The Orlando Magic nearly acquired Dwyane Wade the night he was drafted. (Lynne Sladky/Associated Press)

Dwyane Wade in Orlando? Almost, says former Magic coach Doc Rivers.

Rivers went on a New York radio station and told the story of how the Magic worked out Wade and nearly traded for the Heat’s No. 5 pick on draft night in 2003.

Here’s the story, in Rivers’ words:

“Dwyane came in to work out with us when I was coaching the Magic and he really shouldn’t have. I think we were the 15th pick or the 14th pick. He had no business coming. He just came because of the Marquette connection.

“We had a workout. We had Keith Bogans and a couple of other guys. He dominated that workout more than I have seen any player dominate a workout to a point where we were scrambling trying to make a trade to get him in the draft and move up. We felt a lot of people didn’t know it.

“We had a deal with the Miami Heat if their guy didn’t come up the pick was ours.

“Well when the pick came to Miami . . . and Dwyane Wade, we thought that we had him because we didn’t know that Miami liked him and then they called us right before they were about to pick and they said, ‘We’re sorry. We have our guy.’

And they picked Dwyane Wade.”

Of course, during Wade’s rookie year, the Magic tanked. Doc Rivers was fired, the team won only 21 games and Tracy McGrady openly asked for his departure. The tumultuous season rewarded the Magic with the No. 1 pick, however, and they selected Dwight Howard — not a bad consolation prize.

If the Magic had acquired Wade, it’s unlikely they would’ve turned out with the No. 1 pick. A team with T-Mac and Wade is probably making the playoffs, and if they didn’t make the playoffs… well, butterfly effect and all that.

But it’s still interesting to know the Magic were that close to acquiring Wade. The NBA’s entire landscape would be different.

zmccann@orlandosentinel.com

Gentlemen, start your razors.

Before the Magic started the 2011 NBA playoffs, they vowed not to shave until the postseason was over and fans throughout Central Florida began reciting the rallying cry … “Fear the Beard!”

Now, after yet another nail-biting, heart-breaking loss to the Atlanta Hawks that has put the Magic in a nearly insurmountable 3-1 hole, it’s getting closer and closer to a time when “Fear the Beer” might be a more appropriate mantra. After all, it likely won’t be long now before Magic fans everywhere are drowning their sorrows following what is quickly turning into an depressingly disappointing season.

What’s it tell you about this series when the Magic can’t beat the Hawks when Dwight Howard scores 46 points in Game 1 and when Gilbert Arenas rises from the ashes to score to score 20 in Game 4. Maybe it’s just not meant to be. Maybe the Hawks are just the better team.

We keep waiting and waiting and waiting for the Magic shooters to show up, but they keep getting worse and worse and worse. Seriously, can it get any more dreadful than hitting just 2-of-23 from 3-point range Sunday night?

Hedo Turkoglu, who came up so big during the Magic’s run to the Finals two years ago, has come up so small in these playoffs. In Game 3, he took and missed an awful, 25-foot shot as time was winding down. In Game 4 Sunday, with the Magic trying to tie the game on their final possession, Turkoglu had the ball knocked away by Al Horford and had to rush a last-ditch 3-pointer. Clang! It was the 12th miss of the night for Turk against two makes.

The Magic are now down in this series 3-1 and it’s all but over. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy is of the belief that a must win isn’t a must win until you come to the point mathematically that if you lose the next game then your season is officially over.

“Must wins are the ones when your season is on the line and it ends your season,” Van Gundy said heading into Sunday’s game. “I don’t look at this one that way at all.”

Maybe he is technically right, but, realistically, does anybody really think the Magic can rally back from 3-1 against the Hawks? Let’s face it, only eight teams in the 65-year history of the NBA have ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series.

Longtime Magic fans are probably saying now: “Hey, Bianchi, we’ve blown a 3-1 playoff advantage before (see Magic-Pistons, 2003), why can’t we rally from a 3-1 playoff disadvantage?”

Well, for one thing, the Magic of this season are not the Pistons of 2003. That Pistons team was the No. 1 seed in the East and far more talented and balanced than this Magic team. And the talented and deep Hawks of this year are much better than the one-man Magic team of Tracy McGrady in 2003.

Heading into Game 4, there was much controversy and consternation when Van Gundy accused the Hawks big men of being a bunch of sissified floppers.

Well, the Hawks may be the biggest floppers in the playoffs, but the Magic are one game away from arguably being the biggest flops of the playoffs.

