Orlando Magic

No NBA general manager who wants to get his roster from Point A to Point B ever begins that process by trying to construct a four-team trade. Simple is best and that is certainly what Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak was shooting for last summer when Dwight Howard made it clear he would be leaving the Orlando Magic for the Lakers and only the Lakers and you guys in the suits figure out how that's going to happen. The true superstars of the game can dictate their paths that way, using the blackmail of their impending unhappiness as leverage.

Bad teams find ways to lose; good teams find ways to win. And after the 76ers put up some wretched numbers in a 74-69 win over the Orlando Magic in front of 16,299 at Wells Fargo Center, it is starting to become clear that the Sixers are, indeed, good. Their point total was the lowest they've posted all season, yet they won. They made just 30 of 80 shots (37.5 percent), yet they have 15 wins in 21 games. And they were outscored, 27-16, in the fourth quarter - giving up 18 points in the final three minutes - yet they were able to win their third game in a row after losing two of three before that.

ORLANDO SEEMS to be Rumor Central these days with names like Shaquille O'Neal and Jerry Sloan being tossed out there. O'Neal will meet with the Magic next week to discuss the general manager opening, multiple sources told ESPN. In his first season as an analyst for TNT, O'Neal spent the first four seasons of his career as the Magic's center starting with the 1992-93 season. He led the league in scoring with 29.3 points per game with Orlando in 1994-95. Sloan, meanwhile, has expressed interest in the open Charlotte Bobcats and Magic coaching positions.

Who: Sixers at Orlando Magic, season opener for both When: 7 o'clock Where: Amway Arena, Orlando TV: Comcast SportsNet Radio: WIP (610-AM)

Orlando Magic guard Nick Anderson called a press conference last night to refute allegations by an Orlando woman that he raped her last February. "I say to you and to all the fans of the Orlando Magic that this allegation is false and untrue," Anderson said, tears streaming from his eyes and his voice choking. A woman, who wasn't identified, filed a complaint against Anderson with the Orlando Police Department on Oct. 8. The woman said Anderson raped her Feb. 26, Orlando Police spokesman Sgt. Bill Molloy said.

The move expected for nearly a year finally happened. The Orlando Magic signed free-agent forward Horace Grant last night. No terms were disclosed. The seven-year veteran was a key member of the Chicago Bulls during their run as three-time NBA champions, but had publicly expressed his desire to join the Magic since last season. "It's going to be a great season for us. We're not going to get knocked out in the first round if I have anything to say about it," Grant said at a news conference.

Orlando Magic forward Dennis Scott said Saturday that he's frustrated over what he perceives as low pay and might sit out the final year of his contract, according to a broadcast report. Scott has one year left on his contract with the Magic, which will pay him about $3 million. Scott told WCPX-TV in Orlando on Saturday that he's tired of being paid less than players he thinks don't measure up to him. Scott declined to talk about an incident Friday at Sterling, Va., during what was to have been camp for youngsters.

Jerome Kersey scored 22 points last night to help propel the Portland Trail Blazers to a 121-95 victory over the Orlando Magic. Kersey and Clyde Drexler combined for 17 points in a third period that saw the Blazers outscore the Magic by 34-19 to open an 89-70 lead in front of a crowd of 14,088 - the first non-sellout in eight home games for Orlando, which joined the NBA this season. The Magic trailed by only 65-58 with 8 minutes, 24 seconds left in the third quarter, but Kevin Duckworth, Terry Porter and Kersey then sparked a 15-6 burst by the Blazers.

No NBA general manager who wants to get his roster from Point A to Point B ever begins that process by trying to construct a four-team trade. Simple is best and that is certainly what Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak was shooting for last summer when Dwight Howard made it clear he would be leaving the Orlando Magic for the Lakers and only the Lakers and you guys in the suits figure out how that's going to happen. The true superstars of the game can dictate their paths that way, using the blackmail of their impending unhappiness as leverage.

