vs.
45-25		34-34
Amway Arena
7:00 PM
Sun Sports
Probable starters:
Jameer Nelson	PG	Andre Miller
Maurice Evans	SG	Willie Green
Hedo Turkoglu	SF	Andre Iguodala
Rashard Lewis	PF	Reggie Evans
Dwight Howard	C	S. Dalembert
Season series:
1 Feb 2008: Magic 108, 76ers 106
22 Feb 2008: Magic 115, 76ers 99
27 Feb 2008: 76ers 101, Magic 89

Let's see: we're at home, playing a .500 team we may later face in the first round of the playoffs. Where have I heard that one before?

Oh. Right.

Can we agree that it's not safe to overlook Philadelphia? The 76ers don't stand a chance at defeating Boston or Detroit in a seven-game series, but they'd give everyone else in the East absolute fits. We just match up poorly with them, particularly at point guard; Andre Miller and Louis Williams routinely destroy us. In fact, Miller's average of 24.7 points per game against us is his best against any Eastern opponent, and nearly 8 points higher than his season average. Ditto for Williams, who averages 15.3 points per game against us, a shade over four points higher than his usual output. So, to state the obvious: stopping Philadelphia's point guards will go a long way to securing a victory for us this evening.

Even with all that, I think we stand a good chance of winning tonight. If being limited by foul trouble and outplayed by Brendan Haywood (?!) Wednesday won't motivate Dwight Howard to punish Philadelphia, I'm not sure what will. Philadelphia is ill-equipped to stop Howard, and Rashard Lewis is due for a big night as well. I sincerely like our chances in this one.

Note that Matt Guokas, the first coach in Magic history, will be honored this evening as part of the Magic's "Commitment to the Past" program. A banner bearing his likeness will be unveiled in the concourse. I love that we're honoring Matty, and I'm not trying to take anything away from him, but I wish this organization could think of a more dignified way to honor its most important historical figures. A banner in the concourse. Great. We can be reminded of these men's greatness each time we head down to grab some nachos or to use the john. Retire some uniform numbers already! Goodness.

My buddy Lane and I will be there tonight to make complete asses of ourselves cheer the Magic, and Hedo Turkoglu in particular. We love us some Hedo. Tip's at 7 on Sun Sports. Go Magic.

From Tim Povtak's recap of last night's embarrassing 101-89 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers:

"We just didn't bring it tonight," said point guard Jameer Nelson.

That just about does it. For good measure, let's go to Yahoo!'s Kelly Dwyer:

The Magic came out completely unprepared to compete against a 76ers team that they clearly thought was beneath them, and allowed the Sixer shooters to throw in 33 first quarter points. By the time Orlando started caring defensively, the shots stopped falling. Orlando was +7 in the second half, but all that did was make this blowout appear closer than it was.

Let's look at some numbers:

• 1: Magic players to shoot better than 50% from the field. Keith Bogans was 5-of-7. Congratulations, Keith.
• 52: Combined points from the 76ers' starting backcourt of Andre Miller and Willie Green.
• 2: Combined points from the Magic's starting backcourt of Jameer Nelson and Maurice Evans.
• 20: Magic turnovers this evening, the most since a 96-93 victory over Boston last month.

I understand these "letdown games" happen to everyone -- Hell, even the Pistons lost to the Knicks earlier this year -- but they shouldn't happen to us as often as they do. Remember versus Atlanta? Versus Memphis? How about at Charlotte?

Shameful. As Mike From Illinois points out at Orlando Magic Blog, the Magic finished February with a 2-4 record against teams currently above .500. And we're supposed to make it out of the second first round how, exactly?

	vs.
25-32		37-22
Wachovia Center
7:00 PM
FSN Florida
Probable starters:
Andre Miller	PG	Jameer Nelson
Willie Green	SG	Maurice Evans
Andre Iguodala	SF	Hedo Turkoglu
Thaddeus Young	PF	Rashard Lewis
Samuel Dalembert	C	Dwight Howard

I'm really sick of playing Philadelphia. We've played the 76ers twice already this month, including one game just five days ago. Tim Povtak noted the 76ers' inability to win if their opponent scores more than 100 points. They're just 1-19 when that happens this season. Philadelphia just isn't equipped to outgun anybody, especially since trading three-point assassin Kyle Korver to Utah. Surprisingly, the 76ers do have an above-average defense; they rank eighth in the league in defensive efficiency.

Hopefully, Jameer Nelson will get back on track tonight. He's scored 10 points in 50 minutes over the last two games, shooting just 3-of-16 in that span. In the first game against Philadelphia this season, which marked the first time he played in his hometown since his father's unexpected death, Jameer played only 7 minutes. He was probably rattled a bit. Let's see if he's recovered enough. Luckily, we have Keyon Dooling available to back him up. He's en fuego lately and clearly our best bench player.

The tip is at 7:00. Go Magic.

UPDATE: Happy 24th birthday, James Augustine!

