When the Orlando Magic acquired Rafer Alston, it was widely considered the best deal of trade deadline day.
Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy thinks it should be regarded even higher than that.
“No matter what happens, it was a phenomenal trade,” Van Gundy said. “When you can go out and get a starting NBA point guard, a veteran starting point guard who really fits the way we play very, very well and not have to give up anybody in your playing rotation and not hurt yourself for the future in terms of money, there was really no downside.
“And I thought it was one of the best deals I’ve ever seen pulled off because of that, because there was no downside.”
The Magic traded Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks and a 2009 first-round pick to Memphis, plus Brian Cook to Houston to get Alston from the Rockets. Alston is scheduled to make about $5 million this season and a little more in 2009-10, the final year of his contract.
`We didn’t give up anybody in our rotation, we didn’t hurt ourselves for the future, we got a starting-caliber guy. I mean a phenomenal deal.”
Orlando needed an upgrade at the point guard spot after All-Star Jameer Nelson’s season-ending shoulder injury. The Magic had split six games since Nelson was hurt before making a trade to acquire someone capable of getting the ball to Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu in their spots.
“My game fit right in,” Alston said. “Jameer is a better scorer, I’m more of a setup guy.”
Orlando has hung with Boston and Cleveland all season, but seemed in jeopardy of being left behind after losing Nelson. The Magic have a competent backup in Anthony Johnson and swung a deal for Tyronn Lue, but neither were the full-time answer the Magic were looking for.
“We need the element of quickness that he brought so that we could get up and down the floor and I think it helps us in our pick-and-roll game,” Van Gundy said. “Plus, I think that Anthony Johnson’s had a very good year and I think when he stays in that 18-to-20 minute range, he’s proven that he’s very, very effective. I think that he can be effective playing 30, 32 minutes a night, but not for 30 straight games, and so I did think it was important.”
red 15 points and hit a big 3-pointer down the stretch Wednesday in a 114-109 victory at New York, raising his averages in Orlando to 10.0 points and 6.3 assists and giving the Magic a 3-1 start under their new floor leader.
“Otis did a hell of a job,” Van Gundy said. “I’ve got to start doing my end of it a little better here.”
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MORE MURPHY: Indiana’s Troy Murphy, already having a strong season, is putting up even better numbers now that top scorers Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy are out with injuries.
In his past five games, Murphy has averaged 18.6 points and 15.4 rebounds, well above his season averages of 13.5 points and 11.7 boards. He ranks in the league’s top 15 in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage, and is tied for third in the league with 35 double-doubles.
For much of the season, Murphy has deferred to Granger, an All-Star who averaged 25 points before going down with a torn tendon in his right foot.
“We kind of leaned a little bit toward Danny, and deservedly so, but now the plays are called a little equally spread out, so it gives guys an equal opportunity to get shots and score and show what they can do,” Murphy said.
k he expects Dunleavy to miss the rest of the season.
That leaves Murphy, a 6-foot-11 forward, as one of the Pacers’ top options.
“I’m just trying to do the same thing I did all year,” he said. “Guys have been looking for me and I’ve been able to knock down shots.”
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STREAK OF 3s: Vince Carter is long gone, but the streak he started in Toronto kept right on going into the weekend.
The Raptors’ streak of 3-pointers reached a decade when Jose Calderon made one in the first quarter against Minnesota on Tuesday. That gave them a 3-pointer in an NBA-record 837 straight games heading into their visit to Phoenix on Friday.
The streak began on Feb. 26, 1999, when Carter made a 3-pointer in the first quarter against the Timberwolves. He nailed 551 3s during the streak before he was traded to New Jersey early in the 2004-05 season.
Morris Peterson was the biggest contributor to the streak, hitting a franchise-record 801 times from behind the arc., including the one that gave the Raptors the record at 595 straight games on March 12, 2005.
The Dallas Mavericks weren’t far behind, at 830 games in a row entering Friday’s play.
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SHUTDOWN SPURS: Two playoff contenders in town, a pair of superstars on the bench, and two more victories that proved San Antonio still looms as a threat in the Western Conference.
but it was what the Spurs did defensively that had them believing they could be building toward a strong finish.
“If we’re going to do anything at the end of the year, we have to improve our defense. The last four games, we’ve been the defensive team we’ve been in the past,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Already without Manu Ginobili (ankle), the Spurs were missing leading scorer and rebounder Tim Duncan to a leg injury when they hosted Dallas on Tuesday. So they turned up their defense, holding the Mavericks to 34 percent shooting and their worst scoring night of the season in a 93-76 victory.
San Antonio was nearly as sharp the next night, limiting Portland to 38 percent shooting in a 99-84 win and improving to 10-0 when keeping opponents below 40 percent.
“That’s what the Spurs are known for and to hold a team to 84 points is just excellent and it started with team defense,” rookie guard George Hill said. “Today it showed a great group of team defense.”
The Spurs returned from the All-Star break and yielded 112 points in an overtime loss at New York. They rebounded by allowing in average of just 76.5 while winning the next four.
Parker had 37 and 39 points in the latter two victories, but it was what they did on the other end of the floor that provided the Spurs reason for long-term confidence.
od team,” Popovich said.
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