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This game felt like the Rockets season in microcosm. Amen Thompson returned from being out in the previous game, and the Rockets traveled to Orlando for the second game of a back to back. Orlando was at home, and last played Tuesday in Los Angeles. After a game of beating the woeful Kings easily with a more spacing friendly lineup, the Rockets were back to the usual, with Amen as the point guard.
The Rockets size and athleticism do them much less good against a team like Orlando. The Magic can counter the Rockets size and, mostly, athleticism at every position. Like the Rockets, the Magic struggle with offensive execution, and the addition of a single good shooter, Desmond Bane, hasn’t fixed the problem. Like the Rockets, great things were expected of the Magic this season, with the addition of Bane, similar to the Rockets with Durant. Some might have favored the Magic’s young talent over that on the Rockets, in the preseason. Again, like the Rockets, that talent has somewhat duplicative skill sets, and most of them require getting into the paint to be most effective.
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Like the Rockets, a certain inflexibility of ideas regarding how to play, and further, a lack of shooting and spacing beyond Desmond Bane, has held Orlando back, even when healthy. Also similar to the Rockets, injuries have bent the initial concept of the team out of shape this season. Both are teams with a defense first (last and only?) identity, and neither has done much to address that issue, beyond hoping a new addition will fix it, while doing everything else much as before.
You’re probably wondering about the game, I don’t blame you. I very much believe the mirror image conceit is important in what follows.
The Old Look Rockets did not exactly light up the Orlando Magic with their Amen, Tari, Durant, Jabari, Sengun lineup. Considering potential spacing and general offense issues, one might look at this lineup and think “Wow, that’s all forwards, and one center. Sure, you can SAY Amen and Tari are guards, but they aren’t. Only Durant is a shooter anyone must respect and must go out to guard. Even so, Durant prefers to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rockets-reed-room-beat-magic-054040212.html
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Publish date : 2026-02-27 05:40:00
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