When Van Gundy was talking about the Hawks flopping heading into Game 4, he said something about the opponent that might now be appropriate for his own team as they face elimination.

“Stand up,” Van Gundy said, “and fight like men.”

We’ll see if they do it Tuesday back at the Am.

Meanwhile, back in Atlanta, the place where Margaret Mitchell once wrote one of the great American novels, it appears the Magic season is in jeopardy of being Gone with the Wind.

mbianchi@tribune.com Read Mike Bianchi’s Open Mike blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/openmike and listen to his Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740-AM.

Our stat of the day comes courtesy of the NBA, and if it doesn’t give the Orlando Magic and their fans a sense of urgency, nothing will.

Only 14 teams in league history have won a best-of-seven playoff series after falling behind two games to zero.

Translation: The Magic would face a daunting uphill climb if they drop Game 2 of their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks tonight at Amway Center.

“Obviously, you want to win every playoff game, but definitely you don’t want to go back to Atlanta down 0-2,” guard J.J. Redick said. “So, to use a cliché, it’s a must-win.”

The rest of the Magic wouldn’t go quite that far.

“The only must-win games, in my mind, are the ones that end your season,” coach Stan Van Gundy said. “But is it important? Of course. I don’t think you ever want to be down 2-0 and especially not 2-0 at home. So, yeah, it’s extremely important. But ‘must-win,’ I think, is reserved for the knockout punch.”

But up and down the roster, the Magic agree on one thing: Plenty needs to change from what occurred in the 103-93 loss in Game 1.

The perimeter defenders must find a way to slow down Atlanta guards Kirk Hinrich, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford.

Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu need to score some points.

And everybody, particularly Dwight Howard, needs to take better care of the basketball.

It’s a long to-do list.

But recent events around the league had to lessen some of the sting from Orlando’s loss.

The defending two-time champion Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 1 of their series to the New Orleans Hornets. The San Antonio Spurs, the top seed in the Western Conference, opened their postseason with a defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies.

“It’s the playoffs, man,” point guard Jameer Nelson said. “You see a lot of crazy things happen in the playoffs. You can’t take anybody for granted. Every team is in the playoffs for a reason.”

The Magic faced this exact situation as recently as two years ago.

In 2009, they lost Game 1 in the first round at home to the Philadelphia 76ers but rebounded to win Game 2 and eventually advance to the NBA Finals.

Only four players — Nelson, Howard, Redick and Turkoglu — remain from that squad.

And that’s why NBA TV analyst Greg Anthony and others want to see how the Magic will respond after they radically reshaped their roster back in mid-December, jettisoning four players and adding four others.

“No matter how good you are, this is still a new team because of that blockbuster trade,” Anthony said before the playoffs began. “If they don’t win that first game or that second game, you don’t really know how they’re going to respond. They have a few guys that have been there, but they’ve got a lot of new guys in that locker room.”

Howard appeared to take the Game 1 loss particularly hard.

He scored 46 points and gathered 19 rebounds, and he received help only from Nelson.

He explained Monday that he felt badly because he hated to lose to Atlanta since people will give him grief when he spends time there this offseason and because he has friends on that team.

“There was no need for us to hold our heads after Game 1,” he said. “It’s a series. It’s not one game and you’re out, so we understand that. We just have to continue to play basketball, continue to just stay motivated and continue to believe. They did beat us pretty good, but it’s one game. “

Still, the Hawks have added confidence now.

A victory tonight, and they return home to Philips Arena with a commanding lead.

“It’d be real huge,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said.

“Our mind-set is to get Game 2,” he added. “We’re not going to be satisfied just with the first one.”

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

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.

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.

ORLANDO — After missing the past 17 games with injuries, Orlando Magic guard J.J. Redick was cleared to return to the lineup for Saturday night’s playoff opener against the Atlanta Hawks.

Redick, who has been recovering from a lower abdominal strain, participated in Friday’s practice and went through Saturday morning’s team workout at the Amway Center. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said Redick would resume his normal role as the first shooting guard off the bench behind starter Jason Richardson.

“It’ll be a little weird, to be honest,” said Redick, who has been out since March 11. “I feel like I haven’t played a game in forever. I did the shootaround this morning and I did my workout afterward. I feel like I’m ready to go. Obviously, playing in the playoffs is a different beast.”

