Orlando Magic 95, New Jersey Nets 85

Vince Carter stole the headlines before, making his first trip to New Jersey since the summer's blockbuster trade. Vince Carter stole the headlines during the game, dominating play and scoring 16 points in the first half. And Vince Carter will take the headlines after the game.

Carter left the game in the second quarter after spraining his ankle stepping on Devin Harris' foot and did not play in the first half. His presence was missed, but not enough for the Magic to fall in their first road game of the season as they improved to 2-0 with a 95-85 win.

But before that point, he and Dwight Howard got everything they wanted offensively. Carter finished with 16 points on six of eight shooting in about 15 minutes of play. He started the game with a driving dunk on the opening possession and looked like he wanted to have "one of those games."

It was unfortunate that it was cut short.

But it was fortunate on another end too. The offense was nowhere near as crisp as it was in Wednesday's opener against the 76ers. Hard to expect it to be, but it was like it was two different teams.

The big difference was hte play early in the second quarter when Stan Van Gundy put in his second unit. Instead of coming out with energy and getting to the basket and rotating the ball, they played a lot of one-on-one basketball and had to force up a lot of shots. Guys looked like they were trying to do too much or expected everything to go in because they had been the last two games (including the last exhibition game against Atlanta).

As Van Gundy said after Wednesday's game, the shots will not always fall as they did that night.

But still things never got out of hand. Orlando played decently defensively and kept the Nets generally out of hte paint. Devin Harris and Rafer Alston beat their man -- mostly Jason Williams with Jameer Nelson battling foul trouble the whole game -- a few times and helped create things.

Any chance New Jersey had to close the gap was met by a quick Magic run aor a timely shot. Most of the second half was spent in the 8-13 point range and rarely any more than that. Orlando took care of business when it needed to.

Dwight Howard had a dominant game defensively and really controlled the glass. He finished with 20 points, 22 rebounds and four blocked shots. He had a lot of energy and got Brook Lopez in foul trouble early and kept him from being a factor in the game.

Still, you got two senses from this game.

First, that New Jersey had its opportunities to win this game but simply could not hit any jump shots. The Nets finished shooting 38.3 percent from the floor and five of 15 from beyond the arc. Devin Harris led the way with 18 points, but it came on six of 17 shooting as he really struggled.

The second was the some of Orlando's offensive struggles at times would have been solved if Carter were on the floor creating. With Nelson out for a good portion of the game with foul trouble, Carter out with the ankle injury and Rashard Lewis sitting at home on his stationary bike, Orlando was missing that attacker from the perimeter.

When Nelson finally got out of foul trouble and played extensive minutes in the fourth quarter, things picked up offensively. Nelson finished with nine points and five assists, but the team just felt different with him on the floor.

The ball started moving and that is when Orlando is deadly. When the ball is staying with one person too long, it stagnates like any other offense would.

This was the first game where the Magic struggled from beyond the arc, going six for 21. There are going to be games like that. What was good to see was the team start attacking the basket more and getting other looks.

They found Howard underneath plenty of times. Nelson got deep in the paint a lot. Brandon Bass was extremely efficient with 13 points and three rebounds. Ryan Anderson also played very well, coming off the 3-point line and getting inside for a few inside baskets. Anderson also had 16 points in his first game back in New Jersey.

It was a little disheartening not to see the Magic really blow this one open. It was never a close game, but the game was always in doubt. The Nets are not a great team and they do not have a lot of great shooters. If they did, they could have very easily won this game. But it was pretty clear why they lost a 16-point lead to the Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

The free throw shooting really kept Orlando from distancing itself early. Howard was a horrible four for 11 from the line and missed his first six. The Magic were 15 of 25 overall. A better effort from the line could have made this game a rout early.

But it is what it is. There was certainly a lot to improve upon after this game. The defense played well and closed things down when it needed to. And I think the offense discovered what it can and cannot get away with.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Nets 10/30

-Courtney Lee was floored when he found out he was traded, but as Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reports, he still has nothing but love for the city of Orlando.

-Vince Carter's reunion tour kicks off tonight in New Jersey and will head on up to Toronto for a game Sunday afternoon. Pretty emotional start of the season for Vince.

-Count owner Rich DeVos among the many Magic front office members with reservations about trading Courtney Lee, George Diaz reports.

-After losing a 16-point lead against Minnesota, New Jersey will need to refocus to handle Vince Carter's return. Devin Harris has definitely noticed so far what having Carter on his team meant for his offensive opportunities, Fred Kerber of the New York Post writes.

-There seems to be no animosity toward Vince Carter's departure. The Nets will welcome him "home" for their home opener tonight, Colin Stephenson of the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

-Nets forward Jarvis Hayes will be out 2-3 weeks after straining his left hamstring in New Jersey's loss to Minnesota on Wednesday.

-Orlando Magic broadcaster David Steele will miss tonight's game to attend the induction of his father into the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame. It is the first game in 21 years he has voluntarily missed. Picked a pretty good reason.

-The Puns are Starting to Bore Me takes a look at the Vince Carter/Hedo Turkoglu switch-a-roo from a purely financial standpoint.

-In The Zzone, by Al Iannazzone of The Record, reports the loss of Jarvis Hayes could be a big one as Lawrence Frank was expecting him to play two or three different positions. Look from more Terrence Williams and maybe even some Eduardo Najera in his absence the next few weeks.

-New Jersey is thinking about trying the basketball version of the NFL's wildcat offense, using Courtney Lee, Devin Harris and Terrence Williams in the lineup at the same time. After one game, NetsAreScorching does not give a good review.

-Vince Carter might see an extra bit of contact tonight. Or at least that's what Devin Harris joked he will see.

-Devin Harris gave Courtney Lee some advice about playing his old team from his experience playing his first couple games against the Mavericks last year (a team Harris went to the Finals with). But the most important thing is not the individual stats, but whether they win.

-Newark's new downtown arena is still waiting for money from the New Jersey Devils and Seton Hall basketball programs, but would love to see the Nets move into the relatively new building.

-John Schuman of NBA.com writes about how the three players Orlando sent to New Jersey -- Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie -- helped build the Magic last season and how shocking it really was to have to trade them all away.

Magic Wands: October 30, 2009

-Um, so the rims have changed a little. Curious about what that could mean. And, yes, the black throwbacks are making a triumphant return!

-Looks like the injury bug has been making its way around the NBA this preseason. Magic, relatively unscathed -- except for Rashard Lewis' 10-game suspension.

-Rap world, meet JJ Redick. JJ Redick... good luck.

-And so the selling of the Amway Center begins...

-Dwight Howard, not as dominant around the basket as you think according to John Nichols writing for 3rd Quarter Collapse.

-If you are like me and live outside of Orlando, you probably did not get the Orlando Magic preview section in The Orlando Sentinel. Good thing it is online.

-Orlando is going to be involved in the U.S. bid for the 2018/2022 World Cup. Please sign the petition.

-Think you are athletic? Try a Russian athletic test like the Minnesota Lynx's Renee Montgomery did.

-Here are all the court designs for this year, if you were curious.

-Dwight Howard flew his one millionth follower on Twitter to Wednesday night's game against the 76ers. If I unfollow him and re-follow him, do I get a free trip too?

-ESPN Page 2 takes a different look at NBA logos. Twice!

I am probably nitpicking a little bit here, but pictures of Amway Arena that I have seen our old banners look... different. You have probably seen me tweeting that the Eastern Conference banner was clearly changed (the player's names no longer frame the banner). But this photo from The Orlando Sentinel made me think all the banners had been replaced. I am kind of angry about this. Are you? Discuss.

