When the Hawks explain their reversed fortunes against the Magic in terms of intangibles, they say lingering bitterness from the historic beating Orlando delivered in last spring's playoffs.
In basketball terms, though, the answers always seem to end up in the middle.
That's where the Hawks planted 7-foot center Jason Collins against All-Star Dwight Howard for each of four meetings this season. And each time Collins provided enough resistance against Howard that teammates didn't have to constantly scramble to help.
Collins did it again Wednesday night at Philips Arena, helping the Hawks defeat Orlando 85-82 to win the season series 3-1.
"That's the best defense I've seen all year on Dwight," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Against Collins, [Howard] didn't get a lot of good shots. He's big a physical. He doesn't give you anything easy."
In the past two weeks the Hawks had suffered blowout home defeats against Miami and Chicago while losing 14 of 21 games. Now they've won three consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 5, following victories against struggling New Jersey and Cleveland by beating the fourth-place team in the Eastern Conference.
"I guess it was a switch that went off," said Hawks forward Josh Smith, who scored a game-high 26 points. "I'm glad it did, especially at this time. We can't keep getting punked by teams and not answering the bell."
The Hawks have made a turnaround against the Magic since the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals. Orlando swept the four-game series with an NBA-record winning margin of 101 total points.
The Hawks have won three in row against the Magic in low-scoring, physical games.
"They are better than us right now," Van Gundy said. "Doesn't mean they will be in the playoffs. We’re not scared of them, but right now I have to say they're better than us."
The Hawks seemed to hit on a formula to control Howard while also defending his teammates.
In the playoffs last season, Howard averaged 21 points while making 27 of 32 field-goal attempts. The Hawks' defense against Howard also allowed the Magic to spread the floor for open 3-pointers.
With Collins providing resistance Wednesday, Howard never could find an offensive rhythm. He made only four of 13 field goals, and foul trouble limited his defensive aggressiveness for much of the game.
Hawks coach Larry Drew has used the "big" lineup with Collins at center in each game against the Magic. If the Hawks and Magic stay on track to meet in the first round of the playoffs, there's now little question which lineup Drew will use.
"It all started with Jason Collins," Drew said. "I thought he just did a phenomenal job of staying between Dwight and the basket, making him earn everything down low."
With Howard mostly in check, the Magic stayed close behind timely scoring from Hedo Turkoglu (17 points) and Jameer Nelson (13 points after halftime).
The Hawks led 80-72 in the fourth quarter after Smith's three-point play and 82-74 following two Johnson free throws. But Howard made two free throws and then a basket -- after Orlando had gathered two offensive rebounds each time -- to cut the lead to 82-78 with less than three minutes to play.
Nelson tied the score at 82-82 on a layup, and Johnson answered with a basket. Nelson and Johnson each missed jump shots before Nelson missed on a runner and Collins was fouled on a rebound.
Collins, who had attempted only 41 free throws this season, made one of two to push the Hawks' lead to 85-82 with 5.7 seconds to play. The Magic called timeout to set up a final play for Turkoglu, who missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
About the Author
