Magic Wands: November 20, 2009

-Hedo Turkoglu was nearly a Phoenix Sun instead of an Orlando Magic.

-Orlando has put in its application to host the 2012 All Star Game and as the Orlando Sentinel reports, it might cost them $1.5 million to prepare the city.

-An Ohio State study finds that expecting less from your team helps you get more enjoyment out of them.

-Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini has an open invitation for LeBron James to try out and help the Browns.

-No words can describe Kirk Hinrich singing "Love, lift us up where we belong." So video will have to do.

-In New Orleans' never-ending quest to have the ugliest jerseys in basketball, they unveil their new Mardi Gras alternates. Oh boy.

-Larry Bird talks with Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe about the little interesting tidbits in his new book, When the Game Was Ours, co-written with Magic Johnson and Jackie MacMullan.

-Yahoo! Sports reported Tracy McGrady got into a heated, emotional discussion with Rockets coach Rick Adelman about when the team is planning to bring him back. McGrady -- as hard as it is to believe -- was in uniform for warmups before Wednesday night's game and is trying to force the issue and prove he is ready to play. Where was this passion and drive in 2004?

-Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times writes about the play that's all the rage in the NBA -- the pick and roll.

Magic Wands: November 13, 2009

-I don't know what to say about the trailer for the movie Who Shot Mamba. But I will say this... "Mesmerizing."

-Nancy Lieberman was named the head coach of the D-League team in Frisco, Texas, last week. Could she be the first female head coach in the NBA? Next season will be very interesting down in Texas, that is for sure.

-NBA referee Dick Bavetta tells The Orlando Sentinel he might retire at the end of the season.

-Can you name the leaders in points, rebounds, steals and assists for all 30 NBA teams?

-New Jersey's Chris Douglas-Roberts has been diagnosed with swine flu, the first case involving an NBA player. I wish CDR a quick recovery.

-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced Monday that he has been diagnosed with leukemia, but that his doctors say the prognosis is good.

-ESPN says Orlando is the second best team... OF THE FUTURE!.

-Fans in the cheap seats of the Amway Center, and in the Amway Center period, will get treated to the largest scoreboard in the NBA. As Alex Martins tells Mark Schlueb of The Orlando Sentinel, this scoreboard is a state-of-the-art HD television that makes the current jumbotron look like a fuzzy 19 inch television. Exciting.

-From the makers of Stan Van Pac-Man, it's Whack a Shaq!

-I was on the Daily Dime Live chat during Wednesday's game and asked what was wrong with Orlando's defense and John Hollinger responded thusly: "I think it's multiple things Phil. First, the D at the point of attack isn't as good. Second, Howard is picking up fouls at an alarming rate, costing them their main interior deterent for long stretches. And of course working in new pieices who don't have a history of going lights out on D (Bass, Carter, Anderson, Williams) is another factor."

-Ex-Gator Joakim Noah has made a Chicago Tribune columnist eat his words, literally.

-LeBron James wants to sell more jerseys... I mean honor Michael Jordan and change his number from No. 23 to No. 6.

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.

Keys to the Series: Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Lakers

1) Impose your style: the big matchup everyone is talking about in advance of the NBA Finals is how Orlando is going to contain Pau Gasol with Rashard Lewis in the post and conversely how Gasol is going to keep track of Lewis on the perimeter. It is a very interesting matchup between two all stars and one that will likely determine each individual game.

The simple answer is that whichever team makes the other adjust will win.

Dwight Howard has done a great job against the Lakers this season. Why? Both times he got Andrew Bynum in foul trouble in the first quarter and more or less knocked him out of the game. Bynum's stat line against Orlando says it all: 8.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 22.5 minutes per game in the two meetings this year. Plus he shot seven of 17 from the floor.

Bynum is not having the greatest postseason either. So if Howard can knock him out of the game because of foul trouble, it forces Gasol (who is a better post defender than Bynum and a much smarter and more seasoned player) to cover Howard and forces Lamar Odom into the game.