Orlando Magic 120, Philadelphia 76ers 105

Orlando wanted to start its season off with a bang, unveiling its new conference championship banner, trying this new video player on the court itself for introductions and inviting back Gina Marie Incandela to sing the national anthem.

The Magic certainly pulled out all the stops before the game, but the question was would the addition of five new players, two new starters and the absence of Rashard Lewis due to suspension hamper the Magic in any way?

Umm... no. At least for one game.

Orlando started slow, but quickly erased an early deficit and used its bench to distance itself from Philadelphia in a dominating performance and a 120-105 win. There certainly will not be a Finals hangover. The only thing that appeared to go wrong was the Internet going down at Amway Arena.

The start was slow for sure and it left Orlando with some things to at least think about. There are still 81 of these things left in the season. But to start with the good.

Orlando's bench came in and took firm control of the game. The Magic trailed for a good part of the first quarter before rallying to take a 29-27 lead. It was the second unit of Marcin Gortat-Brandon Bass-Matt Barnes-JJ Redick-Jason Williams that helped kickstart the Magic.

Orlando outscored Philadelphia 41-20 in the second quarter and had firm control ino the third quarter, scoring 100 points through 36 minutes. They led by as much as 31 and let the margin decrease with a lackadaisical fourth quarter.

The reason? Orlando cut down on its turnovers and were getting anything it wanted on offense.

The Magic shot 16 of 29 from beyond the arc taking advantage of the attention Dwight Howard was getting inside. In the third quarter when the attention was on the 3-point shooters, Howard took advantage in the paint. He finished with his first double-double of the year (21 points, 15 rebounds).

More interestingly, the Magic got out on the break more than they had in the past. They out ran the running 76ers. It was definitely something the team was looking to do and with the athletes and depth they have, I would expect them to push the pace more.

Vince Carter had a decent premiere, hitting a few shots but not really showing off his playmaking ability. He finished with 15 points.

Jameer Nelson also looked like he was completely back and ran the offense well scoring seven points and dishing out six assists. Everyone seemed to fit in offensively and besides falling in love with the 3-pointer as the game got out of hand, the offense was run about as perfectly as it could.

The game was so out of hand that they were definitely dialing back in the fourth quarter.

Still, Stan Van Gundy was not thrilled with some things on the defensive end. And really you can't blame him. Orlando will not shoot 55.6 percent for every game this year and the defense needed a little more focus. Like I said earlier today, that is what got the Magic to the Finals more than their 3-point shooting.

Philadelphia did some things good but is clearly still adjusting to its new offense and coach. The 76ers played much better in the second half, even though they could not close the gap. They ended up shooting 50 percent and scoring more than 100 points.

A lot of work is clearly left to do on that side of the court. But a lot of the problems was just apathy in the fourth quarter after building a 30-point lead. Can't blame them, but can't be encouraged by it either.

The 76ers did a good job pulling Howard away from the basket with their Princeton sets and Marreese Speights looks like a perfect fit with his jump-shooting ability as he finished with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting.

In the end, it is tough to find anything too negative to say. The offense did hide some defensive issues but it was clear Orlando had too much to overwhelm Philadelphia tonight. The team had six players in double figures and got whatever it wanted offensively.

That is pretty much all that needs to be said about this game. There is still a long way to go and we will see if they can keep up this offensive pace Friday in New Jersey.

What They're Saying: 76ers vs. Magic 10/28

-For the first time in his career, Vince Carter is preparing to play a home game in Orlando. And it is a good feeling for the eight-time All Star.

-How determined is Carter to winning a title? He is not giving tickets to his family and friends at Amway Arena so he can focus on winning on the court.

-Fans may be excited for the first game of the season, but according to Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel, the team could care less. The ring is the only thing that matters.

-How did Philadelphia greet Thaddeus Young after the team announced they had draft him two years ago? According to Bob Cooney of Philly.com, the odd reaction was silence for the now solid starter at power forward -- and hero of Game Three.

-Philadelphia's new offense under head coach Eddie Jordan is like speaking a new language, writes Kate Fagan of Philly.com. They are hoping to add some Princeton sets to their transition-based attack.

-Former Magic player Dominique Wilkins knows the pain Philadelphia's Elton Brand went through when he ruptured his Achilles. Wilkins is also one of the few players to come back successfully from it.

-Ben Q Rock of Third Quarter Collapse says both the Magic and the Sixers will be looking for redemption as they enter their opener tonight at Amway Arena. Well, maybe to night for the 76ers it will be revenge.

-Tania Ganguli of The Orlando Sentinel gives us a look at what Rashard Lewis might be up to with his 10-game suspension starting tonight. Mainly working out more after practice and enjoying games with his daughter.

-Philadelphia is starting their basketball season tonight, but Sixers 4 Guidos asks if anyone in the City of Brotherly Love really care. I mean, there is a little baseball game going on in New York involving the Phillies, but I would imagine people still want to watch basketball.

-In case you missed it, here is the preview section from Tuesday's Orlando Sentinel.

-The Baseline analyzes the trades from the summer and how they will play out. Remember, this is the blog that does not like the Vince Carter move and ranked Orlando No. 8 in their power poll (behind Washington).

-This was tweeted yesterday by The Orlando Sentinel's Tania Ganguli, but expect Ryan Anderson to be in the starting lineup for the Magic tonight.

-The Magic announced they have waived Linton Johnson III in advance of tonight's game.

Orlando Magic and the Year of High Expectations

To say expectations are high in the Magic Kingdom is an understatement.

Dwight Howard said entering the season how sparse the crowds were his rookie season and how the team's play has transformed the town. Superman said at one point this summer how he wants the Magic to be the way the world learns about Orlando the city and not just the airport you go to get to Disney.

Those are some lofty goals. Whether those are accomplished who knows? But one thing the team can definitely control is what happens on the court. And on the court only one result will do after reaching the team's second Finals and first in 14 years.

But even with that lofty goal, uncertainty still remains. Typically when a championship is in sight it seems pretty sure that at least the Conference Finals will be reached. But with Orlando some uncertainty remains.

Part of that is the improvement from Boston and Cleveland -- who both looked a little slow and unathletic in their matchup last night. Those two teams reloaded in certain ways to test the Magic but we will not know anything until they play in May.

But unlike those two teams, Orlando made significant changes to its core. Gone are Hedo Turkoglu and Courtney Lee. In are Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass.

There will be at least two new starters in tonight's opening day lineup and there is five new guys in the 10-man rotation that Stan Van Gundy is expected to use. That is a lot of change and change is not always good.

That is the big question facing the Magic. How do you integrate Vince Carter into the offense and, more importantly, into the defense?

Carter has the skills to add a lot to the offense. He is a scorer plain and simple -- something Orlando has not had since Tracy McGrady was traded. When things break down, he will create and score. As he proved in the preseason he can also space the floor well with his shooting.

He has a reputation that precedes him for sure. And that worries me more on the defensive end. Van Gundy has gotten Rashard Lewis and Turkoglu to play top-level defense with the promise of Howard to bail them out behind him and it worked.

The Magic had one of the top defenses in the league last year and that more than anything piloted them to the NBA Finals. He will have to get Vince to buy in for anything to be successful.

More than anything else, each of Orlando's moves seemed to improve the team. Whereas Boston and Cleveland seemed to make moves to respond and make a splash, Orlando added quality role players to supplement its starters.

