This Magic team can be so confusing to me at times. They started off the game playing with just enough effort to keep them around. By the start of the second half - they were on the verge of being run out of the building. Rookie Jameer Nelson provided a spark off the bench and helped rally the Magic to make a game of it in the end. Steve Francis went nutso in this game, scoring 31 points, dishing out 8 assists and grabbing 9 rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu absolutely stunk up the place. I would have liked to of seen Doug Christie get his first minutes as a Magic player - but not tonight.
Deshawn Stevenson saw a little playing time tonight. He looks uncomfortable out there. I wish he could get 5-10 minutes a night and start contributing to the team a little. Stevenson tried to get into the flow helping out the team, but just didn't do much in the end. Hopefully coach will keep giving him whatever minutes he can until his confidence comes back and he can become a regular contributor.
Magic come up short in the end, losing 101-94. One highlight was the self-bounce pass to alley-oop dunk that Francis pulled off in the second half. At 6'3", Francis is one of the most exciting dunkers in the league. The refs did not call traveling - and I am glad. One, in the NBA - who knows if it even was traveling - we've all seen Shaq shuffle his feet more than a wedding party doing the electric slide. Two, it was great entertainment. That 2 points was not going to make a difference in the game. If nothing else, it was worth seeing Larry Brown having a heart attack on the sideline. That's TV!