This could be good or bad, depending on the type of game Odom is having. But Lewis will have a difficult time shooting over Gasol on offense -- luckily he has taken to driving to the hoop more -- and defending him in the post. Gasol is quicker and smarter than Glen Davis or Anderson Varejao and will not be as easy to take advantage of as those two.

Thus it is even more important to get a more favorable matchup for him and force the Lakers to play the Magic's style. If Orlando lets Los Angeles keep two posts in the game, it makes it easier for them to double Howard, to pack the paint against drives and to force Orlando into becoming a jump shooting team.

2) Use the LeBron defense as the Kobe defense: easier said then done and LeBron James did have an incredible series until he ran out of gas in Game Six. But the same principal applies.

Orlando must make Kobe Bryant a scorer. He is not going to get to the hole as much as James and he is a much better shooter. Orlando survived two big Bryant games this season and earned the sweep. Bryant averaged 34.5 points and 7.0 assists per game in the two meetings. More importantly, the Magic forced him to take 27.0 shots per game to get those points. He has to become a volume shooter in this series for the Magic to win.

Don't think Kobe will make it easy for the Magic to do. He now has plenty of video of the team's strategy to guard James at his disposal and he will find some little weakness in Orlando's defense. It will be extremely difficult to copy the defensive performance the team did against the Cavaliers. Plus the Lakers have a better supporting cast surrounding their superstar.

But despite the better supporting cast, Kobe is still the one that makes the team go. If Orlando can force him to be a volume shooter than it makes it less likely that he will be passing to his teammates.

Again, this strategy may or may not work if Bryant is both shooting the ball at an efficient rate AND the Lakers are running their offense through Gasol in the low post.

Orlando has to do a good enough job in the first couple games to force Bryant to become a volume shooter and hurt his team by taking away its offensive fluidity.

3) Don't be satisfied: I was too young to remember too much from the 1995 NBA Finals (I was what six?). But reading retrospectives on the team and analysis from that time period and it is clear Orlando was happy just to reach the Finals. Beating the Pacers was an accomplishment and the season was a success.

The Houston Rockets, on the other hand, were an experienced title team and expected to win another championship.

Sounds eerily familiar.

I will not lie. Making the NBA Finals is a tremendous accomplishment for this team and this franchise. I would consider this season a success whether Orlando wins or loses this series.

But opportunities like this do not come around often -- as the 1995 team learned when Michael Jordan returned, led his Bulls team to a NBA record 72 wins and an NBA championship. Shaquille O'Neal left and the rest is history.

The team cannot be satisfied with just reaching this point (even if some fans are... look at those season ticket sales after Saturday's game). It has to consider this a once in a lifetime opportunity and something not to be squandered. After all, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett are both waiting in the wings salivating over the opportunities next year provides.

The Magic's window will be open for a while, but you cannot play like it is when you are in the Finals. This is the only opportunity that matters.

Orlando cannot get discouraged after a loss in this series (especially if it is in Game One) and has to continue to fight and claw on each possession.

Stan Van Gundy has done a great job inspiring this team and they always seem to find a way to eke out wins. I have said this numerous times, but this is the sign of a great team. I have complete faith the Magic will not be satisfied and will adjust to anything the Lakers throw at them.

Magic Wands: May 22, 2009

-Relive the greatest play in Magic history. Amazing how things came into place so perfectly in this game. Thanks to 3rd Quarter Collapse for the find.

-X's & O's of Basketball says Malcolm Gladwell's theory about pressing as a way for David to defeat Goliath is actually incorrect. In youth basketball, full-court press stunts growth and the way this article sounds makes it seem like an easy way out. Good thing to teach the kids. The Gladwell article is a good read though.

-Sports targets a very specific audience, so whenever it wins TV ratings it is a big deal. As Hal Boedeker of The Orlando Sentinel reports, the Magic's Game Seven win over the Celtics was the highest rated TV show Sunday night in Orlando.

-When you forget to look at your schedule this happens. Now the NBA has to throw down with the WWE for the Pepsi Center on Monday. Looks like the NBA wins.

-So where did the 1995-96 team go? Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel tracked them all down... or found them at least.

