By Ethan Rothstein

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Feb 19, 2012 – After scoring just 56 points in a game in January against the Boston, the Orlando Magic, with Dwight Howard trade rumors swirling, seemed like they were ready to roll over and call it a season. They lost four out of their next five games and looked lifeless and listless.

Since that losing stretch, they’ve won eight of their 10 games and find themselves right in the mix for a home series in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Among those eight victories was a resounding 102-89 win over the Miami Heat and wins over the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Magic’s formula — surrounding Howard with dynamite three-point shooters — has worked to perfection as they’ve barraged opponents from the outside with ruthless efficiency.

Speaking of ruthless efficiency, no one has eviscerated opponents like the Miami Heat recently. They’ve won five straight since their loss to the Magic, beating teams by an average of 18.8 points in those games. The trifecta of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh has performed at stunningly high levels game in and game out. Despite being surrounded by two All-Stars, the MVP buzz surrounding James seems unavoidable. He’s averaged 28 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.7 steals this season, numbers that are unavoidably incredible. He’ll look to continue that dominance in a classic revenge game at home.

For more on these two teams, visit Heat blog Peninsula Is Mightier and Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post.

Read More: Dwight Howard (C – ORL), LeBron James (F – MIA), Orlando Magic, Miami Heat

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After an overtime loss to Atlanta at home Friday, Orlando (16-11) traveled to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks (12-14) at the Bradley Center. It was the first of three meetings over the next ten days between these two teams. Here is how the game broke down.

The Pre-Game:

With Andrew Bogut out with an injury and former Magic player Drew Gooden playing in his place, Orlando was looking to have a big night from Dwight Howard. Aside from Howard who, leads the league with 21 double-doubles this season, it would be nice for Orlando to get a scoring boost from the slumping Hedo Turkoglu; a player who head coach Stan Van Gundy says may be over thinking things at this stage. One shooter not mired in a slump is power forward Ryan Anderson, who leads the league in 3-point field goals. On defense, Orlando would have to keep up with lightning quick point guard Brandon Jennings.

First Quarter:

The first three minutes belonged to Orlando who scored seven unanswered points to start the game. With Dwight Howard in the middle to challenge shots, the Bucks were shooting off the mark. On defense Orlando kept Howard away from Gooden so that the Orlando center wouldn’t be drawn away from the paint. The Bucks would then answer with 11 straight points over the next three minutes, forcing an Orlando time out. Down the stretch 8 points from Mike Dunleavy gave Milwaukee the lead quarter. Magic 16 – Bucks 21

Second Quarter:

Ersan Ilyasova’s shooting and offensive rebounding early in the quarter helped Milwaukee stretch the lead to 9 points. J.J. Redick (off the bench) and Dwight Howard’s scoring for helped, but it was two 3-pointer by Turkoglu and Jason Richardson with three minutes left in the half that kept the game from getting out of hand for Orlando. Magic 43 – Bucks 49

Third Quarter:

Orlando would finally get their offense rolling in the third quarter with Jason Richardson contributing 16 points on the strength of four 3-pointers, and Glen Davis helped the cause with some his rebounding. By the time that Dwight Howard shot a timely hook shot with 18 seconds left, Orlando had whittled the lead down to one. Magic 72 – Bucks 73

Fourth Quarter:

Early on it was all Milwaukee as they went on a 10-2 run, however Orlando reeled off 16 straight points as Jason Richardson continued his hot shooting from behind the arc. Richardson’s ninth 3-pointer of the night with two minutes to go put Orlando up by six; it was a lead they would not relinquish. Magic 99 – Bucks 94

Wrap Up:

Orlando gave up a lot of second chance points early in this game, which was rather surprisingly since Bogut was not in the lineup. Despite getting beat on the boards, the Magic were able to keep their turnovers down to a minimum (10), and though Dwight Howard was held to just 11 points, his 14 rebounds and 4 block shots helped the team. However, it was Jason Richardson’s hot hand that gave Orlando the game. For his part, Richardson would credit his big night (31 points) on the heckling of a Milwaukee fan. On a separate note, J. J. Redick ran his consecutive free throw streak to 21 in a row.

