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New Orleans, La.

(12-6) vs. (3-15)   
Time/TV: 8 p.m./Sun Sports
Line: Magic by 4
Tickets: $12-$550 on TiqIQ
Season Series: Tonight in New Orleans

Video Vault:

1) Dwight Howard told Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel the team needs to understand their roles better in the wake of Orlando's loss to Boston and avoid trying to take over games individually. Jason Richardson tells Schmitz that the Magic need to shed their "soft" label.

2) These two losses to the Celtics cannot be helping the Magic make their case to Dwight Howard, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes.

3) Boston Celtics once again played mind games with the Magic and broke the fragile psyche of this Orlando team. It was one of the great magic tricks of all time by the Celtics.

4) The Magic should retire Nick Anderson's jersey, Rich DeVos tells Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. I feel the Magic should do something to keep Nick's memory alive.

5) Nate Drexler of MagicBasketball.net is coming to the unfortunate realization that 2009 Jameer Nelson was an aberration.

6) Eric Gordon tells John Reid of The New Orleans Times Picayune that the decision not to sign an extension with the Hornets was a mutual one between he and the organization, despite reports to the contrary.

7) A year after it opened, complaints about cell phone coverage inside Amway Center have not subsided, Walter Pacheco of the Orlando Sentinel writes.

8) It was a somewhat happy reunion for the Magic as Mickael Pietrus and Brandon Bass returned to Amway Center for the first time since their trades.

"Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts.

"The first part is called 'The Pledge.' The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't.

"The second act is called 'The Turn.' The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet.

"Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call 'The Prestige.'" -The Prestige

The Magic could have fooled us. Or maybe it was the Celtics pulling the trick.

Whoever pulled the wool over our eyes, really knew how to knock us down hard. Against the Celtics, at least, Monday appears to be no aberration.

Not after another abysmal second-half performance. Not after scoring eight points in the fourth quarter of a tight game. Not after losing a 27-point lead from the first half. Not after losing a 21-point halftime lead or an 11-point lead entering the fourth quarter. Not after scoring a total of 45 points in the second half of TWO GAMES against the Celtics.

Boston might have Orlando's number. The team might have figured out the way to bump, push and harass Dwight Howard into inefficiency. The Celtics certainly know how to stop the Magic's 3-point shooting.

The 27-point lead was gone. The momentum and feeling that Monday was long behind this team as an aberration of the lockout were long gone as E'Twaun Moore and Paul Pierce fired in dagger after dagger. The Magic were chasing points again and could not find the bottom of the basket. Eight fourth-quarter points says it all.

Boston, without Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo once again, tricked Orlando again with a Kaiser Sose-inspired 91-83 win at Amway Center.

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was making the world believe he did not exist.

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The midnight deadline for extensions passed quietly for the Magic on Wednesday night. Dwight Howard did not sign an extension. Ryan Anderson did not sign an extension. Things were quiet at the Amway Center.

This certainly should upset Magic fans. When I broached the topic of whether Ryan Anderson deserved an extension last week, the response was overwhelmingly in favor of re-signing him. When I asked to put a number to it, many agreed he should get a better deal than Jason Richardson and Glen Davis got -- pretty much $24 million over four years. That seemed fair.

There is only one problem with the Ryan Anderson extension talk. There was no debate about whether he deserved it or not. The debate was about keeping the flexibility to answer the elephant in the room.

Dwight Howard's decision has paralyzed Otis Smith, making him unable to make even the easiest of decisions.

Smith admitted to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that Howard's uncertain future factored into the decision not to commit to Anderson right now. Fortunately, Orlando has the right to match any offer he gets this offseason and both the Magic want Anderson back and Anderson wants to stay in Orlando.

"I love it here [with the Magic]," Anderson told the Orlando Sentinel. "I want to play here for a long time. But this is my last year of my deal, so there's still after the season [to get something done], and we'll see what happens there. But it's something that's out of my control.

"Right now, there's just so much going on with our team. It's not really something that I know is on the forefront of Otis' mind. It's understandable just because we've got a lot going on right now."

Anderson gets it too. He understands the Magic are in a tricky situation and that the failure to get an extension now does not mean that the team does not want him and that he does not want to leave. When it comes time for negotiations in July, the Magic and Anderson should have a pretty good negotiation relationship. That is a good thing.

Dwight Howard did it. On a pick and roll with Hedo Turkoglu at the free throw line, Howard rolled to the basket and received a feed from Turkoglu for an easy dunk and the 10,651 point of his career.

Dwight Howard, on that basket, became the Magic's all-time leading scorer, passing a very gracious Nick Anderson. He did in seven seasons what it took Nick Anderson to do. It probably cemented Howard's place (trade or not) as the best player in team history. There is no doubt Howard holds a very high place in Magic history now, holding many records including most rebounds, free throws and most blocks. Howard's impact on the team is everywhere in the record books.

Nick Anderson's impact diminishes with the record gone. As new fans come in and the memory of the 1994-95, mid-90s Finals run and the inaugural teams fade, Anderson will fade with them.

