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Magic bench fails to hold off Hawks

The starters provide the first-quarter lead, but lackluster play from Mike Miller and reserves lead to the loss.

By JAMAL THALJI

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 15, 2001

TAMPA -- For eight minutes, Orlando played like a team bound for the Eastern Conference finals.

Too bad about the other 40 minutes, as the Hawks left the Ice Palace with a 101-81 preseason win in front of an announced 17,392.

The game's start was everything Magic coach Doc Rivers had hoped for, as he ordered starters to drop their traditional offense and play at a frenetic pace on both ends, overwhelming the Hawks early. "It was unbelievable," Rivers said.

The starting five -- shooting guard Tracy McGrady, small forward Grant Hill, point guard Darrell Armstrong, power forward Horace Grant and center Patrick Ewing -- did as he asked.

The result: a 24-15 lead with 5:10 left in the first quarter. Soon after, the Magic took its only double-digit lead, 12 points.

"I told Grant, T-Mac and Darrell, you fly and let Patrick go to the post, and Horace you find the open gaps and any open (shot) I want you to take," Rivers said. "I know that's not our offense but I want you guys to see the difference (between) speed and non-speed.

"I thought we needed to play at that pace, and you can see what it can do. I thought Patrick and Horace were going to die at one point playing that pace."

Grant agreed. "I almost had a heart attack," he said.

But the 39-year-old Ewing and 36-year-old Grant were not the problems. Neither was Hill's twice-surgically-repaired left ankle, which looked fine, though Hill still felt less than 100 percent.

"I'm still trying to find my way around," Hill said. "Right now I'm in the way." Rivers' plan went downhill when McGrady came off the glass awkwardly in the first quarter. McGrady was diagnosed with a sore lower back, reaggravating an offseason injury. McGrady, who led the team with 16 points in 11 minutes, was done for the night.

"Yeah, I tried to get back in," McGrady said. "But Doc noticed how I was running on the court and told me to get out."

"I'm stupid," Rivers said. "But not that stupid."

Rivers also wanted Armstrong, Hill, McGrady and rookie of the year Mike Miller to run the floor together. But with McGrady out, he sat all his starters.

Miller and the reserves were left to hold the lead. They weren't up to the task as the Hawks outhustled Orlando.

Atlanta's Dion Glover hit a driving layup with 7:02 left in the second to take a 39-38 lead, and the Magic struggled to catch up.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim's layup gave the Hawks a seven-point lead with 2:31 left in the third. Atlanta never looked back, finishing the fourth with a 25-11 run and holding a double-digit lead for most of the quarter.

Miller's lackluster play was partly to blame. He was 0-for-10 from the field, countering 13 rebounds with seven turnovers.

"I almost had a triple-double," Miller joked. "Just three turnovers away."

The rest of the bench was just as bad, flailing around in the fourth and accounting for 24 of the team's 29 turnovers.

"We just didn't play well in the second half," Rivers said. "Obviously in the fourth quarter that wasn't the best lineup we had on the floor."

Hill and Armstrong scored 15 each, and Grant and Ewing had six. Jason Terry led Atlanta with 18 and Abdur-Rahim had 15.

Ewing enjoyed perhaps the best moment of a forgettable second half. With his right hamstring and famous sore knees wrapped in ice, rowdy fans in section 206 chanted, "We want Ewing," with two minutes left. The 11-time All-Star smiled and raised his fist, bringing cheers from the Ice Palace crowd.

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