Brandon Bass is a tough-nosed player who will do the dirty work and help Howard on the boards against the more physical teams like the Celtics. Not only that, but he has a more than consistent mid-range game that will keep opponents honest and allow Howard room to work.

Ryan Anderson is a clone of Rashard Lewis in his shooting ability and has some toughness and ability to work inside. Matt Barnes is a tough defender who can also drain the 3-pointer and,, as we have learned in the preseason, do a little bit of everything.

These acquisitions should help the Magic off the bench -- an area they struggled in for much of last season.

But the starters are nothing to laugh at either.

The expectations for Howard do not need to be mentioned. Everyone is expecting the soon-to-be 24 year old to continue his offensive improvement. He is already the top defender in the league around the basket and a deterrent at the rim.

And realistically Jameer Nelson is returning from missing half of last season. He was a shell of his former self in the NBA Finals last year. He is an efficient facilitator in the offense and knows when to attack and when to get everyone else involved. He made an All Star leap last year and while it might be expected that he takes a step bakc, it would not surprise if he kept up at that level.

More than anything this team is hungry. They had to watch the Lakers celebrate a title on their home court -- an embarassment if you ask me. Not only that, they have had every national pundit pretty much write them off again as some fluke or beneficiary of luck. It is hard to believe, but this team is flying under the radar among the title contenders.

I think the stars are aligned for Orlando to make a repeat trip to the Finals and face Los Angeles (Lakers). I see the Magic having some trouble in a series with the Celtics, but ultimately their depth and relentless offensive pressure will wear on any team in a seven-game series.

Orlando went out and fixed one of its major deficiencies in signing Brandon Bass. I think he becomes key in a series with Boston or Los Angeles as the second tough guy to throw at some of the bigger front lines.

It is tough to predict all the way out to June and I think a Magic-Lakers series is a tight one (and not a tight five games, I believe a tight six or seven games). But like in that series, I have to go with my heart.

The expectations are a championship. And I firmly believe this is the year Orlando wins the title.

Eastern Conference Preview

It is becoming increasingly harder to figure out which conference is better. The balances at the top have certainly shifted a little. Any time you add Rasheed Wallace, Vince Carter and Shaquille O'Neal to the three top teams in a conference -- without either of those three teams losing much -- than some things shift.

It will really be an accomplishment in and of itself to get out of the Eastern Conference, let alone top the Western Conference team.

I will get to the particulars of the Magic tomorrow -- and if you are reading this blog, you probably have some basic knowledge of what the Magic did this summer and what they could do this year.

So I will focus on the competition -- also, hopefully I will have more to write on them later.

Many could argue the Celtics missed last year's Finals only because Kevin Garnett was injured. Many could also argue the Cavaliers missed last year's Finals because they are built to beat the Celtics and not the Magic (that was my argument at least... and the Magic were a more complete team).

Suffice it to say, both teams moved to remedy these problems.

Boston's acquisition of Rasheed Wallace is Garnett insurance. And now with Glen Davis out for an indefinitely, that looks like a pretty good insurance plan. Boston's lineup is stacked, although not nearly as deep as Orlando's (Orlando has the deepest team in the league, try arguing against that).

The question becomes whether the team can stay afloat with injuries. Garnett's knees are not getting any younger coming off of major surgery. Paul Pierce looks like he will fall apart at the free throw line, but can still play. Wallace is a powder keg. And, again, who knows how their age will hold up. Four of the five starters are on the wrong side of 30. As Magic fans learned for the first time in a long time, getting to the Finals is a long exhaustive process.

Cleveland also tried to move to become more Orlando-proof. The Cavaliers trumped the Magic's acquisition of Vince Carter with a same-day deal that brough O'Neal to the Rock 'n Roll City. O'Neal will certainly help them defend the bigger posts one on one in the post. But against the pick and roll the combination of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and O'Neal does not bode well. That is really how Orlando took advantage of Cleveland's unathleticism. At least Ilgauskas can step out and hit that 18 footer. O'Neal certainly cannot.

O'Neal's issues with his superstar teammates aside, this move seems to me to be the PR splash move of a bad GM. It does not really help the team. I guess time will tell. But unlike the Vince Carter deal (which I was not sold at when it was made), this one has not settled in with me. I am more skeptical of it because of O'Neal's age and declining production for sure.

I will get to the Magic more in a later post specifically about them. But the big question is how the players integrate. It is clear the offense is going to be quite good. It is unclear whether the team can matinain the high level of defense it played last year. That was what got Orlando to the Finals.

1. Celtics: the East is really 1a, 1b and 1c. It is very hard to differentiate between three teams that are going to playing pretty tightly all the way. Expect each team to try and pace themselves, but with the disappointment after last season, I can see the Celtics pulling away at the end to take the first seed. I have the feeling that it might be better to be battle-tested in the second round then to easily advance -- provided no one gets hurt.

2. Magic: Orlando got better. Everyone who thinks Vince Carter is worse for this team than Hedo Turkoglu has obviously not watched a whole lot of Magic basketball outside of the playoffs. Carter is the one-on-one scorer the team lacked in the Finals and he can still perform all of Turkoglu's duties in the offense. The question is whether he will commit on defense. But this team is deep and can play almost anyway it wants.

3. Cavaliers: Cleveland I think did kind of run a sprint through the marathon NBA season and ran out of steam a little bit in the late stages of the postseason. LeBron James certainly did as he had to carry his Cavaliers through the only competitive series they would play and was summarily thumped. O'Neal should provide some help, but the guy is aging pretty quickly and it gets cold in Cleveland -- unlike in Phoenix. O'Neal is not the answer for the Cavaliers, that I am pretty sure of. Mo Williams will have to continue to develop and without a true point guard on the roster, James still decides when he dominates too much and when he "gets others involved." Anthony Parker is a sneaky move the Cavs made that could be interesting come playoff time.

4. Hawks: Atlanta is good. Not spectacular, but good. Joe Johnson is a pretty well kept secret in the NBA. And he is part of the free agent bonanza next summer. So look for him to have a big year. Returning Mike Bibby and Josh Smith should help this team continue its maturation. Jamal Crawford has never really been on a successful team, but if he can accept his sixth man role, I really like him there. But otherwise, this is a team that does not do well defensively and is just pretty average.

5. Wizards: Washington can be a good team, trust me. They always have been, it is always just dependent on Gilbert Arenas' health. He is as healthy as he has been in a good while and that bodes well for a Wizards team that has some good players. Adding Randy Foye and Mike Miller will help give Arenas the help. Now, can Arenas be the player he was.

6. 76ers: Philadelphia always finds a way to make the postseason. Whether it is with or without Elton Brand, this team always seems to find a way to contend. Losing Andre Miller will hurt this team as they really valued his veteran savvy. But as they proved in the Orlando series, they can compete with some pretty good teams. Andre Iguodala is a solid player. The question will be whether Brand can fit into the offense and stay healthy and whether Lou Williams is finally ready to be a starting point guard.

7. Bulls: Chicago did lose Mr. late game heroics, Ben Gordon. But this is still a team with a lot of guys who can play. Brad Miller adds a lot down low stability to help out the young and inconsistent Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas. Derrick Rose is going to continue to develop and improve. And John Salmons is sneakily a pretty good scorer in the league. Plus Luol Deng comes back. The Bulls are not a team to overlook despite losing one of their top players from last year.

