While the Orlando Magic lick their wounds from the beatdown they suffered at the hands of the Miami Heat on Friday, it’s worth revisiting one of the few bright spots from that game. Dwight Howard‘s performance against the Heat, in which he looked more dominant than ever — as he should have been — against the likes of Joel Anthony, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Jamaal Magloire, is a development that’s worth keeping tabs on before the two rivals meet again in late November.

Want to see true growth on offense for Howard? Watch.

• Ben Q. Rock of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “The [Orlando] Magic/Heat rivalry has proven fairly one-sided in Orlando’s favor since 2007, but the Heat’s appearance has more to do with their future roster than the one that’s struggled against Orlando in the recent past. Indeed, among the 18 players the Heat have under contract, only Joel Anthony, Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, Jamaal Magloire, and Dwyane Wade have suited up as members of the Heat against Orlando. But in adding LeBron James this summer, Miami has certainly vaulted itself into championship contention, and made its relationship with the Magic more interesting. James’ incredible showing in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals wasn’t enough to get his Cavaliers over the hump against the Magic, but it did establish him as an individual rival of Orlando’s. And it’s valid to compare him to [Dwight] Howard, insofar as they’re both among the best players in the league who entered it just one year apart.”
• Dan Savage and Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com review Vince Carter‘s restaurant in Daytona Beach. Two thumbs up.
• Grade the Orlando Magic’s off-season.
• Dwight Howard: “How’s ya’ll’s summer going? Mine has been crazy traveling all over the world. I just got back last week from going to India for the NBA and China to shoot a new movie with my man, Carmelo Anthony. I know there has been a lot of talk about Melo getting traded this summer, but trust me ya’ll, we were just shooting a movie together and didn’t even talk ball that much. The movie is called, “Amazing” and will be out next summer, so I hope you guys can check it out!!!”
• Howard is also raising money for the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images

Via Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel:

The [Orlando] Magic will open their season — and play their first regular-season game at Amway Center — on Oct. 28, when they host the Washington Wizards at 8 p.m.

One night later in Miami, Orlando will play its first regular-season game against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the new-look Miami Heat.

The Magic will face the Heat three additional times: in Orlando on Nov. 24, in Orlando on Feb. 3 and in Miami on March 3. All four of Orlando’s games against Miami will be televised nationally.

October 29, November 24, February 3, and March 3.

Circle those dates because that’s when the Orlando Magic will face off against the Miami Heat in the regular season. Yes, there are 78 other games on the schedule that mean something — some more than others — but there’s no question that when the Magic and the Heat go toe-to-toe with each other, it’s going to be an event.

Many people are hoping that the matchups will live up to the hype.

Everyone keeps mentioning that Dwight Howard should have a field day going up against the likes of Joel Anthony, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Juwan Howard, Jamaal Magloire, and whoever else that wants to volunteer. Yes, that’s true. And Orlando’s 4-out/1-in offensive system (at first glance) appears to matchup relatively well against Miami, given that Rashard Lewis has historically had good success against Chris Bosh at the power forward position, given his ability to spread the floor. Can’t forget about Jameer Nelson in the 1/5 pick and roll with Howard, either.

But who on the Magic is going to stop LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh?

That question has been addressed in the past, but it’s going to be left somewhat unanswered until the games start to count. The wait couldn’t be any longer, it seems like.