By Dan Savage
Jan 30, 2009

ORLANDO -- On a night the Magic discovered they would have three players in this season’s All-Star game, they also found something else.

Their defensive dominance.

Throughout the week, Head Coach Stan Van Gundy preached about the importance of Orlando cranking up its defensive intensity if it wanted to remain among the elite teams in the Eastern Conference.

Even after Tuesday’s 24-point win over the Pacers, the Magic’s head coach still seemed dissatisfied.

But following a statement victory over the Cavaliers on Thursday, a different side of Van Gundy was on display. He was bordering on jolly.

“I’m happy with the win; I’m happier still with the way we got the win, doing it with our defense in the second half,” he said in his postgame press conference. “I’m as reasonably happy as an NBA coach can be in the midst of a season, let’s put it that way.”

In the first half it looked as if Van Gundy would walk away from the contest with plenty to complain about during Saturday’s practice. However, after the break his squad came out playing at a completely different level.

“We knew what were doing wrong in the first half,” newly named All-Star reserve Jameer Nelson said. “We weren’t playing with a high-intensity level on defense. We’re professionals. We’re honest with ourselves and we’re honest with each other. We knew what we had to do and we came out and did it in the second half.”

It didn’t take very long into the third quarter for the Magic to set their new defensive tone. On the first possession of the period, Orlando forced Cleveland superstar LeBron James to take a tough running hook shot. After a missed tip attempt by Ben Wallace, the Magic took the ball in the other direction for a two-point play and the lead.

It was an advantage they would never relinquish on their way to a 99-88 home triumph.

“You’ve got to give Orlando credit,” Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown said following the matchup. “They came out in the second half and turned it up defensively. They did a good job on that end of the floor.”

While Orlando’s historical All-Star trio of Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Nelson all played a major role in the extra effort of the second session, they were quick to credit two of the team’s role players for their success at the defensive end.

“I thought Courtney (Lee) and Mickeal Pietrus played great defense on LeBron,” Lewis said in the locker room after the game. “We tried to contain him as much as possible and we were able to pull away from them. We were getting steals, creating missed shots, rebounding and running out. It was a total team effort on the defensive end.”

The second-half swing with something even James recognized.

“They were able to break the lead open in the third quarter,” he said. “We missed our first six shots to start the quarter. The momentum definitely shifted.”

In a conference where the race for the top spot is so tight, the balance of power may have shifted too.