By John Denton
March 17, 2015
HOUSTON – A scene all too familiar to Victor Oladipo played out on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers and it once again left the Orlando Magic guard dumbfounded and with his palms up in the air.
The cat-quick Oladipo beat his defender off the dribble, drove hard to the rim and just as he was about to release the shot he was hit across both arms by Cleveland guard Iman Shumpert, who had cocked back his arm and violently swiped across.
Much to the amazement of Oladipo, there was no foul call from any of the three officials working the game. When there was a break in the action after had Cleveland pushed the ball back down to the other end of the floor, Oladipo managed to keep his cool, but he sought an answer from the officials. He didn’t necessarily like what he heard, but he was able to avoid getting a technical foul because he didn’t protest vehemently.
Frustratingly, it’s a scenario that Oladipo has had to deal with quite often this season. As he prepared to face Houston all-star guard James Harden – the NBA’s leader in free throw attempts per game (9.8) – Oladipo said he hopes a day will come when he can command the respect of the officials.
``Yeah, I would assume so that you have to prove yourself, but I’m just going to keep attacking and doing a better job of mixing it up with (driving and pulling up),’’ said Oladipo, who chose his words carefully because he did not want to be critical of NBA officials. ``Sometimes maybe they’re not going to call it and I’ve got to mix it up. It is what it is and I’m going to keep attacking because I feel like when I do that it helps our team.’’
Statistics back up the case that while Oladipo attacks the rim as much as most of the top guards in the league, he doesn’t draw nearly as many fouls. The Magic guard ranks 12th in the NBA in total drives (552 in 58 games) – categorized as a move from 20 feet out to within 10 feet of the rim – but he’s only 42nd in the league in free throw attempts a game (4.3).
By comparison, Houston’s Harden is fourth in the league in drives (692 in 64 games) and he is first in free throw attempts per game (9.8). Harden attempts 50.1 percent of his team’s free throws and he makes 57.8 percent of its tries from the line. As for Oladipo, he attempts just 30.6 percent of his team’s free throws and makes only 33.8 percent of the Magic’s shots from the stripe.
``There’s an art to (drawing fouls) and over time you learn how to draw contact, get to the free throw line, take contact and absorb it and still be aggressive,’’ Magic interim coach James Borrego said. ``He needs to be aggressive and he doesn’t need to be thinking foul when he drives. He’s got to think rim, score, attack mode and if I see two (defenders), kick it. There is an art to drawing contact and he’s learning it and it will come over time.’’
HILARIOUS HEADBAND: To the shock of many – including his joking teammates – Magic center Nikola Vucevic emerged from the locker room on Sunday night wearing a blue headband to go with his silver Magic uniform.
No, it wasn’t a fashion statement or a swipe at Cleveland star LeBron James, who played without his trademark headband for some reason. Vucevic begrudgingly wore the headband to protect a gash in his forehead that was suffered last Friday in Boston when he got hit by a Tyler Zeller forearm.
``I didn’t like it at all and as soon as the stitches are out, it’s gone,’’ Vucevic said of the headband. ``I guess it was cool because LeBron didn’t wear his headband and I did. Some (teammates) said it was OK, but most thought it was funny. It’s not the best look – especially with me trying to wear my hair spiky – but I had to do it to protect my head. But it was hot and my head was itching so I don’t want to wear it any longer than I have to.’’
MAKING ADJUSTMENTS: When Borrego took over as the Magic’s interim coach on Feb. 5, he made protecting the paint defensively a top priority for the team. And there was a great response as Orlando raced to a 4-2 start under Borrego and the Magic ranked first in the NBA in the fewest points allowed in the paint.
But as the competition has stiffened, teams have found ways to exploit a Magic defense clearly intent on closing off the lane. In the four games prior to Tuesday night in Houston, Orlando allowed foes to make 53 of 113 3-pointers (46.9 percent). Indiana and Cleveland were especially effective at finding the holes in Orlando’s defense, hitting 17 and 18 3-pointers.
At a time like this, Borrego said he will call on his experience as both a video coordinator and an assistant coach in making adjustments to the Magic’s defense. Borrego got his start in the NBA in San Antonio and while there and working with Gregg Popovich he learned the art of making adjustments throughout the Spurs’ many playoff games and postseason series.
``We always have to tweak things,’’ Borrego said. ``We started with a foundation of what we want to do and we understand better now who we are and what we’re trying to accomplish defensively. Now, we’re recognizing that the three-balls are going up against us and that’s a reality and we’ll adjust. We have to fire out (to contest shots) and be more aggressive into the shooters. Our goal is to not allow the open three and to be aggressive in getting to shooters. If they are going to be shot, we’re going to contest every three. We’ve got to get to 3-point shooters better than we have been doing.’’
TIME CHANGE: The Magic’s game in Dallas on Wednesday night will tip off just after 8 p.m. ET – 30 minutes earlier than originally scheduled to accommodate the national television broadcast.
The Magic-Mavs will be telecast on ESPN – a first this season for Orlando. It will also be broadcast locally on Fox Sports Florida.
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