NFL coaches like to split up the NFL season into four game quarters. They preach that their team has to win each quarter
and these coaches set for quarterly goals for their team to try and accomplish.
Unlike the NFL season, the NBA season is a little harder to split up. A lot more can happen in 82 games as opposed to
16. A team may also have deeper swings during a twenty game stretch of play compared to four. But, it is still a good idea to
assess where the team is a quarter of the way through the season and look forward to what the next quarter can bring as well as
what the team has to do to be successful and achieve their goals.
The Orlando Magic entered the season with a simple goal: make the playoffs. The first
quarter of the season was marked by swings in the win and loss column as well as the bite from the injury bug. Fans can only
think how this team would have started if
Grant Hill hadn't suffered a sports hernia midway through the preseason
and Keyon Dooling's plantar fascia hadn't flared up again. That's not
even mentioning any automobile accidents that occurred along the way.
But unfortunately, this is not a world of "what if's," but a world of actuality. Yes, the Magic have had to face injury
these first 20 games and how they have responded to it could show how they will play the rest of the season.
The first 20 games have shown the potential this team has. The defense is light years ahead of where it was last season.
It has ranked in the top ten for points per game allowed all season. The Magic have found a way to win the boards in almost
every game, a sure sign that your team is going to win. But unfortunately, the offense is in desperate need of a jump start.
With the second quarter of the season in sight, here is an outlook on how the Magic are playing and what could happen
with them over the next 20 games.
Offense: Brian Hill's main goal this season was to instill some
defense. At the beginning of the season, Magic fans expected the defense to be better, but that the offense would still be
there. They were grossly mistaken.
The Princeton offense is based on a simple principle: players without the ball have to move around, make cuts, and get
themselves open in positions for their teammates to get them the ball. The team has not grasped the concepts of this offense,
but Coach Hill has waited for
Grant Hill's return to truly instill his offensive principles. The
offense has been hurt by the absence of Hill. While
DeShawn Stevenson and
Hedo Turkoglu have been able to step up their scoring in his stead,
there is a considerable 10-12 point gap that is missing that Grant should immediately be able to fill.
However, the biggest problem for this offense throughout the entire season has been turnovers. It isn't just
Steve Francis throwing the ball around like he was last season, the
Magic truly have a problem committing unforced turnovers.
Dwight Howard has had problems passing out of the double teams he has
begun to garner. But, this should get better within time. Many other players are just not communicating well with each other,
but these errors should get better as the team gets used to playing with each more and the games get bigger.
The Magic have also struggled getting into a good rhythm on offense. They have shown that when the offense is playing
well everything goes well, but it has happened very rarely. The Magic at times have found themselves in an offensive rhythm,
but a turnover or a forced pass into the post or a forced shot destroys that rhythm for minutes at a time. The Magic become a
jump shooting team for stretches and while the defense, for the most part, keeps them in the game, jump shots don't help the
Magic take advantage of the good defensive play and, further burdening an already overstretched defense.
This team simply needs to get down and focus on playing good basketball. Grant's presence will surely help temper the
offense a little bit as he will see some action as the "point forward" and he is a little more controlled than Stevenson,
Francis, or Jameer Nelson. The return of Hill and
Keyon Dooling should help the scoring rebound as well. Grade: C-
Defense: Last season, the Magic struggled to find an identity. They were a professed running team, but by midseason
they stopped running and stopped scoring points and the covered hole that was their defense at the beginning of the season,
turned into a death trap for their playoff hopes. Thus, defense became the focus of this season.
The Magic, at least statistically, have played decent defense. They have been in the upper third for forced turnovers
and points allowed per game. But, the Magic haven't been able to stop their opponents from shooting the ball at a high
percentage. And the defense has had its lapses, even in victories.
The Magic have gotten better at trusting one another on defense, but they still haven't perfected stopping perimeter
players from penetrating. The second wave of help is there, but the ball is then either sent back out to three point shooters
or inside for easy lay-ups and dunks. The games against the
Chicago Bulls showed this weakness. However, this is on and off and the only games
where the Magic really struggled with their defense were in Cleveland, Memphis, and Milwaukee - all respectable teams.
