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Via Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post:

Given the dearth of long twos and isolation play, as well as the plentitude of threes and free-throw attempts, it’s almost as though stat geeks found room enough in their parents’ basement to design this offense. Lots of high-efficiency shots, few low-efficiency ones. That much isn’t up for debate.

At issue, though, is this team should have performed better than it did; every Magic fan, I think, would agree with me on that point. And before everyone piles on [Stan Van] Van Gundy, railing against what some folks derisively call this chuck-and-duck scheme, let’s recall an offense with the same principles ranked fourth just one year ago, and helped Orlando to win 59 games.

The principles didn’t change; the players did. Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, and Jason Williams are all regulars from the 2009/10 squad who departed prior to, or during, the next season.

To me, this all indicates Van Gundy’s offensive style works when equipped with the right personnel. He’s not an offensive genius like, say, Rick Adelman, whose superstar-less Houston Rockets squad had the league’s fourth-best offense this season. Seven Rockets averaged at least two assists per game. Adelman’s offense is more of a “plug-and-play” situation, if you catch my meaning. No matter the personnel, his teams will be brilliant offensively. The same is not true of Van Gundy, whose teams stand out more for their consistently great defense than offense.

For those that want to know more about head coach Stan Van Gundy’s philosophical approaches on offense, this article is a must-read.

Also, the Orlando Magic‘s need for a great one-on-one perimeter scorer remains.

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BOX SCORE

The Atlanta Hawks were able to defeat the Orlando Magic by the score of 88-85 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. The Hawks are one win away from ending the Magic’s season, and exacting revenge from last year’s sweep in the 2010 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. Four free-throws from Joe Johnson helped seal the deal for Atlanta, as they helped to stave off Orlando from coming back and stealing Game 4 on the road. With 10.5 seconds left in regulation and the Magic trailing by three points, the basketball was put in Hedo Turkoglu‘s hands but he was unable to deliver with a game-tying shot to extend the game into overtime. It was a scenario in which Orlando sorely missed Jason Richardson, given that he’s been able to come through in crunch-time situations time and again. The Hawks were led by a balanced attack, as four players scored in double-figures. Jamal Crawford finished with 25 points and six assists, continuing his onslaught in the series as Atlanta’s sixth man. Johnson had 20 points and nine rebounds. Al Horford chipped in with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, while Kirk Hinrich contributed with 14 points. Dwight Howard had another dominant game, finishing with 29 points, 17 rebounds, and two blocks but a lack of support from his teammates has been the Magic’s downfall. Gilbert Arenas redeemed himself after poor performances in Games 1 and 2, as well as a no-show in Game 3, by putting up 20 points and five rebounds, giving Orlando a much-needed boost on offense even though it was in vain.