-Someone has pointed out what a bad year it has been for the NBA. First Kevin Duckworth died before the season. Then Norm Van Lier and Johnny "Red" Kerr passed away. Wayman Tisdale passed away last week. Of course, Chuck Daly two weeks ago. And now news that Jerry West has been dealing with a heart ailment in secret throughout his life. Hope for the best for the NBA logo.

-Shaquille O'Neal is taking broadcasting lessons at Syracuse. Maybe he should go to a real journalism school like Northwestern next time. Full disclosure: Go 'Cats!

-Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse finally gets Stan Van Gundy to explain his attire.

-How the NBA Draft Lottery actually works.

-Welcome to new Orlando Sentinel columnist Shannon J. Owens. It appears the Sentinel is finally re-arranging their staff and have found some pretty good replacements for David Whitley and Jerry Greene. Her first column proclaims Orlando as a legitimate sports town!

-Dwight Howard's new Adidas commercial. Very sweet. And also very Free Darko'ish.

-The 2012 Olympic team in London might look familiar. Many of the stars from the 2008 team in Beijing appear to be on board for a two-year commitment. That is assuming they win the World Championships next summer in Turkey.

-Puppet LeBron James learns about the un-stoppable.

-A kind of old video, but still very true. Dwight Howard is a beast.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Bucks 4/13

-Last road game of the season and the Magic are an impressive 27-13 on the road, a win will top last year's mark 27-14 mark. Quite impressive to put back-to-back years like that on the road.

-The Magic are admittedly in a "funk" right now and know they have to break out of it to gain some momentum heading toward the playoffs, according to The Orlando Sentinel's Brian Schmitz. It is a precarious balance between getting healthy, which the team looks like it needs to do, and getting mentally ready for the postseason.

-Injury updates from Brian Schmitz in Milwaukee: JJ Redick and Rashard Lewis appear to be out for tonight's game. Rafer Alston is questionable after missing the morning shootaround with a migraine. And Hedo Turkoglu reported no swelling in his ankle after spraining it Saturday in New Jersey.

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily will now calm you down about the end of the season. He notes the struggles of recent title teams in their final games. How you finish the regular season is not necessarily how you finish the postseason.

-Bucks rookie Joe Alexander has had a difficult season living up to the expectations the do-everything small forward had on draft night, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel said. Look, losing to Rudy Fernandez to get into the dunk contest is not THAT big of a deal.

-Magic radio man Scott Anez blogs about which teams might be heading to Orlando this weekend for the playoffs. It will either be Philadelphia, Chicago or... gulp... Detroit.

-Guess it is time to be scoreboard watching. As I said, the 76ers and Bulls are now tied for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference with the Pistons one game back. That will completely change tonight. Chicago is in Detroit tonight (at 7:30 ET on NBATV). At least Philly will be in the six spot at the end of the night.

-The Bulls are not a good road team, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune says. That will need to change.

-K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune also talks of the redemption of former Gator Joakim Noah. He is thrilled to be back in the postseason.

-Detroit is not guaranteed of even moving out of the eight seed if they beat Chicago, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports.. The Bulls have a better conference record and could win the tiebreaker. The Pistons have a long road to face the Magic in other words.

Dwight Howard: Original Prankster

So I just stumbled upon these videos on YouTube. Dwight Howard is quite the prankster.

He got Chauncey Billups. He got Derrick Rose. He got Tim Duncan.

Lots of fun with him and Adidas at the All Star game. Quite hilarious. Enjoy.

There is also lots of video of Dwight's exploits at All Star break linked there.

All I know is that I was telling Dwight no "one-handed" rebounds much longer than Stan Van Gundy. Or anyone impersonating him.

Orlando Magic 107, Chicago Bulls 79

Richie Audubato called this game correctly. It was just one of those few games each year where everything goes right for one team... and everything goes wrong for the other.

The Bulls were coming off a heartbreaking loss to Miami (heartbreaking is not quite the word for it) and were hurt even before that. Plus they had taken it to the Magic last week. Orlando did not forget.

The Magic were coming off a disappointing performance in Detroit and again had that revenge factor in mind. This game had blowout written all over it.

