The Bucks’ defense was able to hold Iverson to 5-26 shooting from the field and 16 points. The officiating in Game 1 was bad, but the team had to move on and get a win in Game 2 to tie up the series before heading back to Milwaukee - and that’s exactly what they did. The Bucks beat the Magic three games to one and I suppose “Big Dog” got the last laugh in that matchup. Nevertheless, despite McGrady’s impressive performance during that series, the Bucks far overmatched the Magic talent-wise. Regardless, McGrady was great during that series and it is still one of the best individual performances throughout a playoff series that I have ever seen. Intent and effort are absolutely necessary for a player to be productive on the defensive end. This was an early lesson for me in evaluating players: just because a player has the tools to be a great defender does not mean he will be. He could have had a Scottie Pippen type of career, on the defensive end, if he had really applied himself.

Although not a bad defender, he had the potential to be elite. McGrady also relentlessly trash-talked “Big Dog,” infamously calling him “Puppy Dog.” Following that series, McGrady quickly became well known within the basketball world, and I guess you could say “a star was born.” A long 6’8” scoring machine that could essentially do everything on the offensive end - he was incredible! However, in hindsight, based on what I saw from McGrady that series, and although an all-time great player, I do not think he maximized his full potential over the course of his career. 348 field goal percentage, both well below his normal averages. He did all of this while also holding all-star Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson to only 14.8 points per game and a. In that first-round playoff series versus the Bucks, McGrady was outstanding, averaging 33.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game - superstar numbers. He did not have any problems doing so, averaging 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game that season. Subsequently, the idea of slowly developing McGrady was scratched and suddenly the Magic were dependent on the 21-year-old to carry their team. However, Grant Hill only played four games that season after signing that big contract as he battled ankle injuries - injuries that would derail the rest of his career, unfortunately. Their idea was, presumably, to have Grant Hill be the leader and the face of the team as they slowly brought along McGrady. Following the 1999-2000 season, the Magic really opened up their wallets signing superstar Grant Hill from the Detroit Pistons and young budding star Tracy McGrady from the Toronto Raptors. The previous Magic team was led by a group of underdog journeymen, including Darrell Armstrong, Bo Outlaw, and Ben Wallace - they were a scrappy bunch of overachievers and it was their clear cut identity as a team.

However, the 2001 Orlando Magic team was a little different than the team the Bucks beat the previous season. George Karl and Doc Rivers seemed to regularly make jabs at each other in the press during this time and the two teams had suddenly established a testy rivalry with one another. The winner would secure a playoff spot and the Bucks won in a nail biter. The previous season the Bucks and the Magic played a “do-or-die” game on the last day of the regular season. The Bucks' first playoff series that year was versus the seventh-seeded Orlando Magic led by head coach, Doc Rivers.

2001 charlotte hornets roster