It will be a true test for the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday as the team visits the playoff bound Orlando Magic.
The Raptors are riding a four game winning streak and while some will call the competition into question, there are no asterisks besides wins at the end of the season. The Magic, riding a winning streak of its own will try to match its longest win streak of the season at seven games with a victory over the Raptors. Orlando has the second best record in the Conference and sit third overall in the NBA.
As much as people want to point to Orlando's offence (eighth in scoring at 102.2 points per game) the Magic are also a very good defensive team. Dwight Howard is the anchor of the team's defence as he leads the league in blocked shots and will get many votes when ballots are submitted for Defensive Player of the Year. As a team, the Magic are third in opponent's field goal percentage and second in opposing team's three point field goal percentage. On the other end they have a true inside outside attack with Howard in the paint and shooters firing away behind the arc. Orlando leads the NBA in three-point field goals made notching 10.3 per game while attempting the second highest per game total in the NBA at 26.4 per contest. Anyone think Stan Van Gundy should get a few votes for coach of the year?
Back in Toronto's 108-102 win over the Magic in January, Andrea Bargnani was able to score on the outside by pulling Howard away from the basket. With the Raptors healthy, playing well and having had three days to prepare, it will be interesting to see if they can use a similar game plan to pull off a win.
How well is Toronto playing? Over the last five games, the Raptors lead the NBA in assists, rank fifth in scoring and seventh in field goal percentage. But it's how well they play defence in Orlando, provided its offence doesn't stall against a very good defensive team that will determine if they can extend their win streak to five games. Could the Magic be looking past the Raptors to the match up with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday? We'll find out all the answers on Wednesday night.
With coaches losing jobs early in the season, they will have to be filled heading into the off season. One of the candidates out there is Eddie Jordan who was shown the door in Washington. You can bet that his name will come up in Sacramento, a place where he learned the ropes as an assistant before going to New Jersey in a similar role. But don't rule out the head coaching spot in New Jersey as it sounds like Lawrence Frank, the longest tenured coach in the Eastern Conference is coming under fire in the swamp.
The Detroit Pistons are trying to salvage their season and use their experience come playoff time. It has been a difficult year in Motown but it will all be forgotten with a long post season run. The problem however continues to be chemistry in Detroit as Allen Iverson doesn't seem to be happy with his limited role off the bench. He played only 18 minutes in the loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. What's next a rant like the legendary "practice" discourse? I can hear it now, "Eighteen minutes…..c'mon man, 18 minutes?"
And finally, let's hope the Basketball Hall of Fame gets it right this year. The list of nominees has been announced and some of the names are no-brainers. Michael Jordan and David Robinson are on the list alongside the likes of John Stockton, Chris Mullin, Dennis Johnson, Bernard King. In the coaching category Don Nelson, Jerry Sloan, and Bob Hurley Sr. are considerations while former Golden State head coach Al Attles is a finalist in the builder category. The Veteran's screening committee will consider Richie Guerin and Johnny "Red" Kerr. With all due respect, why Dennis Johnson is not already in the Hall of Fame is an unqualified travesty. The Hall is about players and if Dennis Johnson doesn't get in it's an absolute joke!
