To get a sense of Steve Clifford’s frame of mind and how he wants everyone on the Orlando Magic to approach every moment on the floor, look no further than an early fourth-quarter timeout.
The Magic had seen their double-digit lead reduced to two points on a 3-pointer from Trae Young. Clifford had already pulled his regular players. Really only Terrence Ross, Markelle Fultz and Mohamed Bamba remained in the game as part of the team’s regular rotation.
None of that mattered. The standard is still to win and to execute.