Changing their play and their expectations for 2008?

Opponent File
Orlando Magic
The Magic play in the Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. Their 2006- 2007 record was 40 - 42 (third in the Southeast). Here's the Orlando Magic Roster.

Local Papers:
Orlando Sentinel | Magic
Team Pages:
CNNSI.com | Magic
ESPN.com | Magic
FoxSports | Magic
NBA.com | Magic
Sportsline.com | Magic

Head Coach: Stan Van Gundy
2007 Draft: F Reyshawn Terry, (#44), North Carolina (traded to Dallas).
New Players: C Adonal Foyle (Free agent); F-C Marcin Gortat (Trade); F Rashard Lewis (Trade).
Season Goal: Make Magic with Rashard Lewis added to the Dwight Howard show. Do they have enough pieces to make it to the playoffs and beyond?
Record vs. Nets: 1 - 0
G9: Magic 95, Nets 70

Other Opponent Files

Orlando Magic (22 - 11) - Wednesday, January 2, 2008, 7:00PM EST - Amway Arena
Presto Chango!
And just like that, it's 2008, and those 4 wins in 5 games to close out 2007 are meaningless. The calendar has rolled over, but can the Nets pull a rabbit out of the hat in Orlando? After three days off, the Nets fly to sunny Florida to face the overhauled Magic, who have won 4 straight and feature that manchild monster Dwight Howard in the middle. It's enough to wish for an extra day's vacation. But if the Nets expect to do anything in 2008, they have to win games like this against quality opponents. So far, the road's been more than just a lounge act to NJ, so here's hoping the Nets can figure out how to change into an Eastern Conference contender, starting tonight.

Why Should You Watch? Jason Kidd seems to be not only holding the rope, but pulling his teammates up with it right now. Look for him to take all that rest and put it to good use against Nelson and Arroyo. Can Sean Williams and Josh Boone handle Dwight Howard? Learning on the fly is nice, but it's time to put the pedal to the mettle against Howard. Perimeter defense has improved, but it was at the Izod in Game 9 where Rashad Lewis shot holes in the Nets from outside. Can the Nets figure it out this time? Bigger efforts from the Big Three are good, but this is the time to show that wins and good play get respect in the East.
- Joe

Orlando Magic Cheat Sheet
The Story From Orlando: From Brian Schmitz's blog: With starting point guard Jameer Nelson continuing to struggle, Coach Stan Van Gundy might have to decide if Friday's game at Miami is the time to make a change.

His two options --- Carlos Arroyo and Keyon Dooling.

Arroyo often runs the team better than Nelson, but isn't much better of a defender and also has turnover issues when not under control.

Dooling has been Orlando's best player off the bench --- and Van Gundy might hate to move him out of that role despite the fact he is bigger (6-3) and a better defender than Nelson and Arroyo.

The problem is that the Magic really don't have a point guard that consistently gives a team so many qualities it needs: size, playmaking, defense, leadership. Nelson was solid in helping the Magic jump to a 16-4 start, but his play has tailed off.

"He (Nelson)simply has not played to that level in the last three weeks and that’s a concern right now," Van Gundy said. "And you want to stick with guys as long as you can because players sometimes. . . .their performances go up and down, but he has to get it going pretty quickly."

Van Gundy has talked to Nelson, trying to get him to play with more aggression.

"There’s been times where he’s played aggressively. It may be confidence. That’s something we’ve tried to talk to him about," Van Gundy said. "He has to deal with it on his own now. He’s a fourth-year NBA player. He’s got to be able to handle the ups and downs and get back to playing the way he was, playing better defense, taking care of the ball better and getting our team up and down the floor better."

Nelson was signed to a five-year, $35-million contract extension before the season.

Nelson didn't start, but he was the leading scorer for the Magic in their OT win against the Bulls to close out 2007 on Monday.

Pain Game: F Tony Battie (shoulder) is out for the Magic. G Antoine Wright (ankle) is questionable. C Nenad Krstic (knee) is out for the Nets.

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