8. Raptors: Toronto is a very intriguing team. Adding Hedo Tukoglu kind of makes them the Magic of the North with Andrea Bargnani at the four and Chris Bosh at center. This could work. The team is not that deep, but Bosh is in a contract year and that matters entering the bonanza. But Turkoglu adds something the Raptors did not have last year and that is an outside threat that can attack the basket. I think it can work, but that bench is pretty scarce.

9. Heat: Dwyane Wade has almost single handedly won an NBA Finals series. He single handedly took Miami to the No. 6 seed. When this guy is healthy, he is incredibly difficult to stop. There is not much of anything else on this team. Jermaine O'Neal is on his second life and no one knows how long his knees will hold out. This team goes as far as Wade takes them and with improvements in the East, it will not be that far.

10. Pistons: Detroit still has some of their core pieces from their hey day. Richard Hamilton is not a first option, but he looks that way on this team. Detroit is looking to pick up the pieces after the Chauncey Billups trade. Rodney Stuckey is the next great hope at the point. But this team's identity has changed with the acquisitions of Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon. This is no longer a defensive team and they definitely don't have the offense to make up for it.

11. Knicks: you hate admitting it, but the Knicks are not half bad. They are not half good yet, but they are not half bad. Mike D'Antoni is a great coach and he really knows how to maximize his players' offensive potential. Unfortunately New York is in cap clearing mode and has no desire to be incredible this year. Thus they are just treading water. Expect a team that can surprise a few teams, but not much more.

12. Pacers: Danny Granger is one of those secret NBA players that is really pretty good. The Pacers are certainly an improving franchise but kind of in that limbo between decent and bad. This team is not making the playoffs -- they rely on Granger way too much. But Granger and the cast around him is too good to let this team fall into complete irrelevancy.

13. Nets: the Nets are a young team waiting for another breakout star -- or the 2010 free agency bonanza. Devin Harris is a great player and should really come into his own after breaking out next year. More interestingly will be the development of center Brook Lopez who snuck up on many as a Rookie of the Year candidate last season. His development plus the further development of former Magic man Courtney Lee will be the crux of this team's development.

14. Bobcats: Charlotte is close. Close to what, I don't know. Tyson Chandler is a step down for this team from Emeka Okafor. This team needs to find a consistent offensive threat and it just does not have it. Gerald Wallace is not that player. DJ Augustin and Raymond Felton are not those players either. Just a tough team to figure out.

15. Bucks: Michael Redd is one of the best shooters in the NBA. But he is a man followed around constantly by the threat of injury. Much like his playing partner, and former No. 1 draft pick, Andrew Bogut. they lost Richard Jefferson and don't have much else outside of Redd to speak of in scoring. I will not believe anything they do until Redd makes it to the All Star break without an injury.

Western Conference Preview

While the Eastern Conference has certainly made a case in the last few seasons to claim some type of equality, the Western Conference top-to-bottom is still better. Sorry guys.

The West once again proved its dominance by have .500 teams miss the playoffs while under .500 teams made the Eastern Conference playoffs. Point taken.

That trend will continue. But the balance at the top has certainly changed. The East has won three of the past six NBA titles and arguably has three of the best four teams in the NBA. But one of those three from the West is the Los Angeles Lakers. And the Lakers, it can be argued only got better.

The three beasts of the Eastern Conference certainly got better to try and compete with the Lakers.

But while the Lakers are the class of the West, San Antonio also put in all of its chips to try and battle the Lakers and make one last run at a title. Tim Duncan's career, or at least his prime, is nearing an end and Manu Ginobili's injury problems have kept San Antonio from meeting expectations.

The Spurs certainly have the know-how to get back to championship contention. But do not sleep on Denver. A lot of things went right for the Nuggets to get to the Western Conference Finals -- including avoiding the Spurs in the second round. But with Chauncey Billups at the point and a continually improving Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets could still get better.

Unlike the other contenders, Denver did not make any significant moves to improve. That might hurt them in the postseason. But, then again, stability might be OK for a team that is still learning how to win. The Nuggets still have some holes though and continued growth could get them over the hump.

Those sitting in the pack and waiting might be teams like Portland and Utah. The Trail Blazers took a big step in qualifying for the postseason, but struggled with the pressure on against the Rockets. Portland has the talent to return to the postseason and make some noise. The question is will the young players continue to grow and is Andre Miller enough veteran leadership to get them there?

The Jazz had a disappointing season too. But with Deron Williams at the point, the Jazz can always be dangerous. Carlos Boozer, despite his trade request, is still a pretty darn good player when healthy. Memo Okur and Paul Milsap will continue to create a pretty formidable front line. Of course, health is always an issue with the Jazz.

But in the end, this is the Lakers' conference to lose. Los Angeles has one of two best players in the league in Kobe Bryant, a pretty solid and versatile front line in Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol and a solid secondary scorer in Ron Artest. Artest will not provide the versatility that Trevor Ariza did, but he should be able to take some of the scoring and defensive pressure off Bryant.

1. Lakers: the champs got better in adding Ron Artest and will bring back a healthy Andrew Bynum. Plus Kobe Bryant is pretty decent at basketball. The defending champs are just that until someone knocks them off.

2. Nuggets: Denver is good. They have been the sleeping giant, waiting for the crafty veteran to make Carmelo Anthony serious instead of the egotistic veteran to keep Anthony selfish. Chauncey Billups is one of the best point guards of the last decade and with another good year in Denver should get serious Hall of Fame consideration. There are some questions about whether Denver can do it again. But Billups is THAT good that he will find a way to make this team good again.

3. Spurs: This definitely has some strange Ride of the Valkyrie theme to the Spurs' latest push for the NBA title. This is probably their last realistic chance of winning a title with Tim Duncan getting older and Manu Ginobili on and off the injured list. Adding Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess will help significantly, but these aging guys are one injury away from another disaster like last year's.

4. Trail Blazers: Portland to me has great regular season team written all over it. Brandon Roy is a great player and they have a lot of good young pieces. Andre Miller will give them some veteran leadership, but the rumors have started that he is causing some trouble with his new role. But they are a solid offensive team. Roy will need to become that all-encompassing superstar to get Portland out of the first round.

5. Jazz: Utah is one of those scary teams. They stay healthy and it is clear they can compete in the West. They don't stay healthy and they lack the superstar to support Deron Williams' playmaking ability. Questions abound about Carlos Boozer and whether he will stay in the team. But with Memo Okur and Paul Milsap behind him, they have a difficult front court for opponents to deal with.

6. Mavericks: Dallas backcourt continues to be sneaky good. Jason Terry and Jason Kidd can still play despite some advanced ages -- and height disadvantages. Josh Howard is good when healthy and Shawn Marion is a do-everything forward. Dirk Nowitzki of course is a pretty solid player too. This would be a great running team if Rick Carlisle weren't such a plodding coach. I really don't know how to judge this team. Their front court depth is very worrisome.

7. Hornets: New Orleans will definitely be going through a transition with the trading of Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor. That could make them much more efficient in the half court, but could make it more difficult for Chris Paul to be Chris Paul. Definitely some transition, but this team could be a lot better with a more consistent, albeit still injury prone, center.

8. Suns: Phoenix has lost a little bit of its identity, but should find it again. Steve Nash is definitely on his last legs and who knows what Amare Stoudemire's health is like. But it is easy to forget Stoudemire can be quite an offensive force. The Suns will never be the force they were, but they can be a shadow of their former self.

9. Rockets: they are down their top two players -- Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming -- but something about this team says they could still be decent. Trevor Ariza is a decent pickup and this will be his first chance to be a featured player in an offense. But Daryl Morey knows his stuff and rarely misses. The way Houston played after Yao went down in the playoffs shows there is a lot of heart in this team. Can that las them 82 games?