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• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “The [Orlando] Magic couldn’t shake Kobe Bryant. Bryant stayed at The Ritz, the Magic’s team hotel, on Sunday night (he has a permanent residency there to avoid constant travel back to his home). And the Magic couldn’t get away from him Monday night, especially. Kobe shook off a sore ankle and a fractured first-half shooting linescore to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat Orlando 97-84 at Staples Center. Bryant was a game-time decision after re-injuring his left ankle Saturday night, but he played — not that anyone was surprised. The Magic were dialed in defensively for the most of the first half, holding Bryant to 2-of-10 shooting and the Lakers to 35.4 percent. But Bryant, as he often has done in his spectacular career, recovered to hit 5-of-8 shots in a third-quarter spurt in which the Lakers outscored the Magic 14-3 to close the period. L.A., trailing 46-41 at halftime, struck quickly to begin the third and tied it at 48. Forcing turnovers and surrounding [Dwight] Howard, the Lakers showed their championship pedigree. Kobe was far from terrific, but gutted it out to come up with clutch shots. He scored just 16 points, making only 7-of-19 shots.”
• John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com: “When discussing the legitimacy of his team as a true championship contender prior to Monday night’s nationally televised showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic offered up several reasons why the Magic are a powerful and dangerous team … with one caveat. ‘We’re pretty good,’ [Stan] Van Gundy said, ‘when we’re not throwing the ball to the other team.’ Van Gundy was talking, of course, about the Magic’s problems with turnovers. That area of concern reared its ugly head again Monday night when the Lakers picked up the defensive pressure and the Magic collapsed under an avalanche errors and botched possessions. The Magic shot well enough (47.1 percent) and held Kobe Bryant and Company in check for a half, but ultimately the errors piled up and the Lakers poured it on in the second half of an unsightly 97-84 Orlando loss at Staples Center.”
• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times: “Each time a substitution took place, the standing ovation sounded louder and louder. The Lakers’ starters in Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher and Ron Artest checked in for Lamar Odom, Steve Blake, Matt Barnes and Shannon Brown, prompting cheers for the reserves ability to maintain a 12-point over Orlando with 6:04 remaining. Three minutes later, Brown checked back in for Bryant and before the two locked hugs and handshakes, the 18,997 at Staples Center stood up and clapped for Bryant’s ability to play through his sprained left ankle. And when Odom stepped in for Bynum’s place moments later, the crowd reserved the loudest roar for the his career-high rebounding effort. Those standing ovations served as the perfect visual for satisfaction over what the Lakers displayed on the court Monday in their 97-84 victory over the Orlando Magic. Whether it was Bryant overcoming a poor first-half shooting performance (two of 10) with a much sharper second half (five of nine), Bynum grabbing a career high 18 rebounds or a strong supporting cast producing in various ways, the Lakers provided all signs of a team ready to maintaining the excellence required for a playoff caliber team.”
• Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: “After all the nonsense they unveiled last month, after all the silliness with losses in Charlotte and Cleveland, the Lakers took another step toward seriousness. They came back from a successful road trip and then throttled the Orlando Magic on Monday at Staples Center, 97-84, giving their fans further hope that a herky-jerky season was comfortably in the past. Kobe Bryant played despite a sprained ankle he called the worst of his career, Andrew Bynum continued to come of age— against the game’s top center, no less — and the Lakers moved to 10-1 since the All-Star break. [...] Forget about avenging an 89-75 loss last month to Orlando in which they made two of 16 from three-point range and an equally appalling seven of 15 from the free-throw line. The Lakers (48-20) are now avenging their entire regular season. It’s tough to argue with their last four weeks, though they didn’t give fans much to cheer in the first half Monday, trailing, 46-41. Then came the return of a defense that has been unfriendly at best in recent weeks. Orlando was limited to 38 second-half points.”
• Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times: “Let’s have a big Lakerdom welcome for . . . whomever. The Lakers’ center of the future was back in Staples Center, even if you couldn’t be sure which of the two who met Monday night it will be. In a surprise to some Lakers fans and even some Lakers players — at least the ones who wanted him traded for Jason Kidd or Carmelo Anthony — Andrew Bynum held his own, scoring 10 points with 18 rebounds and four blocks to Dwight Howard’s 22-15-two in the Lakers’ 97-84 victory. Howard, of course, is the NBA’s best center . . . and would continue a Lakers tradition of stealing them from Orlando. And Bynum is the NBA’s best center, too! Well, he was briefly after going for 22 and 15 Saturday in Dallas when Channel 9′s John Ireland gave him a field commission — “the best center in the NBA since the All-Star break” — before bumping him down to “best center in the West since the break.”
• Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles: “Against Dwight Howard, the player most Lakers fans are hoping comes to Los Angeles to man the middle when he becomes a free agent in 2012, Bynum played perhaps the best first quarter of his career (11 rebounds, six points and three blocked shots). Bynum got into foul trouble early in the second quarter, picking up two, and only played a little over three minutes with three fouls in the second quarter. When Bynum was in the game he controlled the paint and set the tempo for the Lakers, finishing with 10 points, tying a career high with 18 rebounds and four blocks in just 28 minutes. Howard finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds and two blocked in 43 minutes. The most telling stat when comparing Bynum and Howard, however, is the turnovers. Howard finished with 9 turnovers compared to none for Bynum. Howard’s turnovers contributed to the 18 turnovers Orlando had as a team which lead to 20 points for the Lakers while Los Angeles took surprisingly good care of the ball, turning it over five times leading to three points for Orlando.”

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It was January 9.

The Orlando Magic just got done beating the Dallas Mavericks the night before to extend their winning streak to nine games — tying a franchise record. The Magic’s record was 25-12, third in the Eastern Conference, and they were within striking distance of the Miami Heat (trailed by 3.5 games) for the No. 2 seed. It looked like general manager Otis Smith struck gold with two blockbuster trades that brought Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu, and Jason Richardson into the fray.

All was well.

The playmaking that was needed? Turkoglu took care of that.

The offensive firepower on the perimeter that was lacking? Arenas, Turkoglu, and Richardson brought the ammunition.

