George O'Brien
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The Suns have proven they can beat teams that have playing well. Now, can they avoid a let down against a bad team.
The Magic are a bad team. They have lost 9 of their last ten (including their last three) and traded away their biggest offensive thread in the erratic Steve Francis. To make matters worse, while the Magic are dangerous at home (14-14), they are only 6 and 13 on the road.
The Magic are only a half game ahead of the Hawks.
Their stats tell a grim story. The Magic average only 92.8 ppg while giving up 96.1 ppg (25th point differential). Dwight Howard is the Magic's top scorer at only 15.6 ppg. They shoot a reasonable 46.% but permit opponents to shoot 45.8% and 36% for three (both 20th in the NBA). They rank 24th in free throw shooting.
The Magic has some good three point shooters, but don't shoot them much. So far they have taken 584 three pointers and hit 213. By contrast, the Suns have shot 539 of 1394.
Even under the best of conditions, the Magic do not look like they will match up with the Suns on the road. In the Suns loss in Orlando, the Magic shot exceptionally well, hitting 54.7% and 50% for three (5 of 10). Since then, the Suns defense has improved and the Magic's offense has regressed.
This is another game where focus matters. If the Suns play their game, it should not be close.
The Magic are a bad team. They have lost 9 of their last ten (including their last three) and traded away their biggest offensive thread in the erratic Steve Francis. To make matters worse, while the Magic are dangerous at home (14-14), they are only 6 and 13 on the road.
The Magic are only a half game ahead of the Hawks.
Their stats tell a grim story. The Magic average only 92.8 ppg while giving up 96.1 ppg (25th point differential). Dwight Howard is the Magic's top scorer at only 15.6 ppg. They shoot a reasonable 46.% but permit opponents to shoot 45.8% and 36% for three (both 20th in the NBA). They rank 24th in free throw shooting.
The Magic has some good three point shooters, but don't shoot them much. So far they have taken 584 three pointers and hit 213. By contrast, the Suns have shot 539 of 1394.
Even under the best of conditions, the Magic do not look like they will match up with the Suns on the road. In the Suns loss in Orlando, the Magic shot exceptionally well, hitting 54.7% and 50% for three (5 of 10). Since then, the Suns defense has improved and the Magic's offense has regressed.
This is another game where focus matters. If the Suns play their game, it should not be close.
You say that like it's some unexpected thing.
