Meanwhile, this Magic set to play
Franchise celebrates 30 years with opener against the Heat.
There aren’t many things that make Mohamed Bamba nervous.
Certainly not the first regularseason game of his NBA career. The rookie will get his first real taste of the pros when the Magic host the Miami Heat tonight at Amway Center.
Bamba said after practice Tuesday he wasn’t even anxious about the moment and he would sleep just fine on the eve of his NBA coming-out party.
“There’s been so many things we’ve done sort of leading up to this moment, but just to have that first official NBA game, I’m sure that will be something special … actually, really special,” Bamba said. “I’m not really anxious. I’m just kinda letting it all unfold.”
Excitement is certainly abound as the Magic begin their 30th season in Orlando and new head coach Steve Clifford is ready to see what his players can do.
“The biggest thing is you’re anxious, more than anything, to see where we’re at,” Clifford said. “Offensively, defensively, rebounding … so that you can get a gauge of what we have to do after that to get better.
“We play four with very little practice time against very good competition. to me, it’s the thing you want early in the year. You want to play against the teams that are hard to play against because it’s the best way to make improvement.”
Out of the gate, the Magic will play four games in six days. After Miami, the Magic will host the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, then hit the road for games Saturday and Monday at Philadelphia and Boston.
One concern Clifford has entering the opener is a glaring statistic from last week’s preseason game at Miami. The Magic went at 7-foot, 265-pound Heat center
Hassan Whiteside eight times on the offensive end during that game and came up empty-handed on all eight attempts.
“We had a lot of challenges of trying to score over Whiteside,” Clifford said. “We’ve gotta do a better job of understanding how exceptional he is as a rim protector and he’s not a guy you want to be challenging time after time.”
Clifford wants to see some better results this time around and Gordon said there are things they can do to combat the big man’s presence. The Magic were 14 of 33 in the paint against Miami, which also has 7-footer Kelly Olynyk with whom to contend.
“Gonna have to pumpfake, have to move the ball inside and out, get him moving around and we gotta take better shots,” Gordon said. “We gotta go for good, direct shots.”
Bamba said the Magic should be more prepared this time around. The 7-foot rookie center has recovered from a bruised wrist he suffered during the preseason, so he’ll be looking at more minutes tonight.
“Just being able to do a lot of different things to get him off his feet … His timing, his length is pretty special. … He can really dominate a game with just his presence,” Bamba said.
Bamba also said, however, he won’t be star-struck as he goes up against some of the NBA’s dominant big men this season.
“Not necessarily,” he said when asked if it would be challenging setting aside his admiration for his opponents. “You’re playing basketball, so when you step over those lines, all of that is just out the window.”
Gordon, Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic were picked by Clifford as team captains for the season, a role all three tri-captains take seriously.
“We can take and just lead by example,” Gordon said. “Obviously actions carry more weight than words, but what you say really makes an impact on these young guys, so we gotta be careful that our words are all positive and pushing toward the same things and we’re all communicating the same way.
“It’s huge [to be captains]. [Clifford] really puts his trust in us three.”