If you think the Trail Blazers have been catching some red-hot teams lately, you're correct. That's not about to change Friday night, as Portland hosts the best team from the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic. Many expected Orlando to be improved this season, but not many thought they'd be 12 and 4 after 16 games.

The true measure for any eastern team is how they do against the much-tougher Western Conference. Well, not only are the Magic 5 and 1 against the West, they've started this road trip with impressive wins at Utah and Seattle. They've won five in a row overall, look to continue that streak.

I know we're only a month into the season, but Dwight Howard is the dominant center in the east this season, and is a potential MVP of the league. He is an absolute monster, and has been putting up big numbers, averaging 17 points, and 14 rebounds per game. He already has 3 games of 20+ points, and 20+ rebounds. At Seattle on Wednesday, he had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots.

The Magic start a big first unit, with Hedo Turkoglu (6-10), Tony Battie (6-11), and Howard (6-11), on the front line. Grant Hill is healthy and is playing very well, and point guard Jameer Nelson is as tough as nails and makes this Orlando engine roar.

If their offense isn't enough, and it has been on most nights, the Magic are a force at the defensive end of the floor. They've been holding opponents to just 92 points per game, second-best in the NBA. It'll be another big challenge for Zach Randolph, against this Magic shot-blocking machine. We saw Zach have some success against Indiana when he moved out to the perimeter and hit a couple of jumpers. Even though the coaches would ultimately like him in the low block, if he can stretch the defense from the outside, that's fine with them. Problem is, he's Portland's best rebounder, and when he's outside shooting shots he doesn't have a chance at the offensive board.

Following their loss to Indiana on Tuesday, the Trail Blazers took Wednesday off, and returned to practice on Thursday. They mainly worked on defense, and worked on ways to slow down Orlando.

Coach Nate McMillan was a guest on Trail Blazers Courtside on Thursday night, and talked about what will be needed against the Magic. He also discussed the Indiana game, and gave us an update on the status of Raef LaFrentz and Brandon Roy. He also spent time talking about Howard, who he coached on Team USA at the World Championships.

To hear our interview with coach McMillan from last night's radio show, click here.

We were also joined on the show by Joel Przybilla. Joel returned to the Blazers lineup for the game against the Pacers, and talked about how good it feels to be back. He'll start again Friday night, and hopes to see more action, as he continues to get back into shape.

To listen to the interview with Joel, click here.

Friday night's game against the Magic, is radio only, and begins at 6 o'clock on the Trail Blazers Radio Network.

 

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