Magic Wands: March 20, 2009

-Ben Q Rock of Third Quarter Collapse examined Rafer Alston's impact on the Magic both on offense and on defense on Saturday. The returns are interesting. But I still have the feeling this team is better with Jameer Nelson.

-Erivera7 of Third Quarter Collapse tries to make the argument that Orlando's bench is not as bad as the "experts" think. He has some pretty decent stats to make this argument. But the fact that Stan Van Gundy has had to rely on his starters so much tells you that the Magic do not really trust their second unit. It is serviceable, no doubt. But I do not let them play for more than 3-4 minutes without parental (read: starter) supervision.

-The bench is getting a lot of love lately. Kevin Arnovitz for TrueHoop looks at hte benches of the current playoff teams. Orlando gets a solid grade. But as noted, Stan Van Gundy plays his starters pretty heavy minutes. So excuse me if I do not panic about bench production. It is serviceable for what we need and has filled in (almost) every gap injuries have caused this season.

-It's March! That can only mean one thing. NBA.com Dancer Brackets! Go Magic Dancers!

-Hey Dwight Howard has a new Web site. Wonder if he will start Tweeting again. But either way, he blogs and has a video channel for our enjoyment.

-I guess there is a first time for everything. Still an odd time to call a three second violation, considering referees bury their whistles throughout much of the game when it actually should be called. Howard is still having trouble accepting that big men are officiated differently whether it is fair or not.

-If you cannot read my Twitter (or it has been filled to the brim), I am now Facebook friends with Dwight Howard. Pretty sweet, I have to say.

-Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina passed JJ Redick for the all-time scoring record in the ACC with 22 points in the Tar Heels' first round win over Radford on Thursday. Records were meant to be broken, I guess.