take care of it against a great defensive Boston team? And how do we guard them? The difference is they get to the paint and they shoot the three. So we've got to make sure the game plan is tight, our communication is at a high level, and are we playing with the same energy and spirit for 48 minutes."
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