The Magic gave up major points in the first half by not playing defense. Still though, the game was somewhat close thanks to Tracy McGrady lighting up the Pacers in the second quarter. Throughout the second half the Magic would pull close only to stop playing defense and the lead would go back to double digits. The game was within 10 with 3 minutes to go, but McGrady couldn't find the range from the outside like he had in the previous 3 quarters and no one else on the team could hit any clutch baskets. Juwan Howard had a few good baskets but played horrible defense. At one point, he simply stared as Jermaine O'Neal rebounded and then dunked the ball right in front of him.
Keith Bogans continues to prove that he is going to be a good role player in the NBA. He has consistently provided good minutes with a solid effort each night. Although his numbers are not always a double-double - if you watch the games, he is always after loose balls and rebounds. Bogans does a great job at leaving the smaller defender behind and working the boards. Steven Hunter provided a few good minutes tonight. I will be the first one to tell you straight up that this guy has had a horrible start to his NBA career. I was against drafting him, starting him and keeping him. About the only thing the Magic did right in the past three years with this guy is not pick up his option and took him out of the starting lineup. However, he was very active tonight - running the floor, defending and rebounding. He played good defense on O'Neal - but there were times when he did not block out or simply did not have the full effort. I did see him finally put a body on a guard through one of those screens. If he could pick up the intensity on the defensive side, not look to score (except on offensive rebounds, box out better and dunk the ball with TWO hands - then I could see giving him 10 minutes a game to prove himself. Lee Nailon got his first minutes as a Magic player tonight, scoring 4 points and grabbing 3 offensive rebounds in 9 minutes.
Well, it is not going to get much better. We play Boston tomorrow night at 7pm.
I would dearly love to see just one game where three or four of our Orlando Magic players on the defensive end of the floor weren't just standing around apparently in 'awe' of what is going on around them as if their feet were glued to the floor! Same old story - no one but the superstar scoring serious points, no transitional or defensive effort! I guess they still haven't come to the realization that the defense against them is that everyone has to make a serious effort - typically opponents shut down McGrady and let the other four guys mill about smartly or let McGrady go wild and control the other four players! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure you won't win most games without more than one 'serious' scoring threat on the floor at a time and at least a token defensive attempt!
Its hard to complain about this game. The magic did the right thing on offense by letting Mcgrady go wild, while having the other players not take as many shots. They shot 50% from the field. Thats really good. Giricek got his shooting touch again and Keith Bogans continued the good play. Drew Gooden didn't seem as aggressive tonight and he needs to be if they want to win. I am always one to defend Hunter because I know what he is capable of, but he still needs to improve the basics like free throws, boxing out etc. He blocks shots but could be a lot better. He is 7 ft. with a very athletic body and great jumping ability. He just needs to be more aggressive and energetic and we could have a great shot blocker and rebounding center. We were playing the best in the east and its tough when this team is only at 80%. Without Garrity and Hill this team will always be mediocre but at this time bad. What lost this game is obviously defense (as usual). They gave up 69 in the first half and finished with 114. The last three games they have let oppenents score 338 points. Awful. They cant just accept the fact that they are undersized. They still have the ability to get in their faces and disturb their shot. Basic defense. Stay in front of your guy. Try and block a layup instead of staring. They might learn defense can win a game.
Same point that I was making to numbnuts on another post about Paul Westhead. Last year, we were one of the better scoring teams. This year, we have similar scoring threats - but not as reliable. T-Mac will always be there. But our defense has always been horrible. So, what do we do? We hire a fast break coach - as if we were getting stops and rebounds to have a fast break with. The point is - defense wins ball games. We cannot hope to outscore teams with a fast break or any other type of offense. So, we do we insist on not playing good defense? Simple, we obviously do not have a coaching staff focused on making the team play defense. Real simple philosphy. You play defense - you stay in the game. You don't play defense - your ass sits. We're losing games anyways - let's starting putting the hurt where the players will respond. Their numbers. If they only play a few minutes because they don't play defense - their numbers will come down and eventually they will have that fire to do whatever it takes to get more minutes. Oh, and I liked the almost fight with Artest and Howard. I only wish it would have blown up more and at least 2-3 players get ejected. I almost saw some toughness.
All great points. Orlando is a LONG shot from making the playoffs so I hope they make the best of it. They should scrap their offense and only practice defense. Every kind of defense to stopping the fast break and just simply getting in their faces. Forget offense, only do shooting and layup drills. No more practicing plays just practice defense. I dont care if we dont ever get over 90 points again this season, as long as the opponent is not scoring 60 points in a half and shooting over 50%. I know offense is very important but our defense is so horrible that we should just scrap offense and learn defense. Also I recommend Basic Defense 101. Seriously every player should sit through an actual class that teaches them defense, and they have to average an A to pass. Even the coaching staff should take it because obviously they are only doing half their jobs.