You guys know I've always had a bit of an eye for the Magic (Gators, Swish ), and it's about time I came around and gave them some props for their defensive success so far this year. Obviously Dwight Howard is having a big impact on defense. He's absolutely dominating the boards, and the only weakness I see with his defensive game is that he struggles when an elite offensive player (KG, TD, Jermaine O'Neal, etc) bodies up on him and makes him defend with his back to the basket. That said, it's really nothing to worry about, seeing as the guy's 20 years old and surely will improve in that regard. I've been pleasently surprised with Stevie's defense so far, also. Turkoglu will never be above average defensively, but he's made some strides, Jameer Nelson is above average defensively and getting better, and Tony Battie is one of my favorite role players in the league for his defense. Who do you guys think has had the most dramatic impact-defensively-on the Magic this year, or if not one player, who? Does more credit go to Hill? I want to hear from someone who watches them far more consistently than I what they're putting in the Gatorade in Orlando these days
It's the coaching...Hill has come in and set forth an environment of discipline and hard work...he focuses on defense, and with all the athleticism the Magic have, theres no reason why they shouldnt be a premier defensive squad...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rocket:</div><div class="quote_post">It's the coaching...Hill has come in and set forth an environment of discipline and hard work...he focuses on defense, and with all the athleticism the Magic have, theres no reason why they shouldnt be a premier defensive squad...</div> I agree with this. Brian Hill gets the most credit for it. Stevenson and Dwight have probably been the 2 most consistent D players on our team.
I think the Magic defensive success this season is mostly thanks to Brian Hill. He has really stressed that defense is important and has increased our defensive intensity. We weren't a great defensive team last season and our only big change we made this offseason was hiring Coach Hill so he deserves most of the credit. Some other people who deserve credit for our drastic improvment is our guards. Francis, Nelson and Stevenson have all improved their defensive play from last year. Keyon Dooling has also given our backcourt a defensive boost. He was known for his effort on both sides of the court in Miami and he has brought the same effort to Orlando. Then of course there is Howard, Battie and Cato who were all great interior defenders last season and have picked up where they left off this year.
