Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

5 Orlando Magic stories that deserve its own documentary

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Darrell Armstrong and Doc Rivers headlines the Orlando Magic's Heart & Hustle team, a group that deserves its story told. (Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule Jr. /Allsport)
Darrell Armstrong and Doc Rivers headlines the Orlando Magic's Heart & Hustle team, a group that deserves its story told. (Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule Jr. /Allsport) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
Rashard Lewis, Orlando Magic, Mo Williams, Cleveland Cavaliers
Rashard Lewis had plenty of heroics for the Orlando Magic, but his sacrifice is what stands out. (Photo by Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) /

Evolution of the 3-Pointer

If watching a lot of basketball from the mid-1990s has proven anything to fans, it should be that today’s NBA game is much different. Not better or worse. . . just different.

It is stunning to see how little teams used the 3-point line in those games. There is a lot of one-on-one and isolation play — necessitating illegal defense violations to prevent teams from overloading the strong side and further bogging games down. There are changes that are good.

While the scales appear to have tipped completely the other way with 3-point shooting, getting there was a slow evolution of understanding.

There is a story to tell in the 3-point shot from Larry Bird dominating the early 3-point contests even though he rarely took a 3-pointer in a game (1.9 attempts per game with just three seasons with more than 3.0 per game) to Reggie Miller making it legendary to the Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors.

The idea went from gimmick to advantage to necessity in 40 years.

Live Feed

The 20 worst free agent signings in NBA history
The 20 worst free agent signings in NBA history /

Hoops Habit

  • NBA history: Teams with the most unexpected improvements FanSided
  • Washington Wizards We Forgot: Rashard Lewis Wiz of Awes
  • Orlando Magic: 3 worst free agent signings in team history Hoops Habit
  • The Chicago Bulls passed on Mobley, Lewis to draft a player cooked by MJ Pippen Ain't Easy
  • BIG3 Rumors: 8 players the Chicago Bulls could sign Pippen Ain't Easy

    • The Orlando Magic have a very big part in this story too. It was the 1995 season that saw the 3-point shot become a primary weapon for teams.

    The Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic that year proved 3-point shooting teams could help balance the floor for centers and be a critical weapon in a championship. Other teams would slowly follow.

    The 2009 Magic took that the next step. In an era where the 3-point line had become normalized, the Magic were among the first teams to win with the 3-pointer as a primary strategy.

    Everyone doubted the 2009 Magic because their offense seemed gimmicky — hoisting 3-pointers around Dwight Howard. But their surprise run through the 2009 Playoffs, including shooting 40.8 percent on 25.3 3-point field goal attempts per game in the Eastern Conference Finals, made the 3-point shot an acceptable and proven way to win.

    From there, the Rockets made it much more than a strategy and Stephen Curry took over the league with his defense-bending range.

    A proper examination of the history of the 3-point and the story of how it became the weapon it is would be a great story to tell.