About this writer: A resident of Orlando, FL, the writer has been a fan of the Orlando Magic since their inaugural season in the NBA. The writer lists Scott Skiles and Hedo Turkoglu among his all-time favorite Magic players.

Source: Fox Florida Sports Live Television Broadcast, Saturday 2/11 /2012, 7 p.m.

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Magic owner to Howard: Don’t go

This is an important time for the Magic and Rich DeVos’ quest to win an NBA title. Keeping superstar center Dwight Howard is integral to the family-run franchise.

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Read More: Dwight Howard (C – ORL), Ryan Anderson (F – ORL), Stan Van Gundy (H – ORL), Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic dropped their fourth game in a row on Monday night, falling 74-69 to the Philadelphia 76ers. Orlando has now dropped five of its last six. Coming into tonight, the Magic were averaging just 74.8 points per game over their last five, as Stan Van Gundy’s offense has disappeared. Those offensive struggles continued again tonight, as only Ryan Anderson, J.J. Redick, and Dwight Howard broke into double figures. Howard finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, but was just six of 17 from the floor and missed seven of his 13 free-throw attempts. With trade rumors continuing to swirl and the Magic in a serious funk, Dwight seemed disengaged over as the second half wore on.

Anderson, who’s been wildly up-and-down over the last week, grabbed a whopping 19 rebounds while adding 14 points. But Orlando heads home still looking for answers. The Washington Wizards come to town on Wednesday night, and should provide at least a remedy to end the losing streak.

For more on the Orlando Magic, visit SB Nation’s Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post. For more on the 76ers, visit SB Nation Philly and Liberty Ballers, SB Nation’s 76ers blog. And for more on this and every NBA game, please head over to the NBA Basketball hub at SB Nation.

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Talk about timing for Dwight Howard and his Orlando Magic team.

A few hours after saying he would consider playing for the Boston Celtics starting next year, citing his admiration of their resolve, cohesiveness and overall toughness, the C’s put all of those qualities on full display in Orlando last night.

Boston overcame a 27-point deficit, in a stunning comeback win (their second consecutive victory over the Magic.) A dejected Dwight Howard criticized his squad and himself following the game, saying they need to make changes.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Howard intimated that teammates didn’t stick to their roles Thursday night’s loss to Boston. “We didn’t play the right way and we have to change,” he said. “Everybody just can’t come down (the floor) and feel like they have to take the game over. You just have to play team-ball and play the way we want to play. We didn’t do that.” Howard included himself in the meltdown inwhich the Magic lost a 27-point lead. He finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds, but didn’t steady the ship as the lead dwindled and got into early foul trouble.

Howard said the team let down after racing to a big lead.“We thought it was going to be easy after the first two quarters,” Howard said. “We can’t allow that. We have to change.”

Assuming that he hasn’t already completely made up his mind about leaving the Magic, or that the front-office doesn’t trade him by the deadline, Dwight Howard’s free agent decision will be largely based on how his team responds to adversity (especially in the postseason.)

Last night’s crushing defeat doesn’t help matters in any way, but Orlando does have plenty of time to make “changes”. Can they, will they?

The Lakers are no longer Dwight Howard’s preferred destination, an ESPN.com reporter says. (Jeff Hanisch, US Presswire)

ESPN.com NBA reporter Ric Bucher, who’s repeatedly said the Orlando Magic will trade Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers within the next year, believes Howard has now changed his mind.

During a live chat Friday afternoon, Bucher was asked for an update on Howard’s trade prospects with the recent reports that Andrew Bynum is untouchable. Bucher said the Lakers are no longer the favorite to land Howard, and the Magic are now atop his list.

Here’s Bucher’s response to the question:

“Lakers have slipped on Dwight’s list for reasons beyond that. I’d rank his preferences in this order: Orlando, Dallas, NJ, Lakers. But for Orlando to keep him, they’re going to have to make some serious deals, ones that I’m really doubtful they can pull off.”

