Dwight Howard scored 24 points and grabbed 25 rebounds for the Orlando Magic in an exciting overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Make no mistake, the game was very exciting; however, it was also an ugly game of basketball for both teams.
When the lockout ended and the NBA announced it would be utilizing a shortened, accelerated 66 game season, many wondered how sloppy teams would look, especially considering teams must play several back-to-back games.
Tonight was a back-to-back-to-back game for the Magic and a back-to-back game for the Spurs. It showed.
Both teams are well known three-point shooting teams. The Magic shot 19% from beyond the arc whereas the Spurs shot 11.8%. This is normally where I’d make a wisecrack but honestly the numbers are hilarious in and of themselves.
On to something that’s not funny: Von Wafer. He put on his best Kobe Bryant impersonation tonight. When other teammates shots weren’t falling, he took over off the bench scoring 15 points on 9 out of 16 shooting overall. Better yet, he was creating his own shot—something the Magic have lacked the ability to do for quite some time.
“He’s probably our best guy on our roster at being able to create his own shot of the perimeter guys,” coach Stan Van Gundy said about Wafer. “He’s bringing us good energy.”
Despite Wafer’s inspiring play, the Magic still fell in a brutal overtime stretch that mimicked the feel of a playoff game. These games have been brutal for every team in the NBA as the injury count piles up night after night. The Magic are still out Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu because of it; the Spurs are out Manu Ginobli.
It’s hard to say how the game would have differed if both teams had their star players—it’s especially hard watching both teams out of breath, fighting to jump for a simple shot.
Regardless, it was a close loss for the Magic that doesn’t bring any worries or complaints to the table. For those optimists out there, you can hang your hat on how tonight’s game will lend Von Wafer a heightened role in the Magic’s offense for repeat scoring performances.
Ultimately, every team in the NBA is dealing with these exhaustion and injury problems such as these, so excuses will only go so far. Let’s hope the Magic are well rested for their next opponents, the Lakers.
Odd Stat: If the Magic keep their current pace, they’ll average 1 Technical Foul per game this season. Dwight has some serious competition in the works from his own team.
by Brandon Hayhurst
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