Orlando Magic Get Hot Behind Anderson
Ending the month of January, the Orlando Magic lost six out of their final eight games and looked to be spiraling out of control. Starting point guard Jameer Nelson was out with a concussion and key players Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Ryan Anderson cooled off from their earlier sharp shooting.
Since Orlando lost 74-69 in Philadelphia on January 30, the Magic have won eight of their last ten contests. The key difference in the two stretches is the all-star play of forward Ryan Anderson. Anderson, who has been selected to participate in the three-point competition during all-star weekend in Orlando, has attempted and made the most three-point field goal attempts in the NBA. Much of his three-point success has come in the last ten games.
The game that started this winning stretch by the Magic was at home against the Washington Wizards on February 1. Anderson in that game scored 23 points adding seven boards and went six for nine from behind the arc. After a 17 point and eight rebound performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers two nights later, Anderson scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a surprising win against the Miami Heat. A few nights later, Anderson had his most impressive performance of the year when he scored 27 points and hit seven of ten three-pointers against the Philadelphia 76ers.
When the Magic went into their slide in late January, many people assumed that Anderson’s slowing play was him coming back to earth. During the four game losing streak, Anderson never scored more than 12 points in a game and never hit more than three shots from long range.
Most people from the outside look at the Magic this season and have decided that the fate of the season in Orlando rests on the broad shoulders of star center Dwight Howard. While Howard’s stellar play does aid the Magic in their task of marching up the Eastern Conference standings, it’s Anderson’s shooting from the perimeter that has brought them back from the dead. If the player they have nicknamed “Ryno” continues this trend, who know how far the Magic can climb in 2012.
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