Brian Windhorst says Magic firing Jamahl Mosley was ‘expected for quite some time’ | NBA Today

0:00 Breaking news this morning out of Orlando.

0:02 The Magic have fired head coach Jamal Mosley after five seasons with the team.

0:06 This news comes less than 24 hours after losing game seven

0:10 to the top seated Pistons after Orlando blew a 3-1 series lead.

0:15 Here's how it all went down.

0:16 Game seven in Detroit.

0:18 You'll see here the two head coaches showing each other tons of love.

0:22 Yeah, they go way back.

0:24 No doubt going on.

0:25 Yeah, but this is the man of the hour here.

0:29 Tobias Harris was on fire.

0:32 That one from Cunningham.

0:34 There's one from the baseline.

0:35 Here's one more from the corner.

0:37 And his head coach JB Bicker Staff had some choice words about Tobias.

0:42 Nobody can say to me about Tobias Harris, right?

0:45 Um he is dependable, reliable, you know, prepared for the moment.

0:53 Yeah.

0:54 And then of course a little over eight minutes left the third quarter.

0:56 Cunningham drives here.

0:57 He gets the layup.

0:59 Strong layup.

1:00 Pistons up 15.

1:02 Under a minute left in the third.

1:03 Pistons up big.

1:04 Dennis Jenkins.

1:05 Welcome to the playoffs

1:06 at the buzzer.

1:08 Oh my mama.

1:11 Under nine minutes left in the game.

1:12 Pistons up 21.

1:13 K drives.

1:15 Goes up with the float game.

1:17 Too easy.

1:18 Pistons win 116 to 94.

1:20 advancing to the East semis for the first time since 2008.

1:26 Kate Cunningham with a historic first round as he

1:28 becomes the sixth different player in NBA history

1:30 with at least 225 points and 50 assists

1:33 in a playoff series joining this illustrious group of Giannis,

1:36 Luca Lebron, Jerry West, and Oscar Robertson.

1:40 Here's Kate after the game with Lisa Sult.

1:44 They really pushed us to the limit.

1:45 Um, we've grown a lot because of this series,

1:48 because of that team and the way that, you know, they pushed us.

1:50 So, uh, you know, huge credit to them and, you know,

1:53 we're ready to get to the second round and continue business.

1:55 We got to be better and it doesn't start in April when the playoffs start.

1:59 Starts in September, October when we get everybody in the building.

2:04 When you build habits, you know,

2:06 you create an environment where losing in the first round is not acceptable.

2:10 It's not good enough.

2:12 And that that should be the attitude.

2:15 Certainly some strong comments there from Paulo after the loss.

2:18 Brian, what's your reaction to the firing of Mosley?

2:21 Well, this is a a move that was not unexpected in the league.

2:24 In fact, it was expected for quite some time and you know,

2:27 people didn't think that the Magic would make it out

2:29 of the playin and and this might happen a couple of weeks ago.

2:32 Then the Magic make this impressive run and push

2:35 Detroit to the limit and people were wondering, did Jamal save his job?

2:39 But then you blow a 3-1 lead and then it kind of greases the kids out of town.

2:44 So this is a attractive job,

2:46 but it's a job that comes with very high expectations.

2:49 Jamal got them from a rebuilding team to a playoff team.

2:52 He couldn't take him to the next level.

2:53 Now after the Desmond Bane trade and the amount

2:55 of money they've put in this roster,

2:57 the expectation is going to be much higher and that's why Jamal's out of a job.

3:00 But I'm going to tell you something.

3:01 He's very well respected.

3:02 I expect him to have another job soon.

3:05 Yeah.

3:05 I mean, shout out to Jamal.

3:06 I had him when I was young young pup in the in the league.

3:09 Um I think he did the best he could with what he had.

3:11 He had I don't think he had a very fair shake.

3:14 There was a lot throughout this season where he didn't have healthy team.

3:17 You know they were one they were Fran Vagner away

3:19 from making a Miami run I think to the Eastern Conference Finals.

3:23 If you have Fran Vagner I think they win this series and then possibly

3:25 win the next series against Cleveland who who came out of that Toronto series.

3:29 Um but you know Mosley well respected had a great run.

3:32 They just weren't healthy.

3:33 There was a time where he felt like he lost the players.

3:35 Again, this was something that people assumed

3:37 was going to happen regardless and you know,

3:39 I think he'll get a job somewhere else.

3:40 But Jamal, he did a great job with this group and turn it around.

3:42 We got one more game seven to talk about.

3:45 Raptors Cavs, the home team, has won every game in this series.

3:49 Would it continue?

3:51 Cleveland comes in on a recent hot streak in game sevens.

3:54 Cavs won four straight game sevens entering Sunday,

3:57 which was tied for the third longest winning streak in NBA history.

4:00 LeBron, we remember that one.

4:01 Yeah.

4:01 So, back to Sunday in the third.

4:03 Mitchell dribbles left, step back three.