I am glad Orlando penned that book. It shows a lot of maturity as a team to come back after the way Chicago took it to them in Illinois last week and after a poor performance against the Pistons on Monday and put on a clinic. By the time I tuned in, it was already over.

Not much else to say about this game. A very balanced effort from Orlando.

AND NO ONE CAN STOP THE POLISH HAMMER!

Marcin Gortat scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. And Tony "Batt-Man" Battie had 18 points, including a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter, and eight rebounds.

Continuing the love for the bench players, Jeremy Richardson got in and scored six points. And for some reason Audubato and Dennis Neuman thought this guy might become part of the rotation in the near future (near future meaning next season... not tomorrow). Interesting...

Magic Wands: February 27, 2009

-Always sad to hear another team lose their face. The Utah Jazz -- and the city of Salt Lake City -- lost one of the best owners in the NBA last Friday with the passing of Larry H. Miller. He turned the Jazz, a team in the worst media market in the NBA, into one of the most successful franchises in the league. He is a loss that team will take a long while to replace.

-We all knew the Magic were bad at drafting... but this bad? According to research and ratings by Roland Beech at 82games.com, Orlando is actually 20th out of 32 teams (that includes the Hornets and Grizzlies twice). Not too bad, but you would love to see them get better. Good analysis of the report at Third Quarter Collapse. Odd that Milwaukee is first.

-So apparently Stuff has broken his leg. But nothing keeps this dragon down -- he is 20 and living it up now. He was out there jumping around in Sunday's game against the Heat with a cast over his left leg. Get better soon Stuff!

-Apparently the Bucks' mascot is also injured. Here is the video. Watch at your own risk.

-ESPN once again caught Dwight Howard hitting a half court shot during pregame warmups. Apparently that is four. And Stan Van Gundy shakes his head as his secret last second plans to score are revealed to the national audience.

-Congratulations to Hedo Turkoglu and his wife for giving birth to their first child Thursday! A title is a nice gift for her, trust me.

-So this tells me all Orlando has to do to get to the White House is have a president who is a fan? Pretty cheap Chicago, pretty cheap. You have to earn a meeting with the president at the White House.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. 76ers 11/6

Orlando gets its first crack in front of a national television audience against Philadelphia tonight. It could be very ugly if the Magic continue playing the way they are playing.

Or it could be really ugly if the 76ers play the way they have been playing. Philadelphia is a turnover-prone team and has stumbled out to a 2-3 start despite the high profile signing of Elton Brand.

Matchup to Watch: Dwight Howard vs. Elton Brand. They may not be matched up directly at the beginning of the game, but by the end (if it is close), it will come down to who can make plays -- Howard or Brand. Howard still seems to be on a tear from two difficult losses to start the season. He has had some success against Philadelphia, but this will be his first time going up against its new front line.

-As mentioned before, both teams are really struggling. One thing that needs to change for both teams to fulfill their lofty preseason expectations is to fix their turnover problems. Matt Beardmore of STATS writes on NBA.com has a pretty comprehensive preview of tonight's game, including a good stat about how Jameer Nelson has almost as many turnovers (11) as assists (14) so far.

-Free agents have transformed a couple teams in recent years from pretenders to contenders. Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel takes alook at how the Brand and Rashard Lewis signings have raised expectations for the teams in tonight's game.

-Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel further writes that if the Magic are to make some headway, November is the time. Orlando is in the midst of a five-game home stand right now and the team's first extensive road trip is not that difficult. Plus, JJ Redick will not be the first one off the bench tonight after Keith Bogans' strong game against Chicago.

-Stan Van Gundy admits it is a little early for a must-win game. But tonight's nationally-televised matchup against another up-and-coming team should get the Magic's blood growing, John Denton of Florida Today writes. At least Van Gundy hopes it will get them fired up.

-Former Florida player Marreesse Speights has become a fan favorite in Philadelphia... even if he is not getting any playing time yet, Kate Fagan of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Coach Maurice Cheeks did say that whenever Speights goes in, good things happen -- mostly because he has only played in blowout wins.