Keep in mind that Bucher has only mentioned Howard on live chats and on the radio. Bucher says if he’s really confident about a scoop he’ll write it on ESPN.com or report it on ESPN.

But if you’re a Magic fan, it’s good news that the main instigator of the Dwight-to-L.A. rumors has now changed his tune.

Zach McCann can be reached at zmccann@orlandosentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ZachMcCann.

Trade speculation involving the Magic and Lakers dominated headlines on Monday. (Photo by the Associated Press)

While much of the national media speculates on a trade partner for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies played a classic playoff game last night. We get into all that and more in today’s links.

1. Magic need to provide Dwight Howard with backup, Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Finding a dependable backup to Howard is one of the team’s top priorities this offseason.

2. Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard named to 2010-11 NBA All-Defensive First Team, Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Howard received more first-team votes than any other player.

3. Would an offer of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom for Dwight Howard tempt the Orlando Magic? Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: If you ask me the Magic would be getting bamboozled in this deal, but some others disagree.

4. The Lakers are coming after Dwight Howard, Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: No doubt the Lakers’ Plan A is to finagle Howard from the Magic.

5. Lakers swept away, begin transition, J.A. Adande, ESPN.com

The Buzz: Adande is hearing mixed reports about Howard’s intentions.

6. The seeming inevitability of Dwight Howard becoming a Laker, Scott Carefoot, TheBasketballJones.com

The Buzz: If something gets talked about enough, does it mean it will happen?

7. Dwight Howard, fourth quarters, and the truth, Matt Scribbins, MagicBasketball.net

The Buzz: Everything you need to know about Howard in the fourth quarter.

8. Lakers backing gently off ‘blow up’ talk, Matt Moore, CBSSports.com

The Buzz: Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said Magic Johnson’s comments were not indicative of the team’s plans.

9. Prepare to say goodbye to Iguodala, Kate Fagan, Philadelphia Inquirer

The Buzz: Andre Iguodala has probably played his last game as a Sixer.

10. Westbrook, Thunder beat fatigue, Grizzlies to win Game 4 marathon, Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated

The Buzz: In the Thunder’s classic triple-overtime win, Perkins said it was more physical than his old battles against Dwight Howard.

The Orlando Magic have Wednesday off. They’ll return to practice Thursday and play Game 3 on Friday at 8 p.m. (Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE)

The Orlando Magic churned out a victory last night, but how much confidence should Magic fans have going forward? We get into it in today’s links.

1. Magic even series with Hawks with 88-82 Game 2 victory, Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: It wasn’t pretty, but the Magic grinded out the win.

2. Magic need some relief fast, Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: The days of the “Bench Mobb” seem like so long ago.

3. Enjoy these Dwight nights as long as they last, Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Rather than focusing on what will happen next summer, why not just enjoy what’s going on in front of us?.

4. Magic 88, Hawks 82: Quick take, Zach McCann, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: The Magic’s defense improved immensely from Games 1 to 2.

5. Atlanta Hawks using waves of centers against Dwight Howard, Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: The Hawks are going to keep getting physical with Howard.

6. Memo to everybody: Dwight Howard needs help, George Diaz, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Howard’s teammates are not producing how they need to.

7. BDL, and the NBA’s, Defensive Player of the Year, Kelly Dwyer, Ball Don’t Lie

The Buzz: There’s no question Howard deserves the award.

8. Report: Houston may make run at Stan Van Gundy for coach, Kurt Helin, NBCSports.com

The Buzz: A prominent reporter floated Van Gundy’s name to fill the Houston coaching vacancy.

9. Magic hold off Hawks in Game 2, Michael Cunningham, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Buzz: Overall, the Hawks can’t feel too badly about splitting the series’ first two games.

10. Sky high after they earn a hard-fought victory, Bob Ryan, Boston Globe

The Buzz: More late-game heroic propelled the Celtics to a Game 2 win over the Knicks.

Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic return to practice today at noon.

We take a look at the Orlando Magic’s 103-93 loss to the Atlanta Hawks from every angle in today’s links.

