Magic vs Nets: What Didn't Work

There really wasn't much not to like in the Magic's 100-84 victory over New Jersey Wednesday night, but the Magic, like everything in life, weren't exactly perfect Wednesday evening.

1. Tipoff is at 7:05, not 7:15- Apparently the home team was a little confused to the actual start time, as New Jersey raced off to a 15-4 lead through the opening six minutes of the first quarter. The Magic were able to bounce back against a bad New Jersey team, but a similar start sunk them Monday night against Dallas, and will continue to as they play the better teams in the NBA.

2. Carlos Arroyo wasn't good- He was bad. So bad, that he was benched for the rest of the game after just six minutes. Arroyo's final line was 0 points (0-2 from the field), 1 steal, and 1 turnover. With the way Nelson played, Arroyo will likely lose his starting job.

3. Too cold in the arena- Once again the Magic organization had the air conditioning turned up too high inside the arena. I made a vital error of wearing a short sleeved button down Cubavera shirt and froze for the entire first half until my body adjusted. If the Magic keep making these mistakes I will be forced to bring a jacket on those warm nights such as Wednesday.

Overall, the Magic played well Wednesday night against an inferior New Jersey team. They took care of business from the midway point of the first quarter on, and had improved play from the point guard position against one of the best point guards in the world, Jason Kidd. With a tough stretch of games ahead before the all-star break-Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Denver- the type of performance that Orlando put forth Wednesday night should give their fans hope that they can win two or even all three of those games.

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Charlie Bernstein is the Editor-in-Chief of MagicIllustrated.com, and a regular syndicated contributor to FoxSports.com, Sirius Radio, MySpace Sports and Sportsillustrated.com. Charlie is also a columnist for the New Smyrna Observer. Feel free to contact him -HERE- with questions or comments.


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