10. Thunder: NBA geeks will say the Thunder are the sleeper team of the league. Kevin Durant is the best kept secret in the NBA and there are so many good young pieces. But this team is not ready. They do not nearly defend well enough to make it into the postseason out of the Western Conference. But the ex-Sonics are certainly coming in the future -- sorry Seattle.

11. Clippers: the Clippers might be good, seriously. Blake Griffin could be good. Baron Davis could be healthy. Eric Grodon could do more than score... maybe. Take everything with the Clippers with a grain of salt. They certainly have the talent, but might be too young and raw to make any postseason noise.

12. Warriors: Golden State is such a mess, I doubt I could make a complete sentence about them. Stephen Jackson, the team's best player, wants out. Stephen Curry is the perfect fit for that system, but has no one to pass him the ball. If you are looking for the definition of a team with all offense and no defense, this is it.

13. Timberwolves: the Ricky Rubio flop will haunt Minnesota for the next calendar year, but this team in all its wheeling and dealing made some good moves. Jonny Flynn will make a case for Rookie of the Year Runner-up. Al Jefferson is one of the best post players in the league -- and no one knows about him since he tore up his knee last season. They should play a decently entertaining style of ball. When they get Kevin Love back from injury in December, Minnesota will not be a tough out.

14. Kings: everyone likes Kevin Martin. He is an efficient scorer. But is he the high-volume scorer of the future for Sacramento? Who knows. Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson are also good players and Tyreke Evans might be the most interesting prospect from last year's draft. All in all, this is a young team with a lot of room to grow.

15. Grizzlies: Allen Iverson. Zach Randolph. Rudy Gay. O.J. Mayo. One basketball. The math just does not work for this talented, yet egotistical team. It has failure written all over it. Makes you fell sorry for Hasheem Thabeet.

West Finals: Lakers over Spurs in 6

Undefeated Preseason not Meaningless

So Orlando went 8-0 in the preseason, the first undefeated preseason in the franchise's history. The players and coaches shrug off the success as just an incidence of playing "games."

But despite the seeming blase attitude of the team around this -- minor -- accomplishment, it is something worth at least praising in some respects.

Going undefeated over a long stretch of games means something is going right. From what I was able to watch when the Magic's starters went up against their opponent's starters, the Magic won. Late in games -- think Dallas and Chicago specifically -- Orlando executed down the stretch and pulled out victories.

Certainly the defense was not where it needed to be, the team turned the ball over far too much and, oh yeah, it was preseason so I would not have been surprised to hear anyone say they were trying 100 percent. But the team found ways to win and that is ultimately what this team will be judged on.

And eight wins in a row is no laughing matter. These are (still) NBA teams after all.

An undefeated preseason is no sign that Orlando is going to win the championship. It is a sign that the team is going to be very good and that something did, again, go right. Eight in a row is no fluke -- and it seemed like teams kept their starters in as long as Orlando did.

Think of what happened the other way. In 2003, Orlando won a single preseason game. Everyone kind of shrugged this off as an unfortunate circumstance of the preseason and nothing to be worried about. But then-head coach Doc Rivers did not shrug it off. As The Orlando Sentinel would later report, the team knew something fishy was up after the Magic stunk it up in the preseason.

Those concerns proved to be true as the Magic lost 19 straight after topping the New York Knicks in overtime in the first game. Rivers was fired and Orlando was on its way to a 21-61 season.

There is some coincidence between preseason struggles and regular season failure.

Orlando certainly has done something right then in going undefeated in the postseason. What that is might be hard to tell. It would have been nice to see, for the coaching staff at least, how this team reacts to losing -- even in the preseason. We will not learn that until the first game of the regular season. But the Magic were down plenty and found a way to come from behind to win too.

An undefeated preseason is a somewhat insignificant feat, but it does tell something. I do not think a team that goes undefeated for an entire preseason can have a poor season.

The Magic clearly have made some moves that will help the team and things are generally working. That is a good start for a team trying to integrate so many new players and trying to win a championship.

Orlando Magic 123, Atlanta Hawks 86

Orlando dominated early and never looked back, asserting their dominance both inside and outside to close out the preseason with a perfect 8-0 record for the first time in franchise history (not that it matters).

Unlike the games earlier this week, this game was a thing of beauty on both sides of the night and even made Stan Van Gundy smile at times. A rare sight indeed... and more proof that it is still the preseason.

But let's start breaking down this thing.

The Magic started from the outside. With the Hawks double-teaming Howard down low on every touch, he was happy to pass the ball to the outside. Ryan Anderson got going first by hitting a few outside jumpers. Vince Carter kept it going with some nice outside shots and some aggressive attacks to the basket. He finished with 26 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Definitely no doubt that he can still jump when necessary.

But we knew those two guys could do that if the defense focused too much on Howard. What finally seemed to come around was the defense.

The Magic used an aggressive trapping zone early in the game and forced a lot of turnovers and put the Hawks in bad positions to score. More or less typical Magic defense. It seemed like they were trapping and doubling more than they usually do, but the aggressiveness was there early and that is what mattered.

I am sure Van Gundy was much happier with the effort tonight as it was clear Atlanta wanted no part of it after playing last night in Jacksonville against Miami. The Hawks were out of this one early as the Magic outscored them 37-16 in the first quarter.

Onto the second half then. That's when Dwight Howard took over.

Howard had 20 of his 25 points in the third quarter as Atlanta could no longer afford to double him with the Magic hitting their 3-point shots. In this quarter, Howard displayed an array of post moves and scored at ease. Mostly from the post too and not on the pick and roll.

If he can put together that kind of effort in the regular season, he will make the leap we have all been waiting on. Granted, Atlanta does not have the front court that can put up much resistance to Howard. But I think we all know we are quickly approaching the time when no one can.

The defense was good, giving up 38 percent shooting. The offense was good, scoring 101 points in three quarters, shooting 62 percent and 10 of 16 from beyond the arc.

This game was a statement on national television for the Magic to say we are ready for the regular season -- even against a lackluster Hawks team.

The only complaint I can make is the second unit does not produce at nearly the same rate as the starters. This occurred in both the second and fourth quarters. But no starter was on the floor.

That's going to change as Stan Van Gundy likes to have at least one starter on the floor at all times (and by starter I mean Jameer Nelson, Dwight Howard or Vince Carter).

A good way to close, now they count.

What They're Saying: Hawks vs. Magic 10/23

-Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel previews the Southeast Division. Hint: the Magic win it.

-Ryan Anderson and Mickael Pietrus will get the start tonight. Can't you just see that starting five settling in? My guess is these two will be there for the first 10 games. But I could be wrong.

-Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is playing the disrespect card. He wonders why the Hawks are not projected to do better after retaining all their major free agents and strengthening their bench with the acquisition of Jamal Crawford.

-Here is the Associated Press' writeup of the Hawks win in Jacksonville over the Heat. Joe Johnson had 14 points and Al Horford and Jamal Crawford each had 12.

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily talks to Marcin Gortat about his strong preseason performance so far.

-The Puns are Starting to Bore Me wonders if Dwight Howard will ever improve his free throw shooting. They cite that question asked a few years ago that wonders if we will see Howard miss 5000 free throws. Back then it was a possibility, now it still might be. I think Howard's shooting has improved greatly -- I saw him hitting turnaround fade aways in warmups Monday night. But in that same game, I saw him rush through some free throws late and miss them badly. It is all a confidence and comfort thing for him and I think he does not have that comfort in games yet.