1. Atlanta Hawks beat Orlando Magic 103-93 in Game 1, Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: All of the Magic’s regular-season problems were magnified on Saturday night.

2. Advantage, Jason Collins? Huh? Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: So much for Collins being a Dwight stopper, but he didn’t need to be.

3. This is no fluke: Hawks once again show they are superior to Magic, Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Is it possible the Hawks are just BETTER than the Magic?

4. Atlanta Hawks refuse to double team Dwight Howard (video) Zach McCann, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: It’s not exactly an orthodox strategy to continue single-covering a guy who goes off for 46 points, but it worked for the Hawks.

5. NBA Playoffs: Dwight’s one-man show comes up short against Hawks, Rob Mahoney, NBCSports.com

The Buzz: The Magic couldn’t have asked for any more from Howard.

6. Howard wins battle, Hawks win game, ESPN.com

The Buzz: It was the first time since 1987 that a player scored at least 45 points, grabbed more than 15 rebounds and lost a game.

7. Hawks stun Magic in Game 1, Michael Cunningham, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Buzz: The Hawks — like the Magic were hoping to do — flipped a switch.

8. Dwight stuff not enough against Hawks, Michael Wallace, ESPN.com

The Buzz: Was this more of a Hawks win or a Magic loss?

9. Atlanta Hawks 103, Orlando Magic 93, Evan Dunlap, OrlandoPinstripedPost.com

The Buzz: The Magic would be wise to force themselves away from so many post-ups.

10. Behind the Box Score, where the Playoffs are on, Kelly Dwyer, Ball Don’t Lie

The Buzz: It’s unclear if the Hawks turned a corner or the Magic just played that badly.

Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic return to practice today at noon.

We take a look at the Orlando Magic’s 103-93 loss to the Atlanta Hawks from every angle in today’s links.

1. Atlanta Hawks beat Orlando Magic 103-93 in Game 1, Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: All of the Magic’s regular-season problems were magnified on Saturday night.

2. Advantage, Jason Collins? Huh? Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: So much for Collins being a Dwight stopper, but he didn’t need to be.

3. This is no fluke: Hawks once again show they are superior to Magic, Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Is it possible the Hawks are just BETTER than the Magic?

4. Atlanta Hawks refuse to double team Dwight Howard (video) Zach McCann, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: It’s not exactly an orthodox strategy to continue single-covering a guy who goes off for 46 points, but it worked for the Hawks.

5. NBA Playoffs: Dwight’s one-man show comes up short against Hawks, Rob Mahoney, NBCSports.com

The Buzz: The Magic couldn’t have asked for any more from Howard.

6. Howard wins battle, Hawks win game, ESPN.com

The Buzz: It was the first time since 1987 that a player scored at least 45 points, grabbed more than 15 rebounds and lost a game.

7. Hawks stun Magic in Game 1, Michael Cunningham, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Buzz: The Hawks — like the Magic were hoping to do — flipped a switch.

8. Dwight stuff not enough against Hawks, Michael Wallace, ESPN.com

The Buzz: Was this more of a Hawks win or a Magic loss?

9. Atlanta Hawks 103, Orlando Magic 93, Evan Dunlap, OrlandoPinstripedPost.com

The Buzz: The Magic would be wise to force themselves away from so many post-ups.

10. Behind the Box Score, where the Playoffs are on, Kelly Dwyer, Ball Don’t Lie

The Buzz: It’s unclear if the Hawks turned a corner or the Magic just played that badly.

MANILA, Philippines – The Atlanta Hawks pulled off a masterful performance in their Game 1 conquest of the Orlando Magic in their 1st round duel in the 2011 NBA Playoffs.

Five players from the Hawks scored in double figures led by All-star Joe Johnson and super sub Jamal Crawford with 25 points and 23 points respectively.

The Hawks can match up better against the Magic this year, as Al Horford slid down to the power forward slot that can create mismatches in their favor, the Magic only have Howard to bang inside the paint.

Orlando is deep in the wing positions but lacks the height and heft inside to battle evenly against the Hawks, if Dwight is in foul trouble the Magic will be severely handicapped in the paint.

