For the Magic to improve on last year's success, when it won the division title and advanced to the conference semifinals, no player is more pivotal than 6-foot Jameer Nelson. The departure of free-agent guards Carlos Arroyo, Keyon Dooling and Maurice Evans means that Nelson will have to bear even more responsibility in the backcourt. To that end, he spent the off-season developing his weak hand and dedicated himself to fulfilling coach Stan Van Gundy's team-wide mandate for more physical play at both ends. "He's capable of being an outstanding player," says Van Gundy. "A lot of it is just consistency and coming with a high energy level every night."
Nelson will have some help in the energy department: Orlando signed former Warriors swingman Mickaël Piétrus, whose athleticism and determined defense make up for a streaky shot. For scoring the Magic will continue to rely on a frontcourt that features the electric inside play of Dwight Howard, the perimeter precision of Rashard Lewis and the clutch shooting of Hedo Turkoglu. Though Nelson has proved to be a capable facilitator -- he had the best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7 to 1) of his four-year career in 2007-08 -- he will have to assert himself more if his team is to reach its first Finals in 15 years.
When asked about his willingness to carry a greater load, Nelson merely points to the tattoo that stretches across his back in big block letters: ALL EYES ON ME. "My team has confidence in me," he says. "I wouldn't be in this position if they didn't." -- Andrew Lawrence
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/b ... /21/magic/
East: 1) Bos 2) Cle 3) Det 4) Orlando 5) Phi
West: 1) LAL 2) Hou 3) San 4) Uta 5) NOH
EC Finals: Celtics over Cavs
WF Finals: Spurs over Lakers
Finals: Spurs over Celtics
