CHARLOTTE – Include Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford – someone with a strong history of success in Orlando – as a fan of the Magic’s moves in the offseason to go big with the acquisitions of Bismack Biyombo and Serge Ibaka.
Clifford, an assistant coach with the Magic when the franchise reached the 2009 NBA Finals and the ’10 Eastern Conference Finals, has evolved into something of a defensive guru as Charlotte’s head coach. His Hornets are near the top of the league again in most of the primary defensive statistics, ranking fifth in steals, sixth in field goal percentage allowed and eighth in 3-point percentage allowed.