The Orlando Magic will visit the Detroit Pistons on Sunday to kick off the first-round playoff series between the two, and Jalen Suggs knows what the Magic must do to be successful.
The Orlando Magic will kick off their first-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday and, to be successful, Jalen Suggs understands how important execution is.
“Especially on the road, I think our attention to detail and our communication has to be elite tonight,” Suggs told the media during Sunday’s shoot around. “It's going to be loud, you know what I'm saying? We're not playing at home. We're on the defensive side of the ball.
“For the most part, it's pretty quiet, and it's much easier to communicate,” he added. “It's easier to talk and have control of the crowd. It's just going to be different tonight. So, we got to be that much more dialed in on the same string and come out with the same intensity as we did last game.”
The Magic displayed strong defensive aggression and physicality in their blowout 121-90 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday to secure the eighth seed in the playoffs. Now, they will meet a Pistons group that is predicated on defensive tenacity and physicality as well.
“Yeah, I mean, it's fun,” Suggs said about the matchup. “I think that makes it even more fun. It makes it easier to get ready and get hyped for these games because you know what you're walking into. But at the end of the day, not only do we have to do that, but we have to execute.
“Like I said, we have to be on one string in terms of what we're doing offensively and defensively,” he added. “So, for as much as that's a factor to the game, we'll be prepared for that side. I think being locked in mentally also is just as key.”
Suggs and his teammates also know the strengths of Detroit that vaunted it to the top seed in the Eastern Conference and how it will affect Orlando’s game.
“Yeah, I mean, they play hard,” Suggs said. “They play great defense, and they make it hard for you to score, and then they get out and run. They have some really good athletes on the squad.
“So like I said, we got to be locked in on every phase of the game, make sure we're getting good shots, make sure we're defending as well with that same intention that we're carrying off of that last game, and then, like I said, just be prepared for any and every situation.”
The Magic will be the visitors for the first two games of the best-of-seven series, and they are trying to get over another obstacle: A road win in the playoffs.
To this point, Orlando is 0-8 on the road in the postseason under head coach Jamahl Mosley. Suggs has been a part of each of those losses, and he recognizes what it will take to produce a win in a building that is not the Kia Center.
“I think runs are huge,” he said. “I think I learned that last year. Boston was so, so good at recognizing when a run could be made and capitalizing on that to carry the momentum. So, I think for us, like I said, it's being dialed in. It's killing those runs before they happen, searching for ways we can find our own, and then, like I said, not get too high or too low within the game.
“You stay even-keeled, and you're always prepared for it,” he added. “I think it's way easier to hoop and go on those runs and stop them before they happen. So I think that's the biggest thing, especially on the road. It's much harder to do, but I think we're ready for it.”
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