The Magic usually open games with strong, energetic play that sets the tone for the match. Tonight, the Magic—Howard included—looked dismal in the 1st quarter, combining for a total of 12 points on 19 attempted shots. For stat junkies out there that’s 31.6% shooting. I’m not even going to discuss the only 3-pointer that landed out of 6 attempts or the unnecessary ball movement.
Furthermore, all their defensive polish from the last three games seems to have lost its shine. At one point in the first quarter, Ryan Anderson blew his coverage on Raptor’s big man, Andrea Bargnani, leading him to score an easy, open three.
I couldn’t read Stan Van Gundy’s lips as he shook his arms in the air at Anderson but I’m sure you can fill in the blanks… Anderson was immediately benched. The Magic did have a huge boost off the bench from still-streaking 6th man, JJ Redick, scoring 8 points in the final two minutes of the 1st quarter alone. That made him the only guard to score any points. Interesting stat, isn’t it?
Although the Magic continued to struggle at containing the Raptor’s energy, their offense did improve through effective drives to the basket that often left the Raptor’s struggling to react due to their lack of defense in the paint. Credit Anderson and Hedo Turkoglu for expanding their arsenal to include things they should already be able to do – cuts, drives, and layups out of teammates’ screens, and not always settling for the jumper. Also credit Redick even further; his shooting touch is still red hot.
Part of the reason for the Magic’s defensive woes is the aforementioned big man, Bargnani. The Magic lacked the means to shut the over-sized shooter down without pulling Dwight out of the paint, which would have enabled the Raptors to relentlessly attack the rim.
Bargnani led the Raptors with a season-high performance of 28 points and 7 rebounds.
Guess which ‘poison’ Van Gundy chose?
“[Bargnani’s] one of the best shooters in the world,” said Raptor’s head coach, Dwane Casey. “We want to make sure we utilize that.” Although I’m sure Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant would highly disagree with that statement, Bargnani’s shooting was locked-on all night.
Then, when all seemed lost, through a stroke of genius, Stan Van Gundy realized what he needed to do. Calling a time out, he gathered his team around and drew up a brilliant play: it was a picture of a ball going into the basket.
At least it had to have been. Nothing else explains the Magic’s sudden resurgence of both offensive and defensive talents to secure the victory through a 16-0 scoring run.
Turkoglu made contested, fade-away 3-pointers; Howard registered a vicious block under the rim; Redick took a strategic charge; and, most importantly, the Magic’s defense locked the Raptors down to the point of stagnation. It was a brilliant spectacle that ignited the crowd into a constant roar, deafening the entire arena.
As per usual this season, Ryan Anderson, who’s shaping to have an amazing season by the way, led the rally with 24 points on the night.
Now it’s time to ruin the high-note… why couldn’t the Magic play like this during the first three quarters?
Side note: This game marked the return of Jameer Nelson after his neck injury during the New Jersey Net’s game. This shocked many fans, and yours truly, because Nelson usually waits until much later in the season to become injured.
by Brandon Hayhurst
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