Game 6 Adjustments: Magic vs. Sixers

UPDATE: A lot of the below is kind of muted now that Howard has been suspended for Game Six. But a lot of it still applies. There is still plenty the Magic can do without Dwight Howard.

1) Continue the balance- Despite shooting less than 45 percent in Game Five, Orlando has to be encouraged with the offensive balance it achieved. Scott Anez, I believe, during the broadcast mentioned how the team becomes stagnant when Howard dominates.

It was nice to see some balance in the offense with Howard clearly imposing his will on the defense. The big change from Game Four was Orlando's attempt to set up Rashard Lewis in the post. This action toward the basket was very productive and has gotten Lewis more looks at the basket.

This has worked pretty well and has kept Howard involved too.

Without Howard now, Orlando has to find an offensive balance and keep Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu involved in the offense. Lewis and Turkoglu cannot anchor themselves on the 3-point line and must attack the basket. It will free up space for Rafer Alston, Mickael Pietrus and JJ Redick to get open on the perimeter. The addition of Tony Battie into the lineup should also pull Samuel Dalembert away from the hoop or get Battie some open jumpers.

Howard's absence adds new wrinkles to the offense for sure, but it will take good execution and balance to make it work at the level it does with Howard in the lineup.

2) Limit Willie Green's offense- the last two games 76ers shooting guard Willie Green has gotten better and found his shots within the offense. This has happened partly because of improved defense on Andre Iguodala. But Green's improvement, like Courtney Lee's emergence in the first couple of games, is a bad sign for the Magic.

He is one more body the team has to worry about. Green has done a good job taking advantage of his opportunities. But the threat of Andre Miller -- he has been awfully quiet -- means a better Green makes things more difficult in Game Six.

This is not a call to play tight defense on Green. He is the guy the Magic need to leave open. But they might want to stick closer to him. The Magic have done a good job on Iguodala lately -- his games have been very inefficient -- and part of that is leaving Green open. But the rotation needs to be better on him and make him a non-factor.

3) Play like you are down 3-2- the Wachovia Center is goingt to be rocking Thursday night and this Orlando team has struggled finishing off games. The Magic cannot sit back and bank on being at home for Game Sevent. They have to come after the 76ers and put them away quickly.

A strong first quarter is a good start. Philadelphia is going to throw everythign it has at Orlando and it has to be ready for just about everything and beat it. That is why Stan Van Gundy needs to tell his team that it trails 3-2 and needs a win in Game Six.

That is the kind of intensity Orlando is going to need to win Game Six on Thursday night. I expect Andre Miller to take more control of the offense and try to get Iguodala involved.

Orlando has to match that with an even more intense defensive effort and more focus on offense. There is no reason to be heading back to Orlando in this series. The Magic have to play like it is not an option.

Without Howard, the effort almost has to be doubled. Howard is the anchor on offense and defense. That means a lot of guys will have to be more accountable without the superstar center to clean up mistakes. This decreases the margin of error, but also means the team has to play harder to make up for it.

UPDATE: so what does Orlando do without Howard now? It changes a lot of its offense, but it also changes a lot of the way Philadelphia defends the Magic too.

Expect to see a lot more action going at the basket. And with Samuel Dalembert coming out to defend whoever is attacking the hoop it might free up Marcin Gortat for some easy put back or even bring people off the 3-point line. Expect when Tony Battie is in the game for him to set up for the mid-range jumper that burned Philadelphia in a late November matchup too.

Either way, Orlando will need big games from Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis as they are now the focal points of the offense and the safety cushion that is Howard will not be there. It creates an interesting matchup.

The Magic went 2-1 in games without Howard this year. The two wins came before Jameer Nelson got hurt and the loss came in a late-season title at Milwaukee (where Rashard Lewis also did not play).

I think Philadelphia has done a really good job staying on the shooters, but it also seemed like the Magic's shooters broke out of their slump. Slowly but surely they are coming back.

If anything, this makes point three above much more salient. Orlando has to play with its backs against the wall now. Without its superstar, the team will need a great effort from everyone to pull out the victory.

It is certainly still possible. But I would expect a much different tone to this game.

Philadelphia is going to want to run and attack at all times and the defense will have to be on its toes. I think if the Magic can slow the game down and control the boards, there is still a good chance they close the series out in Game Six.