Unfortunately for Orlando, their nine-game winning streak — looking back on it now — was fool’s gold. That 22-point win over the San Antonio Spurs? The Spurs were playing on a back-to-back and head coach Gregg Popovich waved the white flag early in the third quarter, knowing the outcome was decided. That eight-point win over the Boston Celtics? Rajon Rondo, someone that has given the Magic plenty of problems in the past, didn’t play due to sprained left ankle (Kendrick Perkins was out, as well). That 10-point win over the Mavericks? Dirk Nowitzki sat out of the game with a sprained right knee. Orlando’s lone other win against a winning team in that timeframe came against the New York Knicks, a squad that is merely average and capable of beating beaten on any given night. Especially by the Magic.

Granted, Orlando has had some close losses too.

Losing by three to the New Orleans Hornets in overtime. Losing by a point to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Losing by three to the Celtics. Losing by nine points to the Chicago Bulls. Losing by four points to the Miami Heat. These aren’t bad losses, per se, but they’re not wins either.

For the Magic, close enough isn’t good enough. Not for a franchise that’s been considered part of the elite in the NBA since 2009 when they made their run to the Finals. And since Orlando’s winning streak, they’re 9-8 in their last 17 games and looking less like a championship contender.

It’s spurred writers from around the blogosphere to ask if the Magic are done?

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• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “To paraphrase Brent Musburger, you are looking live at Richie Adubato‘s closet. It’s the biggest one in the roomy house in Heathrow, and it contains more bright, wild colors than a kid’s crayon box. You could probably see the purple smoking jacket and pink tie collection from outer space — without Google Earth. Richie’s doting wife, Carol, is his fashion consultant. She obviously has a flair for the dramatic, given her background as an off-Broadway actress and budding stand-up comedian. A youthful-looking 72, Adubato will tell you he started donning his neon wardrobe to impress players and gain their acceptance at three NBA stops as a head coach (including an interim gig with the [Orlando] Magic) and two jobs with the WNBA. These days, Richie’s on the radio, you see. Or you don’t see. He could wear an entire line from Sears men’s outdoor department and no listeners would be the wiser, even if that plum jacket is louder than a bullhorn. But then Adubato’s very nature is to put technicolor into his job as the Magic’s color analyst, flavored by bold splashes of humor.
• Give Schmitz’s feature on Richie Adubato a read. It’s fantastic.
• J.J. Redick is day-to-day with back spasms.
• Matt Barnes on the Orlando Magic: “When they played [the] Heat, I saw them get blown out because they couldn’t handle the wings. I feel for the guys on the team but it’s definitely a business.”
• Let the record state that the Magic rank second in Defensive Rating this season and even though it’s early, they’re giving up less points per 100 possessions than last year.
• John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com: “Thanks to AirTran Airways’ partnerships with the Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard, a life-sized likeness of Superman himself is now flying through the terrace level of the dazzling, new Amway Center. AirTran, a ‘Champions of the Community’ partner with the Magic, unveiled a suspended, 6-foot-11 likeness of the Orlando’s consensus All-NBA center on Tuesday. The image is a replica of Howard in full-flight from his famous ‘Superman’ dunk from the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. The display also incorporates AirTran Business Class seats, allowing fans to take their pictures with the image of Howard flying overhead.”
• Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “[Redick] has struggled mightily with his shot this season, at 27.1 percent from the field and 12 percent from three-point range. As a result, he owns the worst True Shooting mark (37.5 percent) of any perimeter player with at least 150 minutes this season; league-wide, only stone-handed bigs Reggie Evans (27.1 percent), Darko Milicic (33.8 percent), and Greg Monroe (35.2 percent) are worse.
• Dwight Howard wants to get more friendly with NBA referees.
• Howard gives Brandon Bass a shout-out on his official blog: “Today, I want to give a shout out to my main man, Brandon ‘Black’ Bass. He’s finally getting to play this season and he’s doing a lot of good things off the bench to help us. The thing about Black is that he plays so hard and that’s what we need out of him. When he does that we play really well. We’re really good friends and we hang out a lot together off the court. I know he was frustrated last season when he wasn’t playing, but he’s doing a better job of focusing on his defense and rebounding now.”
• Howard visits the Gatorade Sports Science Institute and there’s video of it.
• Head coach Stan Van Gundy is thoroughly impressed with Mickael Pietrus‘ defense — for now.
• Zach Lowe of The Point Forward on the Magic’s slow start on offense: “The Magic rank just 18th in points per possession after finishing in the top five last season. Your initial instinct might be to dismiss the early drop as the product of a temporary cold-shooting streak. J.J. Redick and Quentin Richardson are both shooting under 30 percent, and Rashard Lewis is barely trumping them at 37 percent. Those numbers will correct themselves soon. Lewis, though, bears watching. He’s 31, and he is coming off the worst season of his career save for his rookie year. His field-goal percentage has declined every year since 2005-06, and his defense this season has looked shakier than ever, regardless of whether Stan Van Gundy has played at him small forward or power forward. About that positional tinkering: I at first chalked it up as a smart move by Van Gundy to make Orlando’s offense less predictable by occasionally shifting Lewis to the 3-spot and integrating both Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson. But I’m wondering now if it might be Van Gundy’s way of acknowledging that Lewis is not the same player he was two seasons ago. If that’s the case, the foundation of Orlando’s offense might be in jeopardy. This is a team that succeeds in part by surrounding Dwight Howard with long-range shooters, and Lewis’ ability to provide prolific three-point shooting at power forward has been critical to that philosophy. If he can no longer do that reliably, Orlando has more tinkering to do than we thought — unless Anderson can secure consistent playing time and do the job.”
• Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider breaks down Orlando’s poor three-point shooting.

• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Stan Van Gundy has conducted countless practices during his coaching career, but he rarely has held a team workout quite like the one that unfolded Sunday afternoon inside Amway Center. An announced crowd of 8,516 people streamed into the new building and watch the Orlando Magic run a 5-on-4 transition drill and scrimmage for about 50 minutes. The scene resembled a Midnight Madness event that major college basketball programs put on this time of year. Music blared over the arena loudspeakers as Van Gundy and his players stepped onto the main court. Orlando Magic Dancers waved pompoms. Fans cheered when a player unleashed a dunk or blocked a shot. [...] Van Gundy wore a portable microphone, and even people who sat in the upper deck of the cavernous new building could hear his every word.”
• Marcin Gortat likes when the Orlando Magic play tall ball: “I believe we can be really dangerous. Physically, I think we are one of the best in the league. I think the most important thing right now is just I’ve got to work on my game and just be consistent with everything I do.”
• Maybe Vince Carter should pace himself during the regular season.
• The Atlanta Hawks know that the Magic are their kryptonite.
• More from Robbins: “Van Gundy said he’ll employ a starting lineup tonight of Jameer Nelson at point guard, Vince Carter at shooting guard, Quentin Richardson at small forward, Rashard Lewis at power forward and Dwight Howard at center. Lewis will also play some at the three, while both Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass will play at the four. Marcin Gortat will play primarily at center, especially during the first half. Point guard Chris Duhon and shooting guard J.J. Redick also are expected to receive playing time.”
• Matt Moore of ProBasketballTalk wonders how long Brandon Bass will last in Orlando: “Bass has produced well. His defense is lacking but his real problem is that he’s in a system which doesn’t speak to his talents at all. He’s not a stretch-the-floor guy, he’s a post-player with a slight midrange. Another spot and he could wind up with the minutes he’s been chasing for years. The question is exactly when Orlando will call it quits on the Bass experiment and get some assets that they can use.”
• A scout breaks down the Magic roster for ESPN Insider: “They could use a flat-out scorer off the bench, a Jamal Crawford-type to give them 16-18 points a night. They miss that punch. Vince Carter is not in the killer category. He gives you numbers but won’t buy into really being a good defender. And while he’s not a selfish guy, he’s a selfish scorer, a guy who dominates the ball when he gets it going. Because of Vince, I thought Rashard Lewis didn’t get enough touches last year. In the playoffs, Jameer Nelson’s lack of height and inability to bother opponents defensively hurts them. And then I’ve been told by players in that locker room that Stan Van Gundy’s act has worn thin. He’s a blatant yeller and screamer who’ll throw you under the bus in the press conference after a game. They’ve got too much pride to take the key out of the ignition, but there comes a time when a team completely stops listening to a coach, and I don’t think he’s far from that.”
• Take that quote for whatever it’s worth.
• John Schuhmann of NBA.com attempts to figure out if Orlando is capable of making even more threes this season: “The Magic set a record for 3-pointers made in a season last year, connecting on 841 (10.3 per game). They then went and signed 3-point specialist Quentin Richardson to replace Matt Barnes. [...] Still, the addition of Richardson, who was only outdone by James Posey (70.1 percent) and Keith Bogans (65.8 percent) when it comes to taking shots from beyond the arc, should have the Magic challenging their own record. In the preseason, the Magic have attempted 29.3 and made 11.3 threes per game, both increases over last season.”
• According to one NBA scribe, the Magic are projected to finish second in the Southeast Division.
• Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus recaps the Northern California Symposium on Statistics and Operations Research in Sports (NCSSORS for short): “To me, the more practical takeaway is the reminder that individual player ratings are a reflection of many things beside talent. Roles, coaching, motivation and noise all complicate the relationship between ability and performance. As a result, we have to assume a degree of variability in player ratings. Basically, player A has to rate a fair amount better than player B for us to be confident he is truly the superior player–to the extent such a judgment really exists.”
• Is Bass increasing his trade value?
• Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “Howard has to back up his preseason promises and be more assertive and dominant. Basically, if Miami loading up in free agency doesn’t put Howard on a mission of total destruction, then nothing ever will. But the Magic have issues other than the Heat. First, they have to prove that they’ve recovered from — and have learned from — the thorough beating inflicted on them by the Celtics in the playoffs last spring. They can’t even begin to worry about Wade and LeBron until they put that disappointment behind them. If the Magic are going to take the next step and get back to the NBA Finals, they’re going to need more toughness on the floor. That has to start with Howard.”

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Here’s Part II of my roundtable discussion (click here for Part I). In this segment, different Orlando Magic writers talk about Dwight Howard‘s evolution on offense with the help of Hakeem Olajuwon, and more.

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What will it take for opposing players to respect Howard’s jumpshot just enough and as such, alter the way they defend him?

Melnick: Howard has to have more confidence in his shot and just shoot his jumper more often. Anyone who has been to a Magic practice has seen Howard make the shot fairly consistently. Up until now, Howard hasn’t had the confidence to consistently take the shot. If Howard begins to shoot more and more, his confidence is going to grow. Defenders will have to respect that shot and that will allow Howard to use his superior athleticism to blow by his opponents like he does when he faces slower defenders. We saw a glimpse of this in Orlando’s first preseason game when Howard utilized a spin move to get easy looks against Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets.

Robbins: I’m not sure. I think Howard is so effective on the inside, that it would take a lot for opposing teams to significantly alter the way they defend him because if he gets the least bit of space down there, he’s unstoppable. He’s already next to unstoppable and the only way to really stop him when he’s close to the basket is to foul him. He’s got to show that he can hit that 12-15 foot jumper with regularity, with a very solid regularity, for them to leave the hoop. Certainly we saw Yao Ming respect that jumper in the first pre-season game. If you recall, Dwight hit a pair of those mid-range jumpers in the game’s first six minute and then Dwight used a pump-fake to get Yao to commit for a great drive to the hoop. I don’t know if other centers will play Dwight that way. I think Yao is rather immobile, so we’ll see what happens. Time will tell with that.

Rock: He has to start hitting them, which can’t happen unless he takes them, which can’t happen until he feels comfortable taking them, which can’t happen until he takes a few hundred per day. He’s accomplished the last two parts. Let’s see if he can continue progressing. Until then, we have the memory of his sinking two jumpers over Yao Ming, and then driving by him for a score when Yao honored his shot, this preseason to hold onto.

Rossman-Reich: They may never fully respect Howard’s jump shot. After all, what would you rather give up? A 12-foot jumper from Howard or a dunk or a 5-foot hook shot that leaves Howard in good position for the offensive rebound. But to get teams to really respect it, he has got to come out with it early in the season and early in games and make two, maybe three per game. It sounds extreme, but, again, what kind of shot would you have Howard rather shoot? He has got to really be killing teams with his jumper before teams start to defend it the way Howard can take advantage of it.

Savage: To me, it’s simple. He’s got to make them. It’s as simple as that. I think the key for Howard is take a few early on in the game, be confident with them, knock them down. If he takes them early on in the game and establishes that, it’s going to carry over to the later periods. As we saw when the Magic played the Rockets against Yao Ming, Dwight Howard took a few early shots early in the game, knocked them down, Yao Ming stepped up, and then he started blowing past him. I think that’s the key. If he can knock a few of those down in the first quarter, opposing defenses are going to start playing up on him and then he can use the advantage of switching back-and-forth and exploding past people and using his biggest asset, which is scoring within the circle.

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