The Orlando Magic are under some tight scrutiny at the moment. After an impressive 12-4 start to the season, the Magic have regressed to a lackluster 15-10. The team’s contender status is being questioned, and for good reason too. The Magic have been playing some terrible basketball lately with key players failing to show up for games. Tonight’s game, while seemingly just another game, may actually be a nail in the coffin for the Magic’s hopes of keeping Howard.
Well, Magic fans, your team is continuing to confuse analysts from across the league with games such as these. In a strong defensive and offensive showing, the Magic extinguished the title-contending Heat, 102-89. In the process, the Magic broke a franchise record by attempting 42 three-pointers.
Ryan Anderson is mostly to blame for this by having a double-double for the Magic, scoring 27 points and 11 rebounds—his third highest career performance ever.
The Magic opened the game with an impressive 7-0 run that could have easily been higher had two uncontested 3-pointers hit their mark. They never trailed at all during the game.
The Heat needed all the scoring from their “big three” to stay relevant in the 1st quarter, combining to score 15 out of the Heat’s total 18 points. Hint: this became a trend all night long (not Bosh, of course).
I have a feeling that Heat coach, Erik Spoelstra, calls a timeout when his team is behind and says, “Okay guys, since nothing else is working and I don’t feel like drawing plays, just give the ball to Lebron or D-wade.” Well, Lebron did help keep his team in the game with an okay 17 points. Wade, on the other hand, troubled the Magic with 33 points. Coach of the year, if you ask me.
This isn’t anything to really write home about. James and Wade are a duo that almost every team in the league struggles to contain—they’re that good; I mean, the Heat would have a championship by now if the rest of their team was more than salary cap fillers.
The Magic continued to lead the game by as many as 15 points in the first half; however, Lebron and Wade quickly shortened that lead to 3 points by half time; from there the magic regained a 16 point lead due to a whopping 5 steals in the 3rd quarter. The defensive pressure the Magic placed on the explosive Heat was impressive to say the least.
After the Magic gained as high as a 20 point lead in the 4th quarter and the Heat called a time-out, the stadium gave their team a standing ovation that deafened the surroundings for a good ten seconds. The victory horn had just been blown.
However, I do question Magic coach, Stan Van Gundy, on his player rotation. The Magic have a full roster filled with proven talent but yet he elects to only play the same players game-after-game regardless of their performances. I don’t care what the stats say; give credit to seldom seen Quentin Richardson for his amazing defensive performance on Lebron James, and Glenn “Big Baby” Davis for his heart and hustle. No stat will tell you that.
“We knew they were going [to make that run],” remarked Davis. “They’re a really good team, but that’s what it’s all about. Taking that punch and shaking it off.”
Is it any surprise this guy won a ring with Boston? Davis, of course, was referring to the Heat’s late 4th quarter run that cut the Magic’s lead down to 9 points. Is it any coincidence that once Q-Rich returned to the bench for still struggling Turkoglu, the Heat quickly closed the gap? I think not.
The Heat displayed a component the Magic desperately need in order to have any playoff hopes. No, not another star-player or “big three (two?)”, a player who the team can turn to when nothing else is working to rally teammates and bolster their performance. And please don’t say Howard. The only thing you can rely on him for is to get stressed, complain, and bring the morale of the team down.
Tonight, the Magic got that fourth quarter spark from the whole roster, which is arguably more important than a single player taking over. The team quieted any hopes the Heat had at a comeback in short order. The question that remains as the Magic try to prove they’re still relevant is, can the entire roster continue to play big or do the Magic truly need an “it” guy.
By Brandon Hayhurst
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