The first half of the season is officially in the books. The Magic finished the first half 28-33 with a gut-wrenching and
frustrating 97-94 loss to the New York Knicks January 27.
The Magic's season was epitomized in that game. Inconsistent offensive play marked by turnovers, an inconsistent
defense, and poor ball movement, in the first half dug the Magic a deep hole. But, in the second half the Magic began to play
the strong defense they are capable of, the offense was quick, and the boards were controlled by
Dwight Howard. Unfortunately, they came up just short of achieving
victory. Hopefully, the playoffs aren't 25 points away with eight and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter.
But, there is still half a season remaining. Here are some goals the Magic should post on the bulletin board from now
until April:
1. Make the Playoffs
The number one goal heading into this season was to return this franchise to the postseason. For the most part the
Magic have not been playing like a playoff team. But, they find themselves right in the hunt for the final three playoff spots
in the Eastern Conference. Right after the suspension of
Steve Francis, the Magic pulled it together for a five game winning
streak and seemed to be playing at a very high level. The way they were playing in that stretch is how they will need to play
to cause damage (whether it is advancing to the second round or extending a first round series) in the postseason. But, as is
typical with this season - and for the most part this franchise since Shaq left - they couldn't continue the good play and have
begun to dig themselves another hole in the weak Eastern Conference.
The beautiful thing is that this losing streak won't hurt that much. The Magic have had losing streaks of five and
seven games in addition to the current three game streak, but have not fallen out of the playoff hunt. A long winning streak -
like the five game winning streak that was just snapped - would almost assure them the seventh or eighth seed. Almost all the
playoff seeds are up for grabs and no one seems to want them. A .500 record would get the Magic into the playoffs. Anything can
happen with more than half the season left.
What is important is that the Magic sustain a winning attitude. They cannot allow long losing streaks to occur. That
has been their biggest problem. They win three; lose four; win two; lose three. They have to come out of this five game winning
streak- or any winning streak they have the remainder of the season- and lose only one, maybe two games before starting
another win streak. That is what good teams do. Don't expect the Magic to win nine or ten games in a row, but if they win
four or five games in a row, lose one game, and then follow that up with a three or four game win streak, they will achieve
their postseason dreams.
2. Cut Back on the Turnovers
This has been a problem for the Magic for a long, long time. The Magic have given away many games this season because
they can't keep the ball in their possession. Part of the problem starts with
Steve Francis. His out of control play caused the seemingly dramatic
rise in his turnovers last season, but this season - and for the most part as of late - Francis has been playing flawlessly,
with respect to turning the ball over. So then what is causing the Magic to be turnover prone this season, especially lately
after the five game winning streak?
It still seems the Magic haven't adjusted to the change in play style that
Brian Hill has tried to implement. Last season the Magic were an up-and-down,
fast break team. That style is conducive to committing a lot of turnovers because of the frenetic pace it is played. But,
this year the Magic have become a half court team. At times this season, the half court offense has looked atrocious. Even
though the players have spent more than a season together, they are still making turnovers that tell the coach they don't know
where they are going to be on the court. Some you can accept as good defense or a good idea by a player that wasn't executed
well, but some are just plain bad communication and teamwork. If the Magic want to make the playoffs, how many turnovers they
commit and how many they force will be a key factor.
3. Find Consistency & Stay Healthy
This all goes back to the whole make the playoffs goal. The good teams in the NBA are able to win and win often. The
Magic have been in harmonic motion. They win two; they lose two; the win five; they lose five. The Magic entered the second
half of the season having won five of their past seven, losing the past two games. The Magic cannot afford to let a five game
winning streak be cancelled out by a five game or more losing streak or a bad stretch of play, like losing five of their next
seven. Playoff teams, even in the weakened Eastern Conference, find a way to win and keep winning. The Magic have not done
this thus far.
It should be easier to do in the second half of the season. The injury bug seems to have migrated out of Orlando -
although with Grant Hill still in a suit you wouldn't know it.
Keyon Dooling has stayed on the court for more than five minutes.
Jameer Nelson sat out for an extended period of time lately. The
Magic were playing their best basketball and while there will be a small transition period as players return to the lineup, the
Magic should continue to play that way. Francis has been a spark since his suspension.
Unfortunately, the Magic continue to find new ways to give games away. They have to find a groove where they are
playing well and keep playing well. That is the only way for them to achieve their goals.
4. Stay Motivated & Beat Teams You Should Beat
The past two seasons this has been the Magic's problem. They played up and down to the team they are playing. Sometimes
it is a good thing, like when you can outscore the
Phoenix Suns; and sometimes it is a bad thing, when you get outscored by the
New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.
The Magic have to keep their focus. It sometimes feels like they are playing with the "button mentality." This team feels like
they can turn their game on at any time, so called "pushing the button." The Magic cannot allow this mentality to creep in.
Reality is that they have the talent to be a playoff team, but until they are playing in late April, they are not a playoff team.
The Magic will be facing some of the worst of the NBA in the second half of the season. The Magic play the Hawks four
more times, Charlotte once more, New York once more, and Toronto one more time. These seven games should all be wins. In an
Eastern Conference race as tight as the one they are in right now, all seven wins are very important. While the Magic have
played poorly against the worst of the NBA, they have played fairly well against the best, taking the Cavaliers and Mavericks
to overtime and defeating the Suns. The Magic have to continued to try and steal games from the best of the NBA and if they
can break even against the middle of the road teams in the NBA - especially those in the Eastern Conference - the Magic will
be fulfilling their goals.
5. Give Dwight Howard the Ball
Even though the Magic are trying to make a run for the playoffs and
Dwight Howard isn't ready to shoulder the offensive load, the
Magic also have to be mindful of their future. Howard has made Dick Vitale eat his words on draft day two years ago.
It is painfully obvious the Magic made the right choice. Howard is the leading rebounder in the NBA at age 20, an
amazing accomplishment at such a young age in the league. He isn't a dominating offensive player yet, but his offense is a lot
further along then it was last year. More importantly, when he gets the ball, he has some idea of what to do with the ball in
his hands and his back to the basket. It appears that with Jermaine O'Neal injured and voted on to the starting lineup for the
All Star game, Dwight Howard will be making his first All Star
appearance this season.
Thus, the Magic must continue to feed the ball to second year player. The focus of this season was to shift the weight
of the offense away from the perimeter players and towards the post. That has not happened yet, but Howard has gotten the ball
more. He needs to continue to get his opportunities.
It may be tough to win while the Magic go through his growing pains. Howard has struggled to play against double teams
and has turned the ball over more consistently than
Steve Francis has. But, he is just experiencing the NBA first hand
and will adjust, much like he did heading into this season, to what the NBA throws at him. Until Howard is a consistent scoring
and passing threat from the low post, the guards -
Steve Francis,
DeShawn Stevenson,
Grant Hill,
Jameer Nelson, and
Hedo Turkoglu - will continue to have to carry the scoring load.
But Howard has to be a primary option for the offense, whether it helps the team score or not.