UPDATE 2: The Philadelphia Daily News reports that Samuel Dalembert may be unable to play for the 76ers tonight due to some nagging injuries. Calvin Booth may start in his place. Don't laugh, though; Booth did a commendable job guarding Dwight the other night, and he's a veteran type who can draw offensive fouls. (HT: Hardwood Paroxysm.)

	vs.
34-22		24-31
Amway Arena
7:00 PM
Sun Sports HD
Probable starters:
Jameer Nelson	PG	Andre Miller
Maurice Evans	SG	Willie Green
Hedo Turkoglu	SF	Andre Iguodala
Rashard Lewis	PF	Thaddeus Young
Dwight Howard	C	Samuel Dalembert

The Magic will try to capitalize on the beginning a favorable late-November schedule which includes no games versus teams with records above .500, including two games against Philadelphia. The 76ers gave the Magic quite a bit of trouble the last time they played, with reserve point guard Louis Williams (20 points, 7-of-12 FGs) doing most of the damage. Fortunately, the Magic won, thanks to Hedo Turkoglu's free throws in the final seconds. But given Williams' strong play, and the Magic's inability to contain Toronto's Jose Calderon, it's going to be a long night for Jameer Nelson and Keyon Dooling. Maybe we'll have a Carlos Arroyo sighting? For better or for worse, he's here for the rest of the season. Might as well use him.

Interesting thing for which to watch: will Pat Garrity be active? He had been for the past several games leading up to the trade deadline. Now that the deadline's passed, it doesn't make sense to activate him over James Augustine, who had been in street-clothes to facilitate showcasing Garrity.

Check out Sixers4Guidos for the view of Philadelphia from Italy (!). Ricky, who runs the site, is running a campaign for the 76ers to bring back their classic uniforms, which I fully endorse.

I'll be away from the computer for most of the day, which means I won't get a chance to respond to the comments in the Otis-bashing trade deadline thread until later. Leave love.

Or vitriol.

Um, go Magic!!!1

File Photo by Red Huber, the Orlando Sentinel

Otis Smith has finally seen the light.

The Magic's General Manager told reporters, including John Denton of Florida Today, that he is indeed looking to acquire a power forward before the playoffs:

"It would be really nice to have another big body, but quite frankly we've played really well with what we've had," Smith said. "You'd be crazy to not want to help your team get better. But you have to do something that's going to make sense and not just because you feel like you have to make a move."

I wrote earlier this week that power forward was the Magic's weakest position. Let's take a look at which power forwards might be available, and what it might take to acquire them:

• Reggie Evans, Philadelphia 76ers:
  • The Good: Based on rebound rate, he's the best rebounding power forward in the NBA.
  • The Bad: He doesn't do anything else, and he's an exceptionally poor free throw shooter. Additionally, his contract runs for another four years.
  • What It Would Take: The 76ers are better than their record indicates and have plenty of young talent. However, they're pretty thin up front, so trading Evans would be difficult for them to do.
  • My offer: Keyon Dooling, J.J. Redick, and the draft rights to Fran Vazquez for Louis Amundson and Evans.
    • Why it works for us: The Magic need rebounding, and Evans is an exceptional rebounder. Amundson is a throw-in to make the salaries match.
    • Why it works for them: Dooling and Redick can provide solid backup minutes to two-guard Willie Green, whose current backup is the woefully inept Gordan Giricek. Additionally, Dooling's expiring contract combines with Giricek's to give the 76ers a bit more cap room this summer, which they earmark to re-sign restricted free-agent Andre Iguodala. Fran Vazquez sweetens the deal and gives the 76ers a decent backup power forward whenever he chooses to leave Europe.
• Chuck Hayes, Houston Rockets:
  • The Good: He's a fantastic rebounder (16.0 rebound rate) for his size (6'6"), even in the big-man-heavy Western Conference. Think of what he can do out East!
  • The Bad: Like Evans, he's a non-factor offensively. Like Evans, he's also a poor free throw shooter, connecting on 27% (!) of his attempts this season.
  • What It Would Take: Not much, which is surprising given the Rockets' eagerness to re-sign him last summer. He's regressed a bit and is losing power forward minutes to rookies Luis Scola and Carl Landry. The Dream Shake, the best Rockets blog on the internet, has an entire section entitled, "I like you, Chuck Hayes, but I like winning more."
  • My offer: Carlos Arroyo for Steve Francis and Hayes.
    • Why it works for us: Hayes can give us 15-20 solid minutes a night. Honestly, I feel better about our chances with him in the lineup than I do with Brian Cook, who is two inches taller but a much worse rebounder. Francis, who is out for the season, is a throw-in to make the salaries match. The Magic would buy him out.
    • Why it works for them: Arroyo is much more consistent than any of Houston's other point guards (Rafer Alston, rookie Aaron Brooks, Mike James) and can distribute the ball well.
• Joe Smith, Chicago Bulls:
  • The Good: Although not much of a rebounder, he's leaps-and-bounds better than Rashard Lewis in that regard. He also has good range on his jump-shot; that is, he won't hog the painted area from Dwight Howard
  • The Bad: There are indeed better rebounders available.
  • What It Would Take: Not as much as one might think. The Bulls want to make a playoff push, and the best way for them to do that is to upgrade their point guard rotation. Chris Duhon may have scored a career-high 34 points Thursday night, but he's still Chris Duhon.
  • My offer: Arroyo and James Augustine for Smith.
    • Why it works for us: In addition to getting a solid, reasonably priced (~$10 million over 2 season) veteran, the Magic free up a roster spot by trading two players for one.
    • Why it works for them: I'll let Matt from Blog-A-Bull explain:

      The Bulls don't get a 'prospect', but would I really want [J.J.] Redick? I'd rather see if they could re-sign Arroyo cheap enough to where bringing Duhon back is definitely not an option.

