The Orlando Magic with their fourth game in a row as they beat the Phoenix Suns, 111-102. The Magic look a lot more comfortable on the floor lately. Winning tends to do that. However, I think we are seeing a different Steve Francis. Something that should have been done long ago with Tracy McGrady, the Magic benched a superstar. The result was an improvement in the Franchise's attitude. I think Francis realizes that leading a team has nothing to do with what you say but how you act.
As I have said in years past, the difference in winning and losing is basically two things. First and foremost, you have to play defense. Playing decent defense puts you in the running late in the game. Keep the score close and let your star players do what they are paid to do. Secondly, the bench must contribute to the box score. It is true that a lot of role players contribute a lot more to the team outside of the box score. However, at some point - the team must put points on the scoreboard.
Keyon Dooling and Pat Garrity provided enough scoring punch to give the Magic a chance to beat the Suns. I thought Dooling did a tremendous job of driving to the basket and picking his shots. Honestly, aside from Hedo Turkoglu going ape shit on the Suns, Dooling was the difference in this game.
Speaking of Turkoglu, Hedo has found a new, hidden talent. Many of us have been dying to see Hedo take the ball into the lane a little more often. He has the perfect size and shooting touch for the small forward position. In fact, I think there are few small forwards that can guard Hedo when he puts the ball on the floor. If he drives within 10 feet of the basket, teams have to double him because the shot he puts up is practically automatic. Often this is leaving teammates wide-open. Turkoglu finishes the night with 30 points and 6 rebounds.
While I could go on and on about how well this team played and everyone deserves some credit, I have two last things to bring up. One, Dwight "The Daily Double" Howard posted yet another double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. I can count on one hand the number of guys in the league that can defend him. Lastly, the crowd. The announces were on target with their flashback comments. It felt a lot like the heart and hustle team we had - which is the last time I can really remember the crowd being that good - except for possibly two or three games. Two playoff games in T-Macs first year and Steve Francis' first game in a Magic uniform. I still almost tear-up when I think about that shot.
