Will Orlando Magic's Addiction to the Three-Point Shot Doom Them?

The Orlando Magic have undoubtedly been the most dominant team in the NBA postseason of 2010, and the evidence is found in their unblemished record through six games played.

The Magic swept the Charlotte Bobcats in the opening round, and all indications show that they have every intention of attempting the same feat against the Atlanta Hawks, over whom the Magic hold a two games to none advantage.

Orlando has the most imposing physical presence in the playoffs in Dwight Howard, but the Magic's prescription for success has been to fire away from the perimeter and force opponents to double team Howard in the post. It's an interesting strategy because it goes against the traditional train of thought, which says begin your offense in the post and work the ball out to the perimeter.

Instead, Orlando coach Stan van Gundy prefers to surround Howard with players who are all capable of hitting shots from the perimeter, and Howard becomes the secondary option on offense.

The strategy has worked because the Magic have stayed disciplined in their scheme. Howard never really demands the ball in the post, the Magic are a superior defensive team, and most importantly, the shots have been falling.

Only the Phoenix Suns have attempted and made more three-point shots, but Phoenix doesn't have the luxury of a dominant physical presence like Howard, because Amare Stoudemire doesn't fit the same bill.

The Magic have attempted 166 three-point shots in the postseason, and they have connected on 63 of them, shooting 38 percent while allowing opponents to hit only 24 of 92 of their own three-point attempts.

But what happens when the three-pointers stop falling and Howard is effectively bottled up in the post? Where does the scoring come from then?

Last season the answer would have been found in Hedo Turkoglu, who served as the fail mechanism when the Magic couldn't score from the perimeter and Howard was ineffective in the paint.

Turkoglu was the only member of the Magic's team who had the ability to penetrate an opposing defense and create opportunities at the rim or kick the ball out to an open teammate.

Turkoglu's replacement, Vince Carter, would much rather lurk around the boundaries of the perimeter than attack the basket, and he's nowhere near as good of a ball-handler as Turkoglu was either.

The only Magic player who seems to get into the lane with any regularity is Jameer Nelson, who is healthy after playing through last season's Finals with an injured shoulder.

An argument can be made that Nelson has been Orlando's MVP of the postseason thus far, because it's been his penetration which has opened up the perimeter for the Magic's numerous three-point attempts.

But it's not likely that Nelson's penetration could carry the Magic through an entire series against any of their future opponents, because the teams left are better-equipped to deal with him.

This may be the only flaw for a Magic team that has the look of a champion, and even this could be corrected if Howard could find a way to impose his will in the post without getting in foul trouble.

Howard remains the key to any potential slump from the three-point line for the Magic, because if he can use his physical strength to dominate the paint, then it would nullify any inefficiency from the perimeter.

But if an opponent is able to effectively guard Howard without double-teaming and the Magic's shots from the perimeter are not finding their mark, then Orlando's season could end in defeat, just like last year.