”We knew that coming into this game it was going to be a tough job for our bigs to try and defend Dwight down low. I knew he would come out aggressive. I knew he would come out in attack mode and he had a heck of a first half.” Said Head Coach Larry Drew.

The Hawks endured a herculean effort from Magic main man Dwight Howard as he destroyed their interior defense scoring 46 points while adding 19 rebounds.

Head Coach Larry Drew did not push the panic button and sticked to single coverage against Dwight, as the Hawks threw big bodies inside using Zaza Pachulia, Jason Collins and Al Horford on different occasions to frustrate Howard.

The game plan worked to perfection as they limited the main strength of the magic; three point shooting.

The Magic only shot a measly 27.3% from the outside, they also gave up 18 turnovers, only Jameer Nelson showed up to back up Howard scattering 27 points in a losing effort.

”If all five of their guys are going to shoot 50 percent or better and score what they scored, we’re not going to beat them. Our guys have to know that and that’s the way it is. If we can’t get them under control a little bit at the other end, we’ve got no chance to win.” said an exasperated Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy.

The Magic struggled mightily in the offensive side and did not hold their ground defensively as well; the Hawks shot a blistering 51.4% in the field and gave up only nine turnovers in the game against eighteen turnovers committed by the Magic.

If Orlando can’t adjust their game plan and find a way to involve the likes of Turkoglu, Richardson and Arenas they will be in for a long series. The Hawks has the personnel to make life hard for Howard, the wingmen needs to step up and look for other options aside from their outside game.

Arenas and Turkoglu must execute for more Pick and Roll plays to open up the inside and slash to attract the defense away from Howard.

If Joe Johnson and company follow their game plan well, the Hawks can finish the series in six on their home court, which would be the surprise of the first round as they limped into the playoffs with a six game losing streak.

MANILA, Philippines – The Atlanta Hawks pulled off a masterful performance in their Game 1 conquest of the Orlando Magic in their 1st round duel in the 2011 NBA Playoffs.

Five players from the Hawks scored in double figures led by All-star Joe Johnson and super sub Jamal Crawford with 25 points and 23 points respectively.

The Hawks can match up better against the Magic this year, as Al Horford slid down to the power forward slot that can create mismatches in their favor, the Magic only have Howard to bang inside the paint.

Orlando is deep in the wing positions but lacks the height and heft inside to battle evenly against the Hawks, if Dwight is in foul trouble the Magic will be severely handicapped in the paint.

”We knew that coming into this game it was going to be a tough job for our bigs to try and defend Dwight down low. I knew he would come out aggressive. I knew he would come out in attack mode and he had a heck of a first half.” Said Head Coach Larry Drew.

The Hawks endured a herculean effort from Magic main man Dwight Howard as he destroyed their interior defense scoring 46 points while adding 19 rebounds.

Head Coach Larry Drew did not push the panic button and sticked to single coverage against Dwight, as the Hawks threw big bodies inside using Zaza Pachulia, Jason Collins and Al Horford on different occasions to frustrate Howard.

The game plan worked to perfection as they limited the main strength of the magic; three point shooting.

The Magic only shot a measly 27.3% from the outside, they also gave up 18 turnovers, only Jameer Nelson showed up to back up Howard scattering 27 points in a losing effort.

”If all five of their guys are going to shoot 50 percent or better and score what they scored, we’re not going to beat them. Our guys have to know that and that’s the way it is. If we can’t get them under control a little bit at the other end, we’ve got no chance to win.” said an exasperated Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy.

The Magic struggled mightily in the offensive side and did not hold their ground defensively as well; the Hawks shot a blistering 51.4% in the field and gave up only nine turnovers in the game against eighteen turnovers committed by the Magic.

If Orlando can’t adjust their game plan and find a way to involve the likes of Turkoglu, Richardson and Arenas they will be in for a long series. The Hawks has the personnel to make life hard for Howard, the wingmen needs to step up and look for other options aside from their outside game.

Arenas and Turkoglu must execute for more Pick and Roll plays to open up the inside and slash to attract the defense away from Howard.

