Analysis: Now-steady Alston making way in Orlando

NEW YORK -- Rafer Alston may be the new kid in town, but his Orlando Magic teammates have been treating him like an old friend.

On Wednesday in the locker room after the Magic narrowly escaped Madison Square Garden with a 114-109 victory against the Knicks, Alston dutifully answered questions from reporters before sitting down and asking some questions himself.

As he peeled off his jersey, Alston queried Dwight Howard about a play late in the fourth quarter. Then Alston turned his attention to Hedo Turkoglu, who was a locker away and asked him about a decision he made after grabbing a rebound.

"Aw, man. Hedo doesn't know what to do after getting a rebound," Howard joked.

Alston, like all good point guards, saw an opening.

"Dwight, how come you didn't take that second three?" Alston playfully chided. Howard took a his first 3-pointer of the season in the first quarter, a desperation heave that glanced off the right side of the rim as the shot clock ticked toward zero. Howard had the chance to take another later in the game but, as Alston noted, passed on it.

That's the maturity Alston has found after a decade in the NBA. The playground mix tape legend still has that Skip-to-My-Lou playfulness in his voice when he's talking to teammates in the locker room. But on the court, Alston has found that being a solid, no-nonsense point guard will be the best way for him to mesh with his new teammates.

Alston had a feeling he'd be welcomed by the Orlando players when he made his debut on Feb. 20 against Charlotte, one day after the Magic acquired him from Houston in a three-team deal that also included Memphis and four other players. Alston was pressed into duty quickly, wearing a spare road jersey that the Magic carry with them the case of a trade or a lost uniform.

"They just threw me this jersey with a weird number on it," Alston said of his nameless No. 36 uni.

If the gesture seemed to say, "Here, put this on, we need you now!", it's because the Magic did need him. Prior to Alston's arrival, Orlando was 3-3 after losing All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson to a season-ending shoulder dislocation. General manager Otis Smith knew that .500 just wouldn't do for the Magic, who are challenging the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

"We needed someone who was accustomed to playing they way we've been playing for the last year-and-a-half," Smith said. "We needed someone who could play the pick-and-roll well. Someone who could get guys open shots. Those were some of the parameters we were looking for."

Since Alston's arrival, the Magic are 3-1. Alston hasn't set the world on fire with his stats (his 15 points on Wednesday were his most in a game since joining Orlando), but he's not with the Magic to put up numbers. He's there to make sure Howard, Turkoglu and All-Star Rashard Lewis maintain theirs.

"This team, from Day 1, has believed in me, from Day 1 they gave me the basketball," Alston said. "I think I'm doing a good job running the show, but I want to be consistent.

"They know I'm a pass-first point guard. Now, it's just getting used to them and getting used to their comfort levels and comfort zones on the floor. And I shouldn't have a problem with that."

Lewis noted Alston's transition to the Magic has been seamless so far.

"He's blended in well," Lewis said. "He's a big part of our offense because he's a guy who can get into the teeth of the defense, and as well as he can dish the ball to the other guys, that helps us."

"He's a smart guard, a veteran guard. He knows how to play the game. And that's going to help us in the long run."

While he has only been with the Magic for four games, Alston had moments during the game Wednesday where he looked as if he had played with them all year. Early in the first quarter, Alston led the break and worked his way to the top of the key where he gently dropped a nifty little bounce pass to a trailing Lewis, who had a wide open look at a 3-pointer. In the fourth quarter, Alston found himself open on the left wing but saw Lewis cutting to the hoop. Alston whipped a two-handed bullet pass and Lewis had an easy two.

It was also in that fourth quarter when the Magic most benefitted from Alston's veteran leadership. Coolly running the offense and picking his spots, Alston scored eight of his points in the final quarter, added a rebound and had the assist to Lewis.

Alston said he doesn't feel pressure to play at high level. In fact, he welcomes it.

"We need to be the team that they've been since before I got here," Alston said. "We need to continue to be that team and understand that as we approach the playoffs, we need to play that kind of basketball every night and not wait for the playoffs to play that type of basketball."

Postseason basketball is about as far removed from the type of basketball that Alston is most remembered for. That's not to say Alston has forgotten his roots. He's still one of the few NBA players who wears kicks from AND 1, the small shoe and apparel company that helped spread his name with an underground mix tape in 1998.

"I miss it sometimes, because it was so much a part of my game," Alston said of his playground days, "but I know what wins. Being more heady-steady, fundamentally sound and rock solid is better than being flashy and putting flair in the game."