-Reason No. 7 to be excited for the Hawks, according to Peachtree Hoops? Zaza Pachulia!

-This has nothing to do with the game tonight, but watch this video of video game Zaza Pachulia (via Peachtree Hoops).

Magic Wands: October 23, 2009

-Craig Smith tries to be Dwight Howard.

-Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times takes a look back at the development of the 3-point shot and how the Orlando Magic are at the forefront of the 3-point revolution.

-Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus named Marcin Gortat the second best prospect in the NBA, behind Philadelphia's Marreese Speights. Not sure what a prospect means, but Gortat might be pushing for minutes someway some how.

-Tell me if you have heard this one... "a coach, a referee and a Rabbi walk onto a basketball court" (from Newsday).

-And so the previews begin! Here is ESPN's panel of experts' thoughts on the Magic this year. And here is Sporting News weighing in.

-Word is the referees are on their way back. ESPN and NBA.com say so.

-A recruiting promise from UCF to Marcus Jordan, son of one Michael, is getting the Knights in some hot water with adidas.

-I am sorry, I can't not post this video of a video game Zaza Pachulia.

Orlando Magic 101, Chicago Bulls 98

The Magic trailed by four points with about two minutes to play. Then all hell broke loose.

Ryan Anderson's three a minute later gave Orlando a one point lead and after a defensive stop it seemed free throws would all but seal it.

Ah, but Dwight Howard has not quite fixed the free throw bug and the Bulls made it more than interesting, nearly winning a jump ball about 10 seconds left and trailing by two points after Brad Miller intentionally missed a free throw.

Matt Barnes split his pair of free throws for a three-point lead before making up for it with a steal at midcourt as the Magic defeated a B-plus Bulls squad 101-98 at the United Center on Monday to remain undefeated in the preseason.

That is probably the best place to begin. It is the preseason so a lot of the things that are somewhat concerning, probably are not. It seemed to me from pregame warmups (I was in attendance and there far too early) that the team was just not mentally into the game, while the scrappy Chicago team playing without its best player in Derrick Rose, came out ready to play.

The defensive rotations were slow and the offense stagnant at times. Anderson and Brandon Bass each had two fouls by the end of the first quarter and Orlando really struggled keeping Chicago off the free throw line. The Bulls went to the line 27 times on 22 fouls. The defense did not help as Chicago had six players in double figures, led by John Salmons with 19 points -- he also torched Vince Carter a few times especially early -- on 50 percent shooting.

Defense not encouraging.

Offense, very much so.

This was my first chance getting to see Ryan Anderson -- since he did not play against Dallas two weeks ago. And the kid can play. He was built for this system. Anderson is not afraid to shoot and can hit it. He is more than a Rashard Lewis, who did not play tonight, replacement. I am feeling fairly confident about his acquisition. Anderson scored 18 points in 23 minutes on four of seven shooting.

Brandon Bass, also pretty good. He struggled with fouls tonight, but he has good range and works hard on the glass. I actually really liked pairing him with Howard. He does not extend out to the 3-point line like a guy like Lewis or Anderson might, but he can hit that mid-range jumper and adds the support Howard needs on the boards. He will definitely come in handy.

Otherwise offensively, I still think the big players are coasting. Howard had his moments, but it was clear Orlando was trying to work other things on offense. He is a little more patient passing out of double teams and his free throw shooting is better -- 10 of 17 tonight -- but he still tends to rush things and that needs to change.

Jameer Nelson also looked pretty good if not dialed back a little. He is not recklessly going to the basket, but that jumper of his is so deadly that it will certainly come or he will burn teams with that 18 footer if they go under the Howard screen.

Now to Carter. I think Carter is coasting more than anybody at this point. He showed some flashes, making a quick move to the basket for a jam in the third quarter -- clearly hitting turbo all the way -- and making some nice fadeaway jumpers. He and Matt Barnes even connected on an alley-oop in the first quarter. I have complete faith Carter is going to fit into this offense perfectly and will pick it up once the games start counting.

Early on, I was not impressed with his defense. But I was not impressed with anybody's defense tonight. It was not pretty. Generally everyone on the team has to focus more on keeping their man in front of them and not trying to just funnel everything to Howard. Howard fouled out tonight and that is becoming a pattern.

The only time the offense really stagnated was in the second quarter when Stan Van Gundy used a lineup of Anthony Johnson, JJ Redick, Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes and Marcin Gortat. You can see the offensive problems. They did decently defensively, but clearly not something we will see.

Turnovers are still a little bit of an issue, but the team got sharper in the second half. The Magic had 18 turnovers total, but only six in the second half. Hopefully that is turning the corner as most of the mistakes looked like rushing mistakes or familiarity mistakes. It is getting better.

The last thing that I think needs to be said is how the Magic won this game. My biggest concern was about the team's resiliency. Could they make that four-point comeback with two minutes left and somehow find a way to win a game they did not deserve.

With the starters playing down the stretch, Orlando did that. And despite the Magic trying very hard to give it away at the end, they found a way to win tonight. The defense was not perfect, but in the regular season the W's are all that matter. 6-0 in the preseason is pretty irrelevant, but I think this team definitely has its pieces together and is just waiting to hit the on switch next week.

Definitely plenty to see and improve upon in the last two games of the preseason, but overall you have to feel confident about the way this team can play.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Bulls 10/19

-With a week left in the preseason, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes it is time for Stan Van Gundy to pick his starting lineup.

-Jameer Nelson injured his shoulder on a random play last year. Don't expect him to be protecting that shoulder or change his style of play because of it.

-The Bulls are 5-1 in the preseason, but don't let that fool you. As K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes, the Bulls preseason has been a disjointed mess as players have to sit out time in practcie and games because of injury.

-The Bulls held an open practice yesterday at the United Center -- Stan and Otis, if I would have known this I would have scouted a little for you -- and Derrick Rose and John Salmons sat out once again. Not sure if either will play tonight.

-Derrick Rose, out since October 2 with an injured right ankle, sat out practice Sunday is very unlikely to play tonight, according to John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times. Also, Florida alumnus Joakim Noah was quite the rebel as a rookie.

-OrlandoMagic.com has video interviews with Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis and Stan Van Gundy for your viewing pleasure before tonight's game. Van Gundy says Lewis will "not play a whole lot"

-Sam Smith of Bulls.com thinks Chicago did a very good job drafting James Johnson and Taj Gibson in June's draft. He has both in his top 10 rookies. Smith also believes the Magic improved by becoming a more well-rounded team.

-Ben Q Rock of Third Quarter Collapse analyzes the Magic's rotation and lineups so far this season. The only conlcusion? It's still the preseason.

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily profiles the funky story of Ryan Anderson. Anderson of course is a nondescript late first-round draft pick of the New Jersey Nets who turned into an Internet sensation, then a "throw-in" in the Vince Carter trade and now a player fighting for playing time on a championship-caliber basketball team.

-Tania Ganguli of The Orlando Sentinel is in Chicago and reports that Matt Barnes and Ryan Anderson will get the start tonight at the United Center. Also, she found the Billy Goat Tavern. Not the one at Navy Pier, I hope.

-Speaking of Bulls rookies James Johnson and Taj Gibson, former (still?) project Tyrus Thomas has taken them under his wing and is showing the young players the ropes, writes John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times.

