There's no shame in Orlando getting blown out on Monday night up in Boston.
The Magic went up there without their starting backcourt, which is the same thing as not bringing a jacket into that biting cold. Not surprisingly, they got de-iced handily, losing 107-88.
Celtics defensive guru Tom Thibodeau went to work on keeping Dwight Howard from getting in sync offensively, and outside of a strong second quarter run, Orlando wasn't competitive. Stan Van Gundy was probably not pleasant to be around on the ride home, but he knew going in what a tall task he was facing. News flash: Minus their starting guards, the Magic can't compete with the Celtics on the road.
They slipped to 2-4 against teams with winning records, and those two victories came against teams (Bulls, Raptors) who were just a game above .500 at the time those games were played. The Magic sport the third-best record in the Eastern Conference because they've fattened up on a pretty light schedule thus far, and that shouldn't be held against them. If anything, Orlando should be applauded for playing the hand its been dealt pretty well.
After a rare hiccup at Memphis on Halloweeen night, the Magic had run off a string of six consecutive road wins, all against losing teams. Any NBA road game presents a precarious situation, but the Magic have handled that pressure well, winning games at Dallas, Indiana and Philadelphia in the final seconds.
Boston taking them apart when they were vulnerable doesn't change that. The Celtics did what a championship-caliber team is supposed to do, taking no prisoners. They're 17-2 for a reason.
The Magic have to shake off a poor effort and quickly move on to this week's home dates against Minnesota and Oklahoma City, games they have to put in the win column regardless of the circumstances.
Jameer Nelson is close to returning from a hip flexor injry, but even if he remains sidelined through these next two cupcakes, Orlando has to continue acting like the top contender it strives to be and take care of business where it can. Next week brings the start of the longest road trip of the season, an eight-day stint through the West Coast for games against the Clippers, Blazers, Suns, Jazz and Warriors. There are two sets of back-to-backs included in that mix, and when the Magic return home in mid-December, the Spurs, Lakers and Hornets make their only stops through town.
The Magic are biding time at this point, similar to what San Antonio had to go through with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili out. The Spurs aced their shorthanded stint. Orlando needs to shoot for similar success, a .500 mark acheived on sweat and effort in order to avoid the type of collapse that took down division-mates Miami last season, Washington this season, and knocked the Hawks down a few pegs right after they lost Josh Smith early last month.
Mickael Pietrus could be out until early in 2009 with a torn ligament in his right thumb, so the Magic may have to get creative in order to fill the holes he and Bogans have left. Anthony Johnson will probably still get a hefty helping of minutes given how well he's handled his increased workload, but it remains to be seen whether Redick and Lee have done enough to prove they can handle themselves as key contributors on a team that has aspirations of playing into June.
The Magic haven't hidden the fact that they're in the market for another guard, dangling Brian Cook in the hopes of landing help. Orlando native Chucky Atkins, just back from injury in Denver, is available. I've heard Jerry Stackhouse's potential buyout in Dallas is being followed closely; Stephon Marbury's, not so much.
Orlando Sentinel Magic guru Brian Schmitz complied a short list of candidates the other day featuring veterans Keith McLeod, Fred Jones and current D-Leaguer Smush Parker.
At some point, Orlando figures to fortify its roster for the postseason with a veteran, and whether it comes at the expense of someone like Redick will play itself out. Give GM Otis Smith credit for being proactive. It remains to be seen how long they can keep Hedo Turkoglu as part of the nucleus and there's no time to win like the present.
For now, the Timberwolves and Thunder are on tap. Since every team has to play 82, you have to take your gimmes when they come, no matter who's out there. Lining them up and knocking them down make nights like Monday and odysseys like next week's easier to swallow.
Monday's +/- report: Every member of Boston's starting five finished +15 or better, led by Ray Allen (+25, 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting). Rajon Rondo (+20, 16 points, 12 assists) is enjoying the best stretch of his career. If he keeps it up, the Celtics will easily maintain the fastest pace in the Eastern Conference... Jason Richardson (+15, 25 points) is healthy again and making up for lost time, helping the Bobcats to a 100-90 win over Minnesota. Raymond Felton (+10, 14 points, 14 assists), relieved to keep his starting job over rookie D.J. Augustin (-1), has rewarded Larry Brown for his confidence with steady play, shooting the ball as confidently as he has in his career... Golden State suffered its most frustrating loss of the season, losing a 130-129 overtime decision it looked to be in control of like six or seven times. Jamal Crawford (+1, 40 points, seven assists) barely missed a game-winning runner, but had the crowd in Oakland geeked as he thrilled them for a game-high 50-plus minutes... Dwyane Wade (+6, 37 points, 13 assists), Shawn Marion (+7, 21 points, 15 rebounds), Udonis Haslem (+5, 21 points, 13 rebounds) and Michael Beasley (-3, 19 points, six boards) all got loose, but the Heat's +/- leader was Chris Quinn (+11), who knocked down a couple clutch shots to keep the team alive. All their efforts would've gone for nothing without the backup point guard's contributions.
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