By DAVID STEELE
Orlando Magic Play-By-Play Announcer
We are almost one-third of the way into the NBA regular season, and one thing has become abundantly clear: Winning the Eastern Conference is going be more difficult than it has been in many years.
There are currently six teams on pace to win 50-plus regular season games this season in the east; Boston (on pace to win 68), Miami (on pace to win 58), Chicago (on pace to win 55), Orlando (on pace to win 52), Atlanta and New York (on pace to win 50). The last time six teams in the east won 50-plus games was 1997-98, and compared to last year, well, there is no comparison when it comes to the strength of the Eastern Conference.
New York is now a factor. The Knicks thrilling one-point loss to the Celtics Wednesday night at the Garden was as close to a moral victory as you can get, and was further evidence that New York is a force to be dealt with in the east.
Chicago was 8-15 at this time last season, but with the addition of Carlos Boozer and the continued development of Derrick Rose, a 10-2 home court record, it is obvious that the Bulls are for real as well.
Atlanta is at least as good as they were last season, and Joe Johnson returns from injury around Christmas. Miami has won 10 straight and is getting it together with the Big Three, and the defending conference champion Celtics have won 11 straight and are determined to hold their spot as top dog in the conference.
All of this is reason for Orlando to get its Magic act together as quickly as possible. It is still relatively early in the season, but the team has dropped five of six and has not looked sharp since the first of the month. Blame the virus that struck five players. Blame the schedule. Blame the phase of the moon. Blame whatever. But the fact is, the rest of the east does not care what problems plague the Magic, and all have problems of their own.
The Magic are averaging six points less per game than they were at this time a year ago. Last year, 25 games into the season, they were making almost 11 threes per game, this year they are making just 8.6. Dwight Howard's offensive game is improved this season.
His offensive numbers are up, but that has not translated to better team offense so far this year. With opposing teams focusing hard to limit Orlando's three point attempts (a strategy almost every team now employs), the Magic must find ways to get other players involved.
Defensively there has been slippage from last year too. The Magic were ranked third in the league in overall defensive efficiency at the end of 2009-10, number one in the playoffs. Right now they are ranked seventh, and have been dropping precipitously in the last few weeks.
Getting back home and getting healthy should do wonders for the Magic's prospects over the next couple of weeks, but it won't fix all of the problems. With powers rising in the east all around, a refocusing is in order, and it needs to start right away.
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