Magic Get Physical In Victory Over Pistons

AP Photo/John Raoux

Aside from the chatter about the trade of Antawn Jamison, the main topic of conversation in Orlando’s locker room  after the game was the physical play between the Pistons and the Magic.

The Pistons have always given the Magic trouble due to their physical play. They have punched the Magic in the mouth early and knocked them out late. It is one of the main reasons that the Magic were eliminated from the playoffs by the Pistons in both 2007 and 2008.

This time, the Magic retaliated.

Matt Barnes has been a key piece for the Magic and has displayed that toughness more than anyone. When Barnes got in Paul Pierce’s face a few weeks ago after a hard foul on Dwight Howard, it showed off Orlando’s new tougher attitude.

On one particular play during Wednesday night’s game, Matt Barnes plowed through Jonas Jerebko with a football-like move. Barnes laughed at the comparisons of football plays.

Later in the game, J.J. Redick got physical with Ben Gordon and it prompted Gordon to receive a double technical foul and he was ejected from the game. Van Gundy discussed the physicality of the game.

“Pretty typical for a team like that. They’re real physical and always reaching and slapping but then a guy like Ben Gordon doesn’t like it when somebody gets up into him. And that’s pretty typical as you know, that’s pretty typical of bullies. They like all the physical stuff but they don’t like it when you come back at them. And we came back at them.”

It seemed like Van Gundy and his played where impressed by Redick’s toughness.

“J.J. just got into Ben Gordon and it’s not something he appreciated. They want to play free and clean and get into everyone else and it doesn’t work this week.”

Barnes was surprised to see Redick get into it and laughed about it.

“The game is going to be physical. I like that our team is going to be physical back. Early in the season, teams were trying to out-tough us and punk us and stuff like that but I can slowly see a change in us. Even J.J. got into it tonight. So that made me smile. You know we’re not going to be dirty but we’re not going to be pushed around and I think we’re definitely making an effort in changing that.”

Jameer Nelson was short and sweet in summing up their new-found toughness.

“You can’t let teams punk you.”

And it looks like the Magic no longer will let that happen.

(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and a contributor at NFL Mocks Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)