Maybe nostalgia is popping up because Anderson was so loyal. He was heartbroken when the Magic traded him in 1999 to the Kings as part of their rebuilding efforts that year and then frustrated that he could not come back and work for Orlando. You can see his joy in working as a community ambassador and part-time analyst on TV.

It stands in contrast to the situation in which Howard broke the record.

Energy has been the big buzz word for Stan Van Gundy all season. Will Orlando bring the energy every night on the offensive and defensive end of the floor to play up to its potential?

When the Magic have that energy and have that desire and will, mistakes get covered up with strong defense and a barrage of 3-pointers. They look nearly unbeatable. When they do not have that energy, they look like they did Monday night (OK, not that bad).

Energy was going to be the question when Orlando hit the floor Tuesday against a very strong Indiana team that was unbeaten on its home floor and following the game that will no longer be mentioned.

It looked early on that Orlando would have the energy offensively. The defense was a little behind. Then Dwight Howard picked up his second foul in the first and then picked up his third foul a few seconds into the fourth quarter, bighting on a pump fake from Lou Amundson of all people. The lead ballooned to 10 points and the Magic looked in for another long night.

Energy though can come from surprising places.

Yeah, there was Glen Davis making plays like he normally does. But it was Earl Clark sparking the defense and turning the game around. The Magic fed off the much-needed energy from Clark's first-half blocks and the score was tied at halftime.

Dwight Howard came back in, stayed off the foul line and brought the energy with the starting group. The defense became smothering and dominant, like we have come accustomed to in the Stan Van Gundy era.

Then Orlando blew the doors open. The Pacers could not get a good shot inside like they had throughout the first quarter. The Magic could hang their hat on a solid 102-83 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Dwight Howard became the Magic's all-time leading scorer with a dunk in the third quarter and finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Ryan Anderson rediscovered his range with 24 points and eight rebounds, hitting five of seven 3-pointers.

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Yesterday, I left off with what I called the Dwight Doomsday scenario. Here I suggested that Howard might retain more power and control over his situation if the Magic hold on to him after the trade deadline by declining his early termination option and holding out for the extra $30 million the team that holds his Bird Rights can give him.

I left off by asking whether going to free agency was the best option for Dwight Howard if he cares about the extra $30 million his Bird Rights holder can offer and if he still considers staying in Orlando a viable option.

The answer might be no.

Howard is technically still under contract for the 2012-13 season. He has an early termination option this offseason which he has suggested he will excercise. There are no indications he would not exercise this option and become a free agent in 2012. But there is still the chance (no matter how remote) that he will decline the use of this option and let this deadline pass (like the Magic plan to let the trade deadline pass).

So let's say it is March 16. Orlando failed to bring in another superstar player, remain the third or fourth seed in the East and are playing relatively well, and did not trade Howard. The next deadline for Howard is in early June when he must exercise or forego his early termination option.

With the possibility of a trade gone and the maximum contract he can make resting solely in Orlando, the balance of power shifts a little bit. If Howard truly wants out of Orlando, he can still leave. If any part of him wants to stay, and the Magic make a deep Playoff run to satisfy his desire to win and improve optimism in the franchise, then Orlando has a chance to persuade him of the team's position.

According to ShamSports, the Magic will have $29.4 million of committed salary for the 2013-14 season if all options are declined. Except for Quentin Richardson's player option and the impending Ryan Anderson extension, that number seems to be where the Magic will land. Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Duhon and Von Wafer all have partially guaranteed contract.

This would mean Orlando would have somewhere in the neighborhood of $24 million in cap room if the salary cap stays at $56 million. That number is expected to increase. Then Orlando has $14 million in wiggle room before hitting the current luxury tax line of $70 million. Again, expect this number to increase.

There was no sense of urgency as the final seconds ticked off the clock at TD Garden. There was no sense of the infamy this team was about to set. No feeling of pride in the jersey the team was wearing. No sense of what futility this team was putting forward.

Earl Clark casually hoisted another 20-footer that clanked hard off the back rim and landed safely in the hands of a Boston player. There was no avoiding it now. The Celtics, shorthanded and struggling, sent the Magic into the record books for all the wrong reasons.

Clark's jumper would not have prevented Orlando from setting all the wrong kinds of records. There was one, one seminal record this team had to feel the need to avoid. Nobody expected the Magic to need a rallying effort to avoid the kind of infamy that is reserved for the worst teams in franchise history.

The fewest points scored in team history.

That is unfathomable for a team with Dwight Howard on the roster! How could a team get beat that badly? How could so many shots clank out? How could an offense be bogged down that much?

The Celtics found a way to do that in an 87-56 beat down. Those 56 points are the fewest points scored in team history, one short of the record set in 1997 against Cleveland.

Orlando got beat from the start. Boston, playing without Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo, absolutely smothered the team defensively. Dwight Howard had 12 points in the first quarter and then failed to score a field goal the rest of the game. The offense struggled as he struggled to hit short layups.

