What has changed? Steve Francis was finally traded after months of turmoil with the Magic organization. There was a lot to fix with the Magic, even with Francis, and now they’re destined to fall to one of the worst on the team.
Early on, the Magic had a hundred-pound strategy in place. By slowing down the game, they were able to contend for the playoffs for the first few months. The Magic were in the top five in points allowed as of Dec. 5. Since then the defense has completely collapsed and is allowing 96.2 per contest.
The team has its bright spots. Thanks to Dwight Howard, the Magic are in the top 10 in FG%. Howard leads the league in rebounding and scoring 15.6. With polish he has all the potential to be the next Kevin Garnett. And thanks to players like Turkoglu and Garrity Orlando is a good 3P shooting team.
Like most teams, their success revolves around the PG. When Steve Francis scored just 9.7 over a span of 6 games, the Magic lost all 6 games. With Francis as the PG, the offense never set up properly and Orlando was 29th in APG. He committed the third most turnovers in the NBA and his team ranked 24th in turnovers.
Orlando just didn’t have the manpower to follow Brian Hill’s defensive style. They are 22 blocks, 27 steals, 26 forced turnovers and 20 rebounds. The only players averaging a complete steal per game for the Magic are Jameer Nelson and Grant Hill.
Which brings me to injuries. Nelson and Dooling have missed a combined 47 games and Grant Hill has missed 38 games. Much of his success or lack thereof is due to Hill’s inability to stay on the floor. He should be able to play most of the remaining 29 games, but at this point it doesn’t matter much.
Orlando started 18-22 but has lost 12 of its last 13. With an 8-game losing streak and 7 games between them and the Sixers, the Magic’s chances are slim to none. With the offseason, the most they can hope for is the development between Milicic, Ariza and Howard.