The Magic need their defensive leaders to get back to playing defense at a higher level. The game against the
Toronto Raptors on Monday night displayed all the problems that the Magic have had
and will have the rest of the season. No player is dependable as a one-on-one defender and, even though the help is there, it
leaves open shots for the three point shooters - the three point shot being the great equalizer to good defense.
The Magic's offense is magnifying every weakness the defense has, but if the offense isn't going to pick up its play,
the defense will have to pick it up for them. Grade: B-
Overall: It is really tough to judge this team thus far because of all the injuries that have happened. The Magic
showed this quarter of the season what they are capable of. They have shown that when they are healthy - with Dooling or Hill
in the lineup - they can be a dangerous team that can beat just about anybody. When they are playing without a full lineup they
can be embarrassed or they can squeak by with a win. That is truly the beauty of good defense, though. The ability to be in
games, but if the blowouts the Magic have suffered thus far in the season are any indication of things, the Magic have cloudy
skies ahead. Overall Grade: C
What to Look Forward to: The Magic open up the second quarter of the season with a six game home stand. With the two
losses to begin the home stand, the Magic have to win the next four to pull themselves back to .500. The Magic have to finish
strong on this home stand to start the second quarter of the season. After the Magic finish the calendar year, they face a
tough stretch where 8 of their next 10 games are away from the TD Waterhouse Centre, including a four game western road swing
in mid-January and a trip to Detroit to start 2006.
Thus, every win at home is important. The eighth seed in the Eastern Conference is figuring to come in at about .500.
The Magic's goal coming out of the second quarter of the season at the end of January should be to either to hold the eighth
seed or to be a game or game and a half back. The Magic should also pledge to defend their home court with a little more pride.
The loss to the Raptors is hopefully a wake-up call, much like the loss to the Hornets turned out to be. With players coming
back healthy, the Magic have to gel right now and establish themselves as a playoff contender. At the moment, the eighth seed
is up for grabs. And it seems that the Magic aren't willing to fight for it right now.
FIRST QUARTER AWARDS
MVP: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs - there are plenty of good candidates.
Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell, and Elton Brand have led their teams to surprising starts, but Duncan has been the rock for the
Spurs. When San Antonio came into Orlando, Duncan single-handedly took the Magic out of the game. He is an MVP contender every
year and there is no reason he wasn't the best player thus far this season.
Rookie of the Year: Chris Paul, New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets - Paul has
been a spark for the young Hornets team. He has led the team to surprising victories and should have people in Oklahoma City
and New Orleans (if they ever move back there) excited to watch Hornets basketball. Paul was an assist shy of a triple-double
in a victory over the Spurs and he plays like a veteran point guard.
Defensive Player of the Year: Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat - he probably
won't stay in the race, but 'Zo stepped up his game in the absence of
Shaquille O'Neal. Even though Miami didn't finish with a record
that many fans and experts expected, he was a solid player in the middle to anchor their defense. Mourning is still a solid
shot blocker and is not someone a player wants to meet in the middle.
6th Man of the Year: Michael Finley, San Antonio Spurs - Finley has been
the acquisition of the year thus far. Finley has made big shots in his first year with the NBA champs and has accepted his
role off the bench after starting with the
Dallas Mavericks for eight seasons. Finley has stepped in and replaced the injured
Manu Ginobili and is a key component for the Spurs to repeat as champions.
Surprise of the Season: Los Angeles Clippers - the perpetually losing
Clippers finally may have a winner. They haven't made the playoffs since Larry Brown coached them to an appearance in the 1993
Playoffs. But, the Clippers have had a talented roster for a couple of seasons now, but have been missing that catalyst to
push them to the next level. Sam Cassell has been that spark. The Clippers can only hope that the old fuse stays lit in April.
Disappointment of the Season: Houston Rockets - the Rockets came one game
and forty points away from getting Tracy McGrady out of the first
round. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. The Rockets responded by signing Stromile Swift, hoping his youth would be able to
supercharge their roster. The plan hasn't worked so far. The Rockets have been plagued by injuries, to McGrady and point
guard Bob Sura and now to Yao Ming. The Rockets will have to put together a serious run with damaged bodies if they don't
want to put their future on ping pong balls.