4:06 Step back is so fun because he hops back with an explosion.

4:10 Minute and a half later, Mitchell inside for the layup.

4:13 Little scoop.

4:15 Few minutes later, Raptors turn it over.

4:18 There you go.

4:19 Finally, watch your head.

4:20 This is the man of the third quarter.

4:22 Yep.

4:22 Jared Allen.

4:23 Went up 20 in the third.

4:24 And a minute later, Jaylen Tyson can't connect, but Allen there for the putback

4:29 on the glass doing the dirty work.

4:31 Eight offensive rebounds.

4:32 Allen joins LeBron as the only Cavs player with 20 points,

4:35 15 boards in a game seven.

4:37 The Cavaliers are looking to return to the finals for the first time since being

4:41 swept by the Warriors in 2018 for the other three teams left in the East.

4:46 It's been over 20 years since they last made the NBA Finals.

4:50 Cavs and Pistons second round series starts tomorrow and there's

4:52 a noticeable Boston size vacancy at the moment in the East bracket.

4:56 So Brian, what's your view of the East at the moment?

4:58 Look, I know we're at the point in the calendar

5:00 where we all make predictions and I wish

5:03 everybody who's making those predictions luck because I have

5:06 no idea how this round is going to go.

5:08 We just saw three of the four series in the East go to seven games.

5:11 I think both of these are primed to go to seven games.

5:15 All four of these teams could not only win this series,

5:18 I think all four of these teams under

5:19 the right circumstances can win the entire Eastern Conference.

5:22 So, I expect this to be high drama, high stakes,

5:25 a lot of back and forth, and frankly, a lot of, you know, ups and downs.

5:30 There's going to be these teams are going to look bad at times,

5:32 and they're going to look good at times.

5:34 You better settle in for it.

5:35 Yeah.

5:35 All four of these teams also that are still standing,

5:38 remaining in the Eastern Conference has a player that is under pressure.

5:42 You know, they have a player that we're

5:44 going to be watching and circling and saying, "How was your performance?"

5:47 Or players, yeah, multiple have a group.

5:49 You look at Cleveland, they have a little bit of a group.

5:50 If you look at New York,

5:51 they might have a little bit of a group based on the impact,

5:53 but it also is going to be a career-defining opportunity for all

5:57 of these squads because they want to get to the mountain top.

5:59 They want to be the challengers of the potential

6:01 Oklahoma City Thunder to try to slow down their reign.

6:04 And when you break them down, the Sixers,

6:05 that player that we have an eye on is Joel Embiid for obvious reasons.

6:08 He's healthyish at the right time, but his numbers are showing up in a big way.

6:13 New York, Brunson, and Cat, will they be able to write the wrongs of last year?

6:17 And you think about if the impact if they don't win,

6:20 we might look at a reconstruction in New York, Detroit.

6:23 Cade Cunningham is probably the person shouldering the heaviest load.

6:26 Yeah.

6:27 You know, his production dictates their success more than anyone else.

6:30 It's like a straight linear line.

6:32 And then the Cavs,

6:34 James Harden, the question marks about how he goes later in the series.

6:37 That's why he went to Cleveland, so he's not that number one.

6:40 But now you're going alongside a Donovan Mitchell,

6:42 who we also have question marks.

6:43 So each guy has an opportunity for these teams,

6:46 but we'll see which one emerges to change their legacy in a positive way.

6:50 Obviously, this is a star-studded league and it's about them.

6:52 But I think the guys that can change the series

6:53 or change the narrative or win you a series are the others.

6:56 The guys that stepped up for Cleveland and saved the names

6:59 that you're talking about are Evan Mobley and Jared Allen.

7:01 Like true Evan Moy stretching the floor,

7:03 knocking down threes, being aggressive against the paint.

7:05 Jared Allen third quarter, unbelievable.

7:07 Just offensive rebounding, blocking shots, deterring guys at the paint.

7:10 Those two guys are going to be huge.

7:12 And if Detroit wants to have a chance in the series,

7:14 Jaylen Dur has to be the second option.

7:16 I love how Debias Harris is playing.

7:18 Shout out to Mr.

7:19 Harris.

7:19 I'm sorry.

7:19 None said Tobias Harris can be a second option,

7:22 but he shouldn't have to be a second option.

7:24 But he's playing at this level and you have Jaylen Dur to step up.

7:26 This team could be so the way they're playing,

7:28 they could advance to that next round if

7:30 those two guys play the way it's supposed to.

7:32 But that's going to be a big challenge

7:33 for Jaylen Dur taking on Evan Mobley and Jared Allen.

7:35 So, you know, Tobias Harris, hell of a series.

7:38 Good.

7:38 Keep keep it going, young fella.

7:39 Old fella now.

7:40 And I hope to see them, you know, advance and and make some noise in Detroit.

7:44 This could be wild to say.

7:45 I think Detroit might be the team with the least pressure on them.