On Wedensday, it seems as if everyone has been commenting on the Orlando Magic's epic fail in Game 5 of their series against the Boston Celtics. At the center of the commotion are comments by Orlando's star player, Dwight Howard, over lack of touches and lack of ball movement in the 4th quarter of Game 5. I'm not here to dissect whether Dwight is right or not, but I will tell you that a lot of Orlando's recent troubles can be attributed to the injury to Jameer Nelson.
Prior to injuring his shoulder, Jameer was selected to his first All-Star Game, and had Orlando off to their best start in the post-Shaquille O'Neal era. Following his injury, Orlando was still able to hold it together, but the team really wouldn't find out what it was missing until the start of the playoffs.
NBA playoff basketball brings out the best in opponents. Most teams worth anything are going to fight until the end for victory. Gritty, defensive-minded, championship teams like the Celtics (even without Kevin Garnett) are not just going to let you walk in and end their playoff run. To combat a team like that, you need to be organized, have great communication amongst players and the coaching staff, and run your offense. Jameer helped the Magic do all of those things.
Anyone close to the Magic organization will tell you that Nelson is the leader of that team. In the previous three offseasons he has spent his own money to fly in teammates to Philadelphia for team building and basketball training sessions (he calls the sessions "Building Magic Week"). That kind of leadership can't be replaced and rebuilt by a lesser talent that has only been a member of the team for a few months.
Rafer Alston is absolutely the weak link on the team at this point. He's shooting 29.5 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from 3-point range in this Eastern semifinal series. As a comparison, Nelson shot 50 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from three before his injury. For a team that lives and dies by the three, that could mean the difference between their first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 1996 and an early fishing trip.