Redick’s expected return bolsters a Magic bench that had been coping with injuries and chemistry problems all season. Reserve guard Gilbert Arenas has also been limited by knee and calf injuries that have kept him out of practice and games in recent weeks.

With both Redick and Arenas likely to play, the Magic get two of their top shooters and scorers back on the court to help space the floor and create openings inside for center Dwight Howard.

“Having another shooter out there provides instant offense,” Howard said of Redick. “He’s a guy who can come off screens and hit shots. He can make good passes off pick-and-rolls. It’ll be good for us.”

Redick averaged 10.1 points and shot 39.7 percent from 3-point range and a team-best 87.5 percent from the free-throw line in 59 games this season. Arenas missed the last two games of the regular season with a sore left knee, but participated in the team’s light shootaround on Saturday.

Van Gundy said conditioning could be a factor with both players, but he didn’t foresee a problem working either back into a rotation that’s been in flux the past few weeks. Orlando swept Atlanta in the second round of the playoffs last season, but lost three of four in the regular season series this season.

“Our bench has been disrupted for so long, there’s nothing that’s going to disrupt anything [further],” Van Gundy said. “We’ve been disrupted. It’s not a matter of guys not playing well, it’s just we’ve been disrupted. We’ve had so many different guys out. We haven’t had a chance, at least in five weeks, to establish any kind of rotation. We’re going to have to go with it on the fly a little bit.”

Michael Wallace covers the NBA for ESPN.com.

Follow Michael Wallace on Twitter: @http://twitter.com/WallaceHeatNBA

“I’m excited for tonight,” Redick said after the Magic completed their shootaround at Amway Center.

“It’ll be a little weird, to be honest with you. I feel like I haven’t played a game in forever. So, hopefully, the next seven hours go well for my body and I’m 100 percent ready to go for tonight.

“It’s going to be great to play. Obviously, playing in the playoffs is a different beast. It’ll be even more exciting because it’s a playoff game.”

Both Van Gundy and Redick said they wanted to see how Redick responded to participating in a full practice Friday.

Redick reported no problems.

“He said he felt good, so he’ll play tonight,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.

“We’ll play him like we normally would. When we go to the bench, when J-Rich is out, he’ll go in. As far as how much he plays, how many minutes, he’s going to have to figure that out and so am I and just see where his conditioning is and everything else.”

Redick hasn’t played since March 9.

On March 11, he strained a muscle in his lower abdomen during a Magic shootaround and missed the Magic’s final 17 regular-season games.

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

The Magic host Joe Johnson and the Hawks tonight at 7 p.m. in Game 1 of the playoffs. (Photo by Curtis Compton/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The day is finally here, as the Orlando Magic take on the Atlanta Hawks tonight to begin the playoffs. In today’s links, we once again preview the series from every angle, including Jason Collins’ impact on Dwight Howard, the Magic’s inability to make threes against the Hawks this season, and the trivial trash talk between Jameer Nelson and the Hawks.

1. Dwight Howard’s Superman and Jameer Nelson’s Mighty Mouse try to save the day for Magic, Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Howard and Nelson have teamed up to turn this organization around.

2. J.J. Redick practices with Orlando Magic, is on track to return Saturday, Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Redick is planning to play tonight against the Hawks.

3. Atlanta Hawks will follow familiar plan against the Orlando Magic, Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: The Hawks plan to start Jason Collins, who will get physical with Howard.

4. Jameer Nelson: ‘They can take it how they want to take it’ Zach McCann, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Nelson responded to his comment that irked the Hawks.

5. Hawks will give Magic all they want in first round, Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Bianchi predicts the Magic will win the series, but it won’t be easy.

6. The enigmatic and erratic Orlando Magic, Eddy Rivera, Magicbasketball.net

The Buzz: Which Magic team will show up for the playoffs?

7. Top storylines of 2011 NBA playoffs, Zach Lowe, SI.com

The Buzz: These playoffs are very important for Howard’s future in Orlando.

8. Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks Playoff Preview: Three-Point Shooting a Question-Mark for Orlando, Evan Dunlap, Orlando Pinstriped Post

The Buzz: The Magic are shooting poorly against the Hawks this year.

9. Hawks vs. Magic matchups, Michael Cunningham, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Buzz: On paper, the Hawks are stronger than the Magic at three of the five starting positions.

10. Atlanta Hawks: Judging Joe Johnson, Michael Cunningham, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Buzz: Against the Magic last year in the playoffs, Johnson infamously disappeared — and that’s something he’s trying to undo this year.