If Joe Johnson and company follow their game plan well, the Hawks can finish the series in six on their home court, which would be the surprise of the first round as they limped into the playoffs with a six game losing streak.

Read More: 2011 nba playoffs, Dwight Howard (C – ORL), Etan Thomas (C – ATL), Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic, Apr 16, 2011 4:00 PM PDT

Poor Dwight Howard. He has one of the most incredible first halves in NBA Playoff history (31 points!) against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1, but the rest of the Orlando Magic do nothing and they end up trailing at halftime. He goes to the free throw line 22 times and hits 14 of them, but the rest of the team makes only 8 traditional trips and Orlando’s free throw advantage was minimal. Other than Howard and a great third quarter from Jameer Nelson, the Hawks held the rest of the Magic down and were well-balanced on offense.

Superman’s performance of 46 points/19 boards puts him on an incredible list for playoff performances. It includes Dwight Howard’s performance from yesterday, and that’s that. That’s the entire list. No, Howard didn’t have the perfect game (8 turnovers and an iffy technical foul), but it’s hard to ask him to do much more and get so little from the rest of his teammates. If you just want 45+ point losing performances in recent memory, enter the Bonzi Wells zone.

Oh well. At least he’ll inspire the poetic Etan Thomas to write a few sonnets after he obliterated him with a monster block.

(via FunkyAxl11)

For more on the Hawks, head over to Peachtree Hoops. For more on the Magic, check out Orlando Pinstriped Post.

(HT Matt Moore for the background on NBA historical performances.)

Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew is following the Boston Celtics’ blueprint to beat the Orlando Magic (Jason Getz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The word is out.

You can beat the Orlando Magic by staying at home on their 3-point shooters and defending Dwight Howard one-on-one.

The Boston Celtics followed that blueprint in last year’s Eastern Conference finals, and now the Atlanta Hawks are cribbing from that same strategy.

The Hawks have started journeyman Jason Collins at center and asked Collins and backup center Zaza Pachulia to defend against Howard one-on-one. That tactic allows the rest of the Hawks to defend the Magic’s perimeter shooters much better than in the past.

Hawks coach Larry Drew explains his reasoning in this video, which was shot before the Magic played the Hawks on March 30:

Atlanta won three of the four regular-season games against the Magic, limiting Howard to 43.1 percent shooting from the field and holding the Magic to an awful 22.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

“It’s just a matter of the decision on how to play Dwight and how to defend the 3-point line,” Drew said. “Some nights it works and some nights it doesn’t.

“We’ve made some adjustments,” Drew added. “As I mentioned, some nights the adjustments will work from a matchup standpoint. Sometimes they may get the better of you. But the thing with the adjustments that we’ve made is I think it puts us in a position (1) to defend the 3.

“And then it allows us to play a little bit more at home one-on-one, whether we’re defending Dwight one-on-one or anything out on the perimeter. It gets us out of all the rotating. That can be deadly for you if you don’t get out to their shooters. They’ve just got guys spaced-out out on the floor that they know that a lot of teams are going to have to come down on Dwight and defend him that way, and they’re just sitting there licking their chops waiting for the ball to be swung out.”

The Hawks won the regular-season series from the Magic three games to one. It’s important to note that one of those victories came on Dec. 20, just two days after Orlando made its blockbuster trades.

But the Hawks have gained confidence, as Al Horford says in this video below.

Horford thinks the Hawks have a much better plan than they did in last year’s second-round series, in which the Magic won all four games and posted an average margin of victory of 25.3 points per game.

“We feel more confident,” Horford said. “I think that last year we had a rough playoff series against them, and we’ve struggled against them in the past. But this year we feel much more confident.

“It’s all about matchups,” he added. “And I feel that the times that we’ve played ‘em, our bigger guys, like Zaza and Jason, have done a good job on Dwight.”

Magic players and even some Hawks players, notably forward Josh Smith, have said the postseason is completely different than the regular season.

We’ll see if that’s correct or if the Hawks really have found a way to beat the Magic when it really counts.

Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.