Can the Nets plant the flag against Hill in Orlando?

Opponent File
Orlando Magic
The Magic play in the TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando, California. Their 2004 - 2005 record was 36 - 46 (third in the Southeast). Here's the Orlando Magic Roster.

Local Papers:
Orlando Sentinel | Magic
Team Pages:
CNNSI.com | Magic
ESPN.com | Magic
FoxSports | Magic
NBA.com | Magic
Sportsline.com | Magic

Head Coach: Brian Hill
2005 Draft: C Fran Vasquez (#11), Spain; G Travis Deiner (#38), Marquette; C Martynas Andriuskevicius (#44), Zalgiris (Lithuania) (Traded to Cleveland).
New Players: G Keyon Dooling (Free Agent); F Bo Outlaw (Free Agent)
Season Goal: Develop the monster that is Dwight Howard, try not to feed the demons of Stevie Francis, and hope the rest of the team gels around them. Oh, and a injury-free season for Grant Hill.
Record vs. Nets: 0 - 0


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Orlando Magic (9 - 13) - Wenesday, December 21, 2005, 7:00PM EST - TD Waterhouse Center
Another Hill To Climb
.Seems like about a hundred years ago that Grant Hill was the next NBA superstar. After success in Detroit, he left for the warm weather of Orlando, and hasn't approached his level from Detroit since. Injuries, including a long rehab, still haven't affected Hill, who returned from his annual injury list visit to net 28 in his second game back from a sports hernia.

But clearly, the future of the Magic is in the hands of Dwight Howard, who's banging out an impressive double-double (15 points, 13 rebounds per game) and looking at a potential All Star appearance in only his second year in the league. With the hope of the future comes uneven play, as the Magic continue to struggle with consistency (one would argue you'll never have consistency as long as Steve Francis is your leading scorer, but I digress). The Nets, meanwhile, are starting to roll and would like nothing more than to add to their three game win streak before heading down to Miami to face Alonzo Mourning's mouth on Friday night.

Can the Nets climb that hill one more time and come away with another road win? Or will the Magic simply do a Stairmaster over the Nets' three game win streak?
- Joe

Orlando Magic Cheat Sheet
The Story From Orlando:
The Magic lost at home to the Raptors, continuing a vexing, two-year trend of playing down to the level of competition. "We got to get out of this habit of taking two steps forward and one step back before we can start moving forward again," Coach Brian Hill said.

Pain Game: C Kelvin Cato (ankle) is questionable. G Keyon Dooling (heel) is out indefinitely.

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