-Likewise, the rookies are pushing a players like Luol Deng and Tyrus Thomas, who missed two weeks at the beginning of training camp with an injury, writes Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald.

Magic Wands: October 16, 2009

-Watch SonicsGate. Enough said. Here is a review from TrueHoop.

-As a reporter and journalism student, the argument of where journalism going is fascinating. The new ESPN local sites offer some promise, but definitely some areas for improvement -- right now it seems like it is just re-purposed content without any real specific devotion. Mark Cuban would certainly agree with that sentiment as he has found ESPNDallas' coverage of his team lacking.

-Olympiakos escaped America with their jerseys. But the U.S. agent who has sued them and won is still fighting to get his winnings.

-Dwight Howard really likes putting stickers on things... and blocking the shots of puny mortals.

-ESPN is rolling out their preview for the upcoming season and held a CoverItLive chat with Chris Broussard and Orlando Magic Daily's Zach McCann. Good read, if you have the time to scroll though.

-A few weeks ago I tweeted that Tim Tebow doesn't get swine flu, swine gets Tebow flu. Well, if you are LeBron James, you might get swine flu.

-The NBA has recently launched a video rule book. Just in time to as everyone seems to be complaining about these replacement refs.

-Oh Dwight Howard and your crazy impersonations.

T-Mac era revisited

When Orlando acquired Vince Carter this summer, memories began to flood the mind. The memory of Vince's time as a Raptor and the amazing things he did there. The ugly exit from Toronto and the (mis)conceptions that were born out of that divorce.

While many criticized the trade it became clear that Carter represented something the Magic have not had in a very long time.

I am, of course, talking about his cousin -- former Magic All Star Tracy McGrady. He went through a similar messy breakup from the team in Orlando, but no one could deny McGrady was one of the best scorers in the league in his time with the Magic.

Now that Orlando is competing for titles again, I thought back to those formative years when McGrady graced a Magic uniform. Where does that era stand in Magic history?

It certainly was a frustrating one. Unlike the title promises of today, the team refused to go into the luxury tax to surround McGrady with the talent he needed to succeed. Grant Hill's contract was certainly an albatross around John Gabriel's neck for much of that period.

Surrounding McGrady with the likes of Mike Miller, Drew Gooden and Juwan Howard clearly could not cut it and who knows what would have happened had Hill been able to play at anywhere near 75 percent of what he was.

In case we have forgotten -- or blocked out of our minds -- McGrady 28.1 points per game in an Orlando uniform including an astounding 32.1 per game in the 2003 season. He led Orlando to the postseason in every year but one (the infamous 21-61 year) despite pretty much holding to a .500 record every year.

It was perhaps some of the greatest individual seasons of basketball in recent league history. It was certainly the most impressive individual seasons in Magic history perhaps. The fact he was pouring in all these points and single-handedly carrying Orlando to the postseason every year was an impressive feat that not even Shaquille O'Neal or Dwight Howard could do in Orlando.

In the end, though, the McGrady era is going to be forgotten in Magic history as some Dark Age in Orlando basketball. That "horrible" time between the 1995 Penny/Shaq era and the Dwight Howard era. He is and and always will be the in between -- his accomplishments seen as impressive but ultimately disappointing.

The T-Mac era will always be viewed as a failure.

It certainly can be seen that way as Orlando continued to fail to escape the first round of the Playoffs and escape mediocrity. I remember Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel arguing at the time that Orlando had to either be completely abysmal (which they would be in 2004) or put all their chips in and go for a title. Mediocrity, in other words, would not matter.

As the 2004-06 seasons and the three-year playoff absence proved to Magic fans everywhere, just being in the postseason could make a successful season. Some postseason is better than no postseason at all.

The McGrady era will be viewed as a failure for what the Magic got for him. Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato had their moments in Orlando. But Mobley was traded to Sacramento in half a season. Francis became listless and useless -- a shell of the former All Star he was. Cato was sent off to Detroit for Darko Milicic and Francis was cleared for cap room.

Nothing says bridge era more than getting nothing in return for your transcendent superstar.

Who knows what would have happened if McGrady put his chips behind Howard in the 2004 Draft instead of Emeka Okafor. Would the Magic have had that inside-outside scoring combination that they have been hoping for since signing Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis.

His injury issues have certainly muddled the what-if questions McGrady's trade asked us.

But with a scoring force like Vince Carter on the roster, it is going to become easier to bury the McGrady past. It deserves some appreciation for its beauty even as we learn to forget it with the team's success the past couple seasons and the expectations of a title in the near future.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Hornets

The Magic took care of business last night in Memphis finally getting a solid defensive effort, at least statistically. The turnovers are still a little bit of an issue it seems, but you cannot complain with the results of these games. Tonight Orlando heads to Witchita, Kansas, to face the Hornets.

-Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins claimed the referees favored Dwight Howard in last night's game. Stan Van Gundy said, "Of course he said that," and then claimed Hasheem Thabeet was in fact grabbing Howard as his only defense against Superman. The truth is somewhere in between.

-Rashard Lewis will be riding a bicycle during the games of his 10-game suspension. Might be tough to cart a stationary bicycle into his hotel room on those road trips, but I hear those rooms are pretty big.

-New Orleans' top free agent acquisition, Ike Digou, finally returned from injury only to get injured again in his first scrimmage. Not good new for a team that is slowly bringing star trade acquisition Emeka Okafor back from injury too.

-Ben Q. Rock of Third Quarter Collapse gives us an instant look at some of the position battles in his breakdown of last night's win in Memphis.

-Marcus Thornton and the maturation of a second round pick, from John DeShazier of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

-The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Matt Barnes will get the night off tonight. Certainly well deserved after last night's performance. Tonight is also the lone back-to-back on the Magic's schedule. They do not play again until a trip to Chicago on Monday.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Grizzlies

-Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel talks about the precautions the team is taking to prevent flue outbreaks.

-Vince Carter is struggling with his shot a little bit, but still plans to attack. Brandon Bass has not struggled with his shot, but Stan Van Gundy wants to see him play defense.

-The Grizzlies are going through their own transition as they try to get their young lineup ready for the regular season.

-Turnovers have been an unfortunate theme for the Grizzlies in three preseason games.

-Third Quarter Collapse solicits fans to help them figure out the Magic's rotations this season.

-Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter will get the night off so Mickael Pietrus and Jason Williams will step into the starting lineup tonight in Memphis.

-Marcin Gortat received a starring role with the Polish national basketball team. Now he feels ready to take a larger role in the Magic's offense, writes Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily.

-Grizzlies blog Straight Outta Vancouver takes a look at the storylines in tonight's exhibition game.

-Grizzlies guard Marcus Williams is watching his weight or else he will have to watch his checkbook, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal writes.

-Matt Barnes told Tania Ganguli of The Orlando Sentinel that you have to like your teammates. That means the locker room will take center stage in Memphis with the additions of Zach Randolph and Allen Iverson to its young squad.

What They're Saying: Rockets vs. Magic

-No one doubts Mickael Pietrus has played very well since missing a good portion of last season with injuries. But the thing you may not know, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes, is Pietrus is still hurting from that wrist injury he suffered in Detroit last year.

-Stan Van Gundy will be jumbling lineups throughout the preseason so expect a new starting five tonight against the Rockets. Also, Matt Barnes' full-court heave.

-Chuck Hayes of the Houston Rockets is in an odd position, Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle writes. He is a 6-foot-6 center with limited offensive abilities, yet the glue that holds the rag-tag bunch of Rockets together.

-Trevor Ariza has been struggling with his shot entering his return to the Amway Arena -- not sure how I should feel about him as a Magic fan anymore. Also, Shane Battier is still working his way back from a pulled hamstring. Don't expect to see him tonight.

-Rocket Buzz asks if Aaron Brooks is the team's future at point guard.

Magic Wands: October 9, 2009

-When Olympiakos plays the LeBrons later this preseason, they might be wearing some jerseys from the fan store thanks to an international civil suit.

-One word reaction to this ad: "Nice."

-I do not know if anyone else knows about this, but tonight the Phoenix Mercury and the Indiana Fever will meet in a do-or-die Game Five in the WNBA Finals. You can watch it at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. That is all.

-To: NetsAreScorching, From: Orlando Magic Fans. Starting Courtney Lee over Chris Douglas-Roberts is really a no-brainer. Lee is a tough, dependable scorer who deserves to be a starter on a championship team. We do not know if he can be a second or third option for you guys, but Lee will do whatever the coaches ask of him and probably succeed. We hope nothing but the best for our favorite masked player -- is he still wearing that mask by the way? Sincerely, The Curse of the Big Aristotle.

-Rave reviews for Magic man Ryan Anderson. And from HoopsWorld too.

-What about the Orlando Magic, Dave Berri of The Wages of Wins Journal.

What they're Saying: Heat vs. Magic

-People are still wondering what effect Hedo Turkoglu's departure will have on the Magic's ability to win close games. So The Orlando Sentinel dug up this not-so-distant comparison of Vince Carter and Turkoglu's clutch abilities.

-It's tough to judge Vince Carter after one game -- and a preseason one at that -- but The Orlando Sentinel's Tania Ganguli asks: "What should Carter's role on the team be?"

-Stan Van Gundy said Matt Barnes was the best player for the Magic in Monday night's win. Barnes and fellow newcomer Brandon Bass will get inserted into the starting lineup for tonight's game.

-Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reviews the long and tumultuous journey of camp invite John Lucas III as he tries to make the Heat's roster.

-Heat center Jamaal Magloire is awaiting word from the league on whether he will be suspended after getting into a brief skirmish with the Pistons' Jonas Jerebko in a preseason game Monday.

-Anyone expecting a rematch of last year's exciting 3-point contest tonight will be sorely disappointed as Heat guard Daequan Cook will not play tonight after jamming his thumb in practice yesterday.

-Mario Chalmers knows for the Heat to make improvements on last year's fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference it will have to start with him. That's why, as Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald reports, Chalmers was taking a lot of the blame for the Heat's struggles against the Pistons.

-The theme of practices, it seems, is getting everybody accustomed to the Magic style of play. That's at least what I got from Third Quarter Collapse's recap of shootaround this morning.

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily reveals that JJ Redick really grew and matured from his struggles his first two years with the Magic. Now he just wants a chance to play and prove what he is still worth.

Orlando Magic 110, Dallas Mavericks 105

The new-look Orlando Magic made their debut the same way most NBA teams do... with a sloppy, poorly played exhibition. The Mavericks and Magic certainly showed some positive signs Monday night at American Airlines Center, but it might be hard to spot them with the usual choppy play that came with the first preseason game.

But in the end, despite holding the lead for most of the game, Orlando erased a nine-point fourth quarter deficit behind a big and-one conversion from newly acquired Brandon Bass to complete the turnaround and a three-pointer by newly acquired Matt Barnes to seal a 110-105 preseason win.

Both teams were definitely fighting the early October yips that come with the first preseason game. The teams were whistled for a combined 64 fouls -- 35 from Dallas -- and committed a combined 25 turnovers. The turnovers were surprisingly low, but the sloppy defense left Stan Van Gundy more amused than upset it seemed. So goes the first preseason game.

But outside of the settling down, there certainly were some encouraging signs throughout tonight's contest.

Jameer Nelson looked pretty comfortable running the point, despite picking up two quick fouls. He hit on three of his six three-point attempts and finished with 10 points. Dwight Howard too looked pretty comfortable dealing with the Mavericks' double teams. Howard finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in the third quarter.

Their developments will surely continue throughout the preseason.

What was most interesting was the performance of Rashard Lewis. Lewis looked to be in good form as he scored 18 on 7-of-15 shooting. He was agressive when he needed to be and he hit his 3-point looks. Not only that, he was pretty solid defensively in harassing Dirk Nowitzki for most of the night.

The disappointment might have come from Vince Carter. Carter relegated himself to shooting 3-pointers for most of the night until taking over to a certain extent in the third with the team fighting for the lead and Howard out of the game after fouling out.

Carter finished with a team-high 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting and three of 12 beyond the arc. I would like to see Vince attack the basket more rather than settling for threes, but it looks like he is settling into the offense -- as is everybody else.

I will say that the few pick and rolls they ran with Carter, it did look quite deadly. Vince will do more than fill in for Hedo Turkoglu.

Everything tonight was running well in spurts. There were times in the game where the offense and defense looked pretty solid and there were times when teh offense was stagnant and the defense was over pursuing or not in the right position. First preseason game, so plenty to correct.

I will close in saying that Brandon Bass is going to be a very nice addition for the Magic. Whether he can play with Howard is another question, but he will do a lot of things very well for Orlando. The dude is, as advertised, a tough defender and a mean rebounder on both sides. He can also score and showed some range tonight. Bass' final stat line: 13 points, six rebounds.

Like with all things after the first preseason game, there is plenty of area for improvement. The defense needs to be sharpened and the offense is still getting used to having a second guy in the post. But that's what these games are for.

Stan Van Gundy was definitely pushing for the win tonight, and his team (read: bench players) showed some resiliency and fought hard for the W. I will take that as a very good sign.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Mavericks

-The preseason is going to matter a little more than usual as the Magic enter their first preseason game tonight in Dallas. Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes coach Stan Van Gundy will use the eight exhibition games to help determine lineup combinations and integrate players to a team with title aspirations while also bracing for Rashard Lewis' imminent suspension.

-Fate has the Mavericks seeing some familiar faces (and near-familiar faces) as the Magic come to town, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes.

-Dwight Howard is supposedly getting ready to unveil his new jump shot (again). The man who has seen his growth up close is Adonal Foyle. And Foyle tells Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily Howard has grown a lot since his rookie season. And a trip to the Finals has only made him hungrier.

-This will be the first appearance of Orlando's four All-Star lineup. Questions abound about how shots will be distributed, but point guard Jameer Nelson tells Woody Womack of Orlando Magic Daily not to worry about that so much. It's his job to worry about it.

-Four interesting scenes that could occur in tonight's game courtesy of Dallas Basketball.

-El Fantasma de Carlos over at The Puns are Starting To Bore Me says, "Not so fast" to those championship or bust sentiments.

Magic Wands: October 2, 2009

-Bad omens in Cleveland for the LeBrons.

-AirTran Airways has become the official (and exclusive in arena) airline sponsor of the Orlando Magic. Alex Martins is trying to give the corporate side of the Amway Center a very Orlando feel and bringing on a technically Orlando company like AirTran is a good step forward. And, except for Gate C4A or B at Midway Airport in Chicago, I love AirTran.

-This photo attached to an article in The Orlando Sentinel caught my eye. A lot of stadiums do not allow fans to walk down the aisles from the concourse while the ball is in play. Is Amway Arena joining that trend?

-Brian Hubbard of the Examiner asks: "Who is the greatest player not to have his jersey retired?" If Shaquille O'Neal keeps up his talking, we might have our winner.