Orlando drops another game, this time to the Atlanta Hawks. The final score was 91-83. This was a good game to get a second look at what I pretty much already knew. Britton Johnsen wants to play basketball, Steven Hunter does not.

The first half of the game went pretty well. McGrady had zero points but played tremendous defense. He was able to get other players involved early in addition to pulling down a few rebounds and posting a couple blocks. Johnsen played with energy and was all over the court. I really like the effort this guy puts into the game.

The second half was pretty much down hill. Howard and Gooden are playing good basketball and fighting for almost every rebound. I cannot wait for the season to start and see these guys play when the games are on the line. Hunter plays a little in the third and more in the fourth. I have the feeling he will be cut soon. He is not getting back on defense and is horrible at putting back a rebound when he actually manages to get one. Steven's attitude is awful. At one point, he picked up a silly touch foul and just acted upset that he was called for a foul. Mature players will blow off the call and get focused back on the game, Hunter is becoming an eye sore on the court.

Bright spots of the game are Britton Johnsen, Gooden/Howard playing well together and the dynamic point guard duo of William/Lue. Both point guards increased their assists and points tonight. This was the first game that they looked comfortable with the team. Low spots are beginning to sound like a broken record. Hunter played horrible again, turnovers and the points from turnovers and fast breaks made a difference in this game. I expect the Magic to clean a little when the season starts, but the turnovers and rebounding will be continuous topics when the Magic lose.

One more week until the first game of the season.