Shamefully, I haven't seen an Orlando game all season, so I'm quite looking forward to watching Dwight Howard and his ridiculous 23.7ppg (10th in NBA), 15.4 rpg (1st), and 2.7 bpg (3rd) tonight. He's more than one persons pick for MVP at this point.
W-L-L-L-W-L
Last Season:
Mavs 111 @ 95 Magic
Magic 98 @ 103 Mavs
Jan Hubbard wrote an entire article about Orlando in the Star-Telegram today comparing them to the Orlando teams of the Shaq era.
--------------------
Third Quarter Collapse - The Orlando Magic Blog of SB Nation
-------------------
Rashard Lewis (18.9ppg, 5.4apg, 20 million dollars) missed the last game with a stiff neck but will play through the pain tonight.
---------------------
While Dallas has been playing better lately, Orlando might be heading in the other direction.
"It is a very difficult time for us right now," Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We are just not playing well enough."
The Magic still have the best road record in the NBA (12-3), but even they don't believe that leaving Central Florida will cure their recent woes. Their lack of defense -- especially early in the game -- has been glaring, prompting Van Gundy to consider changing his lineup.
In four of the last five games -- in each of the losses -- the opponent has scored at least 28 points in the first quarter, forcing them to play from behind each time. Even the dominance of center Dwight Howard hasn't been enough to overcome their defensive snoozes.
It's kind of funny; Orlando has been the talk of the NBA at times this season while Dallas has been considered one of the biggest disappointments.The Magic still have the best road record in the NBA (12-3), but even they don't believe that leaving Central Florida will cure their recent woes. Their lack of defense -- especially early in the game -- has been glaring, prompting Van Gundy to consider changing his lineup.
In four of the last five games -- in each of the losses -- the opponent has scored at least 28 points in the first quarter, forcing them to play from behind each time. Even the dominance of center Dwight Howard hasn't been enough to overcome their defensive snoozes.
Dallas: 16-9
Orlando: 17-8.
How about that for perspective?