• Kurt Thomas, Seattle SuperSonics:
  • The Good: He's a strong, powerful banger of a big-man averaging 7.5 points and 8.8 rebounds for a woeful Seattle team in the midst of rebuilding. He boasts a robust 18.8 rebounding rate and defends the post well. He's in the last year of his deal, which is worth approximately $8 million.
  • The Bad: At 35-years-old, he's creaky; indeed, health is an issue.
  • What It Would Take: This part is where it gets tricky. Carlos Arroyo and Keyon Dooling are two solid trade assets, but they're both point guards. The SuperSonics have a log-jam at that position already, and there's no reason for them to add to it. Additionally, there's no incentive for them to want to trade Thomas' expiring contract when they can keep it and let it come off their own books.
  • My offer: Arroyo, Augustine, Keith Bogans, and Redick for Thomas and Delonte West.
    • Why it works for us: Thomas bolsters our frontcourt for the rest of the season and for the playoffs, and West can play combo-guard a la Keyon Dooling.
    • Why it works for them: Arroyo is a huge upgrade over West and has an expiring contract to boot; Augustine and Bogans also have expiring contracts, and Augustine would instantly become Seattle's third-best big man (after Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox, ahead of Johan Petro, Mouhamed Sene, and Robert Swift); and Redick is a sweet-shooting prospect who would get the chance to flourish playing ahead of Damien Wilkins.
• Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee Bucks:
  • The Good: He's a tall, versatile four/three with decent range. He's also an underrated rebounder.
  • The Bad: He's having the worst season of his young career, and his contract runs for another two years.
  • What It Would Take: Probably not a heckuva whole lot. He's losing minutes to Yi Jianlian and the Bucks don't seem too impressed with him.
  • My offer: Augustine and Redick for Villanueva.
    • Why it works for us: We get a solid "buy-low" option without giving up anyone who sees significant playing time.
    • Why it works for them: Redick instantly becomes the Bucks' backup two-guard; he won't lose minutes to Charlie Bell (having arguably the worst season in NBA History) or to Awvee Storey, that's for sure. Augustine has a small expiring contract and provides the Bucks with the sort of hustle coach Larry Krystkowiak admires.

Which of these deals sounds most appealing to you?

	vs.
18-28		29-18
Wachovia Center
7:00 PM
Sun Sports
Probable starters:
Andre Miller	PG	Carlos Arroyo
Willie Green	SG	Maurice Evans
Andre Iguodala	SF	Hedo Turkoglu
Reggie Evans	PF	Rashard Lewis
Samuel Dalembert	C	Dwight Howard

Lots of weird storylines heading into tonight's action. The two teams have combined to play 93 games, yet have not played each other once. The 76ers are 10 games below .500, yet just 1.5 games out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Odder still, they won their last game by 43 points. Yes, the Philadelphia 76ers, post-Allen Iverson, beat a team by 43 points. Next thing you know, Joe Johnson will make an All-Star team.

Oh, wait. Crap.

I'm most interested in seeing how Hedo Turkoglu plays in his first game, post-All-Star-snub. Hopefully, he'll do his best Al Thornton impression. Thornton, who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers, was left off the roster for the Rookie Game at All-Star Weekend. He subsequently dropped 33 points on the Hawks in a 95-88 victory. I hope he dunked on Joe Johnson's head. For more notable examples of players going absolutely apeshit nuts after getting snubbed, check out today's post at 20 Second Timeout.

The player who most worries me is Andre Miller. He's great at posting-up smaller guards, much like Chauncey Billups. He's going to give Arroyo and Jameer Nelson fits. Additionally, he throws some unfairly awesome outlet passes, like this alley-oop to Andre Iguodala from about 60 feet away. But don't let that highlight clip fool you into thinking the 76ers are a running team. Despite having young studs like Iguodala, Willie Green, and Louis Williams, they're only 22nd in the league in pace factor.

Anyway, Dwight Howard gets to compete against one of the few players in the league who can legitimately challenge him for rebounds. Reggie Evans, whom the Magic were reportedly interested in acquiring last summer, is 8th in the league in Rebound Rate, ahead of such luminaries as Tim Duncan, Andris Biedrins, and Carlos Boozer. Samuel Dalembert, who will guard Howard, is 20th. I can't mention Dalembert without throwing in the infamous Pat Garrity Dunk Mix. The following video is completely real. Do not adjust your screen.

For your 76ers fix, check out Sixers 4 Guidos.

See you at 7. Go Magic.