Detroit Pistons 93, Orlando Magic 85

Orlando took an eight-point lead at the end of the first half. The offense, which had sputtered through nearly 24 minutes of play, had finally picked up the pace and gotten the ball inside to its superstar, Dwight Howard.

And then like a mirage, it disappeared. The Detroit Pistons just know how to do that.

Detroit came out storming out of the locker room, transforming the deficit into a nine-point lead. The Magic made a run in the fourth quarter bust still could not solve the riddle of the Pistons, falling at Amway Arena 93-85 on Friday.

This is no longer an issue of Detroit having Orlando's number. The Magic would have played well enough to win on most nights.

This was not most nights.

The 3-point shots were not falling. And the Pistons did their usual fantastic job denying and frustrating Howard. But even with that Superman scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

What made this night more different than anything else was the complete lack of energy. Even in the first half when things were going well, there was no sense of urgency. I would be more concerned with that than with anything else.

THIS WAS THE TEAM THAT ELIMINATED YOU FROM THE PLAYOFFS THE LAST TWO YEARS AND HAS VIRTUALLY OWNED YOU FOR FIVE-PLUS SEASONS.

That needed to be in all caps, I am sorry.

The Pistons are a better team without Allen Iverson. It was painfully obvious from how much space Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey had to operate. They were much more efficient -- Rasheed Wallace was not even a factor tonight -- and played a much smoother game than I am sure they have played in some time.

But when things got rough, it was when the Pistons plodded up the court and ran their half-court game to perfection. Orlando played decent defense, but were just generally frustrated. The team could never take control of the pace of this game.

The fact the Magic stayed so close in this game despite such a poor performance from beyond the arc speaks wonders about how good this team is. But they just cannot seem to put it all together right now -- at least not like they were earlier in the season.

This team right now is playing .500 ball. That simply won't get it done. They seem out of rhythm since the injury and something has to change. I do not know what that has to be, but it must be something.

It might simply be a mid-season swoon. They happen in an 82-game season. But now is the time to get geared up for the playoffs. Complacency is not an option.

This was not a game Orlando should have been complacent. But they were for some reason. The response, which the Magic have done well with in this stretch, might come tomorrow in Philadelphia.