Yes it was a home game, and yes the Denver Nuggets are not exactly NBA royalty, so Sunday night's contest at the Amway Center should have been a relatively easy victory for the Orlando Magic, right? Wrong, because Orlando played the game without star center Dwight Howard, and though they manage to make it a competitive game in the second half, the writing was on the wall from the start and the Magic dropped the game 101-104.
Still it wasn't a total loss for Orlando. Why? Because the team showed that it's rounding into playoff shape getting great efforts from Jameer Nelson, Glen Davis, J.J. Redick, and Ryan Anderson. With that said, here are four key playoff questions that Orlando was able to answer Sunday night.
Glen Davis Can Spell Dwight Howard
Anyone who has followed Orlando for any length of time this year has come to the sad realization that the team lacks a legitimate backup center, a question that GM Otis Smith needs to address next season. So with the playoffs around the corner, one has to wonder who Orlando would be using in Howard's place when D12 has to sit. If tonight's contest was any indication it's that Glen Davis is ready to step up into the role. After all, Big Baby managed to play 37 minutes and account for 18 points and 16 rebounds, 7 of those rebounds coming on the offensive board. So pencil in Glen Davis as Howard's backup, for now.
Jameer Nelson Is Finding His Zone
It's been an ugly year for Jameer Nelson. He got off to a real slow start and seemed affected by the circus that surrounded Howard this season. Yet over the last two games Jameer has started to find his rhythm. Even with the big guy out, Nelson scored a team high 27 points and handed out 5 assists, this coming after a 24 point performance against Dallas. So forget the point guard woes Orlando had earlier this season, Nelson is ready to play.
J.J. Redick Should Be Starting For Richardson
Jason Richardson can score in bunches, the problem is, he hasn't been able to this season, and an 0 out 6 performance from beyond the arc tonight won't get the done for Orlando. For that matter, neither is the 17 points he has scored over the last three games. Redick on the other hand has scored 15 points off the bench in two of the last three games. What's more his passing has improved and he is deadly from the foul line, not to mention the 3-point line. So time for Orlando to make the switch.
Ryan Anderson Is For Real
Sure Ryan Anderson is in the midst of a career year. The young power forward is as comfortable from beyond the 3-point line as he is grabbing rebounds off the offensive glass. But let's be honest, a lot of that was credited to defenses having to concentrate on Dwight Howard. So how did Ryan do in a game which Howard did not play? Well, the 6-10 forward scored 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Not that he could not have done better from beyond the arc, after all he only hit 3 out of 10 shots he took. Still, for Howard not being around, Anderson showed he is will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.
About this writer: A resident of Orlando, FL, the writer has been a fan of the Orlando Magic since their inaugural season in the NBA. The writer lists Scott Skiles and Hedo Turkoglu among his all-time favorite Magic playe rs.
Source: Sun Sports Live Television Broadcast, Sunday 4/1/2012, 7 p.m.
Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.
No comments:
Post a Comment