The offense further struggled as rookie guard Avery Bradley hounded Jameer Nelson and prevented the Magic from getting set offensively. Nelson scored only five points and had five turnovers. The Magic were often starting offensive possessions 10 seconds into the shot clock and were unable to go to second or third options. It was one pass and then a forced shot. Boston was as strong defensively as you would expect from a Boston team.

The Celtics energy over the Magic was apparent throughout. It bears out in the statistics for sure.

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January 25 is the first real deadline in the Dwight Howard saga. Wednesday, as I noted in a previous post about both Dwight Howard and Ryan Anderson, is the deadline for players to sign extensions. This has been specifically noted for players ending their rookie contracts like Russell Westbrook (who signed his extension), Kevin Love (who is expected to sign his extension soon) and the Magic's own Ryan Anderson.

This is also the final date for Howard to sign an extension or for the team that acquires him to sign him to an extension. In other words Wednesday is the final date for one of those fancy extend-and-trades. Whichever team has Howard after Wednesday holds his Bird Rights for his free agency... at least in 2012.

This is a critical point that has to be remembered in the whole Dwight Howard scenario. The team that holds his Bird Rights has the ability to give Howard a fifth year in his new contract with the extra year of salary that comes with it and a higher percent increase in salary each year. That amounts to approximately an extra $30 million Howard can make by re-signing with whatever team holds his Bird Rights.

Howard will tell you money has nothing to do with his decision. His main focus is to win and to play for a team that will compete for a title year-in and year-out. That is something, we can tell him from experience is no guarantee looking into the future. Just take a look at the 2011 team and its start to the season.

But money does have something to do with it. There is salary. There is endorsements. There is living expenses. There are state income taxes.

Money has to drive this decision, at least in part. It would be insane if it were not.

Just about every basketball pundit, blogger, writer and fan had two dates circled on their calendars when the fake schedule came out. Hardwood Paroxysm released a mock-up of the storylines entering that game in an imagined season back when the lockout seemed certain to cancel the season. When the new schedule came out, everyone noted that Howard would not be making any trips to Los Angeles in a Magic uniform (to see the Lakers or Clippers). The Los Angeles Lakers media contingent would have just one chance to talk to Howard before the All-Star Break and with the Lakers in town.

Shaquille O'Neal added some juice in continuing to tweak Howard and claim that Andrew Bynum, the allegedly favored trading piece in a potential Lakers deal, was a better "true" center (whatever that means).

Friday's game was a chance for the storm to swell and for the media to sink its teeth into the whole situation.

National writers like Ken Berger of CBS Sports and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports were in Orlando for the big game. They tried to churn the rumor mill and get some hint out of Dwight. Howard was as tight-lipped and vague as he always is.

One thing did happen as the media's flash point in the Dwight Howard saga passed. The handicapping on Dwight Howard's future changed from "certain to be traded" to "likely to stay for the remainder of the year."

From Wojnarowski's article, entitled "Magic Are Too Good To Trade Howard":

"The Magic are 11-4 and good. They're really good. The Magic's reluctance to meet Howard's trade demands are simple: They're willing to test his mettle. Want to leave as a free agent and take $30 million less on the market? We dare you. It's a risky strategy, but the Magic know Howard better than anyone else. And they know he's inclined to change his mind on leaving because he's changed his mind on a lot of things here. And come July, Orlando could still get something back for him in a sign-and-trade scenario.

So why not let the schedule play out and see how deep they can get into this discombobulated lockout season?"

I will have plenty more on that exact scenario that might play out if Howard is in a Magic uniform on March 16 in the very near future. But what has become clear, especially as the Magic continue to win and compete for a top spot int he Eastern Conference, is that Orlando is not backing down from its "do everything we can to keep Dwight" attitude.

At the very least, we know Orlando will not make a deal that will take the team out of Playoff contention. And that means if Orlando is going to make a move, it seems more likely it will be to add someone rather than subtract someone.

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It is extension season in the NBA. Kevin Love has his on the table and Russell Westbrook has his freshly minted. For almost every fourth year player, this is a big time of year as they either get to enter restricted free agency or sign on with the teams that drafted/acquired them.

Love, Westbrook and Rose are obvious players who deserve extensions and maximum extensions. They were among the top picks in the 2008 NBA Draft. Ryan Anderson was the 21st overall pick that year. But judging by his very strong play this season and how he fits in with (at least) the current Magic roster, they have to be at least thinking of tendering some type of extension toward Ryan Anderson.

Anderson is a specialized player, but he is ninth in the draft class in terms of win shares and fifth in the draft class in 3-point percentage (fourth among real shooters... sorry Serge Ibaka).

This year Anderson has been even better than ever. In his first year as a full-time starter, Anderson has kept his strong per-36 numbers up. He is averaging a career-high 17.8 points per game, is shooting a career-best 41.4 percent from beyond the arc and is posting a 24.7 PER, second best on the team behind Dwight Howard.

Stan Van Gundy has said Anderson needs to continue his improvement on the defensive end and to do more than be a great shooter. But it is painfully clear with how well Anderson has played offensively that you can live with some of those shortcomings.

The question is, as the January 25 deadline for extensions approaches, whether Anderson is worth wrapping up with an extension sooner rather than later.