The Magic haven’t been able to get their offense going against Charlotte all series. Dwight Howard has had trouble staying on the floor, and hasn’t been very effective in the post when he is in the game. Vince Carter has been off. The Magic have launched threes and relied on the play of Jameer Nelson, and only the latter has been consistently effective. Yet they still find themselves up 3-0 on the Bobcats thanks to their dominant defense and Charlotte’s impotent offense.
Can Charlotte take a game on their home floor, or will the Magic enjoy a few extra days off before their second round series? Let’s take a look at what both teams need to do to win game four:
What Charlotte Needs to do to win:
-Get some scoring. When their jump shots have fallen, they haven’t been able to score in the paint. When they finally had success inside in game three, they couldn’t buy an outside shot. Charlotte has kept each game relatively close with their defense, but they need to put the ball in the basket to win.
-Slow down Jameer Nelson. Easier said than done, I realize. Nelson has looked unstoppable. He’s hitting threes, he’s getting into the paint, and he’s draining pull-up jumpers. Howard and Carter are the bigger names, but Nelson’s the one who’s been killing the Bobcats. They need to trap on him and force the other Magic players to step up. The strategy could easily fail, but they need to do something.
-Attack Gortat. The Bobcats have gotten Howard off the floor, but in games two and three they struggled to take advantage when Gortat was in the game. If they can’t outscore the Magic when Orlando’s best player is on the bench for extended periods, they have no chance.
-Get something out of Diaw. He’s one of the players who could put pressure on the Magic, but he’s alternated between looking passive and forcing up bad shots. He needs to find a rhythm in the worst way.
-Don’t play like it’s a 3-0 series. The Bobcats have kept themselves in each game by making it ugly and giving tons of effort. If they try to go on tilt and try to outscore the Magic instead of grinding out each defensive possession, it will get ugly.
What Orlando Needs to do to win:
-Keep Howard on the floor. Howard’s been getting frustrated by ticky-tack calls and physical defense in the post and picking up unnecessary fouls. He has to show maturity and wait for the game to come to him instead of swinging his arms out on offense and asking to pick up fouls. It’s fine for him to get fouls, but he should at least earn them.
-Get something out of Howard and Carter. Carter’s shot hasn’t fallen, and Howard hasn’t been effective when he’s been force-fed in the post. It could work in Orlando’s favor to get both of them going by setting both of them up with some easy looks to start the game.
-Keep playing defense. The Magic are a defense-first team, and that’s why they’re up 3-0.
-Hope Jameer keeps it going. When he has a big performance, the Bobcats don’t have an answer at the offensive end.