The Magic were ripe for a Finals hangover in 2009-10 after falling to the Lakers in five games last June. They lost Hedo Turkoglu in the off-season and replaced him with Vince Carter, an All-Star talent but an unsure fit nonetheless. Then Rashard Lewis, who averaged 19.0 points in the postseason, was served a 10-game suspension to open the season for taking an over-the-counter supplement that led to a failed drug test.

But it’s amazing what Orlando can do with a healthy Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard. The Magic are off to a 3-0 start, each win more impressive than the last. In their outing Sunday at Toronto, the Magic bombarded the Raptors with 17 three-pointers in a 125-116 victory - and they did it without three starters in Carter, Lewis and small forward Mickael Pietrus. Every starter in the patchwork lineup scored in double figures, as Nelson, J.J. Redick and forward Ryan Anderson each tripled five times. The Magic could very well be deeper than they were a year ago.

Redick started for Carter, who sprained his left ankle the game prior, and scored a career-high 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Carter is expected to test his ankle at shootaround Tuesday morning before making a decision. Pietrus, who flew home from Toronto battling flu-like symptoms, could rejoin the team in Detroit but it’s unclear how fit he’d be to play.

Things are more concrete on the Pistons side, where John Kuester confirmed Rip Hamilton’s right ankle isn’t ready to go. He’ll miss Tuesday’s game, and then be listed as day-to-day. Hamilton had 25 points and four assists in the 96-74 season-opening win at Memphis; the Pistons have scored 85 and 83 points in their next two games without him, both losses. Rip’s absence has affected the entire offensive flow, said Ben Wallace.

“I don’t think a lot of guys realize that he gets shots for everybody,” he said. “He gets assists for everybody without making passes. He gets assists with his legs. He’s coming off of picks and running and moving and getting everybody on the floor. With him out, it definitely changes the offense.”

Wallace said attempts to spark the struggling offense has led to players being out of position for rebounds.

“Once we get our offense straightened [out], it will allow us to get a little bit better on the defensive end and get a little bit better board coverage,” he said. “Right now, we’re not as patient as we should be and it’s getting us out of place and we’re not able to get back on the defensive end and [in] box out position.”

Behind the board work of Howard, the 2009 NBA rebounding leader and Defensive Player of the Year, the Magic have the fifth-best rebounding margin in the NBA (+3.7). The Pistons rank 27th (-6.7) “Anytime you get outrebounded it’s something to worry about,” Wallace said. “We’ve got to do a better job of hitting the boards.”

Kuester is also eager to remedy the team’s transition defense, which was exceptional against the Grizzlies but has been lacking since. That has to be a concern against Jameer Nelson, an All-Star point guard last season until a shoulder injury kept him out until the Finals. Nelson has 16 assists against six turnovers in three games. He scored 30 against the Raptors Sunday.

“Offensive rebounding is a concern but also we’ve got to make sure our transition [defense] continues to stay solid,” he said. “Our players did such a good job against a very quick team in Memphis and we’ve got to keep that same kind of focus in every game that we play. A team like Orlando has great open-court players and we’ve got to do a good job of shrinking the floor.”

Pistons opponents are shooting just 28.6 percent from beyond the arc, but Orlando’s shooters will certainly test how legitimate that number is. The Magic are a very confident team while the Pistons are still putting things together after consecutive defeats. I like the Pistons chances in Toronto on Wednesday just a little bit more.

Pretzer’s Prediction: Magic 101, Pistons 87
(Pistons 1-2, Ryan 0-3)