DWIGHT HOWARD scored a season-high 39 points, had 16 rebounds and was sent to the free throw line 39 times by his former team as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the host Orlando Magic, 106-97, on Tuesday night. The victory came in Howard's first return to Orlando since his drama-filled offseason trade to the Lakers. He endured a chorus of boos throughout, and tied his own NBA record for free-throw attempts. He went 25-for-39. The majority of them came as the Magic tried to employ an intentional foul strategy.

ORLANDO - The 76ers offense went cold late in Sunday's game and Doug Collins' team stretched its road losing streak to 13 games with a 99-91 loss to the struggling Orlando Magic. The Sixers scored just four points in the final 4 minutes, 15 seconds as Jameer Nelson and Arron Afflalo took over for the Magic, combining to outscore the 76ers by 11-4 down the stretch. The victory snapped the Magic's seven-game, home-court losing streak. Nelson finished with 24 points while dishing out 10 assists.

ORLANDO - Perhaps it's the strain of having played so many minutes this season, an average of 38.6. Or that carrying the offensive load is finally getting to him. But something is different at the offensive end with Jrue Holiday. After yet another slow start shooting the ball against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night, coach Doug Collins pulled Holiday aside and, in about a 30-second speech, told his All-Star to let it fly. If there's one thing Collins rarely will get on his players about, it's shooting.

ORLANDO  - Perhaps it's the strain of having played so many minutes this season, an average of 38.6. Or that carrying the offensive load is finally getting to him. But something is different at the offensive end with Jrue Holiday. After yet another slow start shooting the ball against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night, coach Doug Collins pulled Holiday aside and, in about a 30-second speech, told his All-Star to let it fly. If there's one thing Collins rarely will get on his players about, it's shooting.

ORLANDO - The 76ers offense went cold late in Sunday's game and Doug Collins' team stretched its road losing streak to 13 games with a 99-91 loss to the struggling Orlando Magic. The Sixers scored just four points in the final 4 minutes, 15 seconds as Jameer Nelson and Arron Afflalo took over for the Magic, combining to outscore the 76ers by 11-4 down the stretch. The victory snapped the Magic's seven-game, home-court losing streak. Nelson finished with 24 points while dishing out 10 assists.

LeBron James scored 26 points, including a go-ahead layup with 3.2 seconds left, as the Miami Heat scrambled late to beat the visiting Orlando Magic, 97-96, on Wednesday night and extend their franchise-record winning streak to 16 games. Dwyane Wade scored 24 points, and Chris Bosh added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who blew a 20-point, second-half lead - and then rallied from a five-point deficit in the final minutes. The Heat's next game is Friday against the visiting 76ers.

D OUG COLLINS' meeting with the media following Tuesday's embarrassing, 98-84 loss to the Orlando Magic has attracted more attention than all the news conferences Andy Reid had in his 14 seasons with the Eagles. Collins left little to the imagination, so here's a look at all that he said: (Opening statement) I sure didn't see this effort coming. I thought we played incredibly hard against Miami, incredibly hard in New York on Sunday. This is mind-numbing to me. We went up, 29-20, and, from that point on, I couldn't even tell you what occurred.

Thaddeus Young was on schedule in returning from his hamstring injury, a positive development for the 76ers in a season that has had few of them. Young returned to the lineup for Sunday's 99-93 loss to the New York Knicks after missing six games. He was hurt Feb. 4 in a 78-61 win over the Orlando Magic. At the time, Young was expected to miss three weeks. He returned on schedule, playing nearly 36 minutes and collecting 11 points and 10 rebounds. "I am feeling good and I have no pain at all," Young said after Tuesday morning's shootaround.

IF THE 76ERS are feeling the pressure of the desperate times that are upon them, they certainly are masking it well. With a four-game deficit staring at them for the eighth and final postseason spot in the East and the lowly Orlando Magic providing the competition Tuesday, it would have seemed to have been the perfect time to start the stampede toward the playoffs. Instead, the Sixers looked more like a team playing out the string in losing their sixth in a row, this time by 98-84.