<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">If Dr. James Naismith is looking down upon the Orlando Magic, he probably can't figure out what game they've been playing lately. From the time Naismith tacked up a peach basket, the object has been to score, unlike soccer. But the Magic have been going through inconceivably long stretches without putting the ball through the hoop, reducing the exercise to, well, exercise. As they wobble into Friday's game against the Washington Wizards at Amway Arena, the Magic are riding a three-game losing streak that has featured some mind-boggling droughts. Their offensive execution has been so abysmal, you'd almost have to dust the court for fingerprints to see whether they're in the arenas. The Magic did not score for the first 4 minutes, 53 seconds in a five-minute overtime against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets on Tuesday night. They didn't get their first points until 7.7 seconds remained, on Keyon Dooling's 3-pointer, but the Hornets were already en route to an 84-78 victory. Not surprisingly, the Magic's point total was a season low. "For some reason, we couldn't crack them," power forward Tony Battie said. In a 107-101 loss to the Suns in Phoenix on Saturday night, the Magic went the last 2:35 without a point. They scored just two field goals in the final 4:25. Orlando tied Friday's game against the Lakers in Los Angeles at 105 with 1:21 to play. It finished with one point, and the Lakers won 109-106. Looking at play-by-play sheets, there are often big white spaces next to the Magic's possessions.</div> Read the rest
