Orlando
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
The only good news about Orlando's 114-102loss to Detroit on Friday is that it means that a loss tonight against Cleveland would all but eliminate Orlando from the playoffs. Unfortunate as that would be, it would mean that none of the very many injured Magic players would need to be rushed back into service: everyone could take the extended summer to recuperate and make a fresh run next year. Man, that's sad.
The Magic were one of the most exciting teams early in the season and Grant Hill's re-emergence as one of the game's premier players after a four-year hiatus was a testament to the primacy of mind over matter. With a "riskier" draft in taking a high school senior, they were set to be the darlings of the playoffs, with many a feel-good story in there.
It all seemed to change after Cuttino Mobley was traded. Doug Christie got injured, and so did Hill. Hedo Turkoglu, a consistent offensive spark, also went down. And suddenly the playoffs were becoming a stretch. The coach was fired. Tensions rose. And tonight the Magic are facing the hottest high school senior ever to go straight to the pros and hoping to keep their dim playoff hopes alive.
Why? After tonight, they face Detroit and Chicago again, who combined for the Magic's two most recent losses. Their last two games are against Indiana and Miami. The chances of the Magic making it into the playoffs are vanishing with each passing possession.
It's still a little early to be looking for the silver lining that an extended recuperation would mean to the health of the team but only because the goal was right there. Had the Magic never come close to making the playoffs, this would be considered a fairly successful season.
If anything, the Magic should be complimented on reaching as far as they did before injuries took their toll.
NEXT GAME
The Magic (35-41, third in the Southeast) host the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-37, fourth in the Central) TONIGHT. The game starts at 7:00pm Eastern and will be broadcast on WRBW and NBA TV.
TEAM NOTES
Q: Hedo, do you want any tattoos?
A: "No, I don’t want any."
Q: Steve, who is the funniest guy on the team?
A: "Dwight Howard"
Read more inside the Orlando Magic Ask-A-Player Archive.
INJURY UPDATE
Hedo Turkoglu(wrist) is on the injured list and out for the remainder of the season.Doug Christie(ankle) is also on the injured list and out indefinitely.Andrew DeClercq (knee) is on the injured list.Grant Hill(shin) is out indefinitely.
Brian Schmitz ofThe Orlando Sentinelwrites: Stevenson will be here to face the Cavs, but his availability after that is in question.The Magic leave Tuesday for a three-game road trip that begins Wednesday in Detroit and ends Saturday in Milwaukee. Stevenson's girlfriend is expected to deliver a baby girl, with Saturday as the target date. "But if she has contractions . . . I don't know if I can go on the trip," Stevenson said. "She wants me to go, but there's really no one here to take her to the hospital."
Brian Schmitz ofThe Orlando Sentinelwrites: Winning helps any cause but more so in a small, seemingly shortsighted, market. The Magic desperately need a return to the playoffs next season. Will that demand the Magic bring in a "name" coach? Magic General Manager John Weisbrod called Jent the "jewel" of the coaching staff when he tabbed him. I asked Weisbrod on Friday whether Jent would be among the candidates considered for the job this summer. "Sure," Weisbrod said.
Brian Schmitz ofThe Orlando Sentinelwrites: Chasing the Cavs for the final playoff spot, the Magic will be within one game of elimination with a loss.. . . Orlando has a three-game losing streak, its latest loss Friday night to the Detroit Pistons. . . . PF Dwight Howard missed Sunday's practice to attend the funeral of his great-grandfather, Ben Strobridge. .