Roger was mentally prepared, knowing that the team's winning rate would for sure decline. Even if he hated that "Shaq", he couldn't deny his impact. Similarly, Shaq couldn't deny Roger's impact either.
However, a slip in the winning rate didn't matter as long as the New York Knicks and Jazz didn't surpass them in the standings.
Currently, Magic had four more wins than the Knicks and five more than the Jazz. Not getting surpassed meant that games against these two teams were particularly crucial.
Defeating the Jazz could extend the gap to six wins, granting them a bit more leeway.
Without Shaq, dealing with the Jazz was going to be extremely tough.
But Roger knew what to do.
The cake would stay in Orlando.
On February 23, the entire Magic team appeared at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
