However, Magic coach Jacque Vaughn chose to bite his tongue when he was asked whether or not he thought Okafor’s chop across the arms that caused Davis’ shoulder to grotesquely pop out of place was a flagrant or dirty foul.
``I don’t think my opinion matters at all,’’ Vaughn said cryptically before breaking into laughter.
The moment is relevant now because the Magic – sans the injured Davis – will face Okafor and the Wizards Friday night in Washington.
Davis’ injury, one that could keep him out a month, occurred late in the game with the Magic up four points and on their way to their fourth straight win at the time.
Vaughn said he’s replayed the moment several times, questioning his decision to have J.J. Redick drive the lane and dish to Davis for a layup at the rim.
``I looked at it in a sense of beating myself up as to whether I called the right play,’’ Vaughn said. ``We needed a bucket because it was a two possession game with 48 seconds left. If they had gotten a stop they had timeouts and we needed to score. It was a play that we had run before and it just so happens that two strong men were going in the opposite direction and (that injury) is what you get.’’
The Magic have lost three straight since Davis went out, causing the emotional power forward to fret even more, he said.
Davis, who went through rehabilitation on Thursday as the Magic practiced, took the high road and said he didn’t think there was anything egregious about the hard hit across the arms. Davis feels the injury occurred because Okafor was whacking downward while his own arm was going upward, resulting in a violent collision and a jarring of the shoulder
``The game has its twists and turns and there are parts of the games that you don’t like and parts that you do like. As a basketball player I accept everything within the game,’’ Davis said. ``Okafor, we can’t judge his intentions. I just know that it was a freaky accident, I hurt myself and I just have to be focused on getting better.’'
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ORLANDOMAGIC.COM FEATURES: Magic Must Adjust Without Davis | Davis Out 4-6 Weeks | Vaughn Attentive to Young Player's Needs | Nicholson Growing
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