-It has been a while since both Orlando and Philadelphia mattered enough to be on national television. I know I am excited to get the chance to watch the Magic on national television several times this season. And apparently so are Sixers fans. Jsams over at Liberty Ballers, a 76ers blog, is very very excited to see his team in HD tonight.

-No wonder the Bulls could not complete an improbable late game comeback Monday night. Chicago's offense seems confused and frustrated, KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes after the team's 107-93 loss at Cleveland. The Bulls have always needed a primary scoring option and that seems to be hurting this team more than ever (maybe they should have taken Michael Beasley, no matter how good Derrick Rose is playing right now).

Prediction: the Magic seem to be heading in the right direction after a solid victory over the Bulls. But there were plenty of things to be worried about from that game. Turnovers will be an issue for both teams in this incredibly ugly basketball game.

The game will come down to whether Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu can take care of the ball. They have both started extremely slow. The Sixers are as likely to score 100 points as they are 80 (as they showed in a 106-83 loss to the Heat last night).

But the Magic have not shown they are consistent enough this season to beat a top team. Expect Philadelphia to come in to Amway Arena a lot more focused than they were last night. The Magic desperately need a wake-up call and another morale-shattering loss could be in the works very soon.

Philadelphia edges Orlando out in this one thanks to Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller taking care of the ball better than the Magic.

76ers 100, Magic 93

Orlando Magic on Election Day

Make sure you go out and vote today. Florida is a pretty important state, so make your vote count (more than others, at least).

Nov. 6, 1992: the Magic did not play their first game of the season until after Bill Clinton's victory over incumbent George H. W. Bush. But Orlando did make a premier of its own. Rookie Shaquille O'Neal scored 12 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.

But it was Nick Anderson showing why he was the Magic's elder statesmen as he dropped a career-high 42 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter, to lead Orlando to a 113-110 win over the Heat.

Nov. 1, 1996: the Magic were not as lucky (OK, luck had nothing to do with it) as incumbent Clinton in their first game of the season in 1996. Playing the Washington Bullets without Dennis Scott, Gerald Wilkins' game-tying 3-pointer was ruled a two when the referees determined Wilkins' foot was on the line and Orlando fell short 96-92 to the Bullets.

Clinton survived the Magic's loss and won re-election.

Nov. 6, 2000: no recount was needed at the Orlando Arena as the Magic raced past the Supersonics with a 110-99 victory. Still looking for its identity after signing Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill, who was out with an injury (figures), during the summer, some key role players had big games.

John Amaechi (from England, so he could not vote the next day) scored 20 points as did Darrell Armstrong.

We all know what happened the next day in Florida.

Nov. 3, 2004: Steve Francis got to the hoop and made a lay-up as time expired to give the Magic a thrilling 93-92 opening-game victory over the Bucks. Dwight Howard finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in his first NBA game.

George W. Bush pulled a Francis as he narrowly defeated John Kerry for re-election the day before.

Nov. 3, 2008: one day before Barack Obama and John McCain squared off in the general election. The Magic built to 15-point leads against the Chicago Bulls. Obama's hometown team climbed back both times and nearly tied the game. But somehow Orlando held on 96-93 thanks to 22 points and 15 boards from Howard.

Who will win today's election? Think of this:

In the above games, the Magic went 4-1. What does that mean for Obama and McCain, absolutely nothing! But it is interesting to note Orlando was home for each one of the above games. I guess you have to keep your voters in Florida.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Bulls 11/3

-It is early in the season, but those whispers you heard at the beginning of the season about Orlando's weak bench are definitely getting louder. Brian Schmitz dives into tonight's matchup of the benches and why the Magic's bench stats are not strong.

-Remember when Mickael Pietrus was the best defensive thing since sliced bread? Me neither. But the Magic did sign him to be their defensive stopper. So far, he is struggling to get into a good defensive rhythm and adjusting to the team's defensive scheme. Expect more Keith Bogans.

-Orlando has had problems against opposing point guards in the past. Tonight the Magic get their first crack at No. 1 draft pick Derrick Rose. K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune looks at how Rose is adjusting to the NBA with flying colors - learning how to temper his emotions and playing like a veteran on and off the court just three games into his career. He should